WVEC Action Alerts

January 15, 2002

1. Governor's State of the State Address "Governor says little else about environment" by Ken Ward

2. Shameless Plea from WVEC President for Help 

3. WACO Quarry on Brown's Mountain and Knapp's Creek 

4. WV Watershed Network Meeting, January 29, 2002 

5. January 2002 InDEPth 

6. New website dealing with environmental concerns

The Legislative Updates will be starting on Friday, January 18th so be on the look out for it.

Governor says little else about environment Thursday, January 10, 2002 By Ken Ward Jr. STAFF WRITER

Gov. Bob Wise made good on campaign promise Wednesday, with what administration officials hope will be the first in a series of land acquisitions in Tucker County's scenic Blackwater Canyon. Under the deal, more than 500 acres of land will be added to Blackwater Falls State Park, increasing the park's size by nearly a third. Wise and officials from Allegheny Energy, which is donating half the land, signed sales agreement Wednesday morning. 

But the administration saved the announcement for the governor's State of the State address Wednesday night. "The land includes the last mile of unprotected river between the town of Davis and the Blackwater Canyon," Wise said. "We have permanently guaranteed public access to this land for recreation," the governor said. "Stewardship of the land is one of our responsibilities as citizens and as leaders of government." 

Environmentalists, who have made protecting the canyon a priority, praised the governor's actions. "We are very excited to have been part of facilitating this new land acquisition by the state of West Virginia," said Judy Rodd, a leader of the Friends of Blackwater campaign. "We hope this is the first step in working to acquire all of Blackwater Canyon." 

But environmentalists found little else to please them in Wise's second State of the State address. "I'm extremely disappointed with Governor Wise," said Janet Fout, project coordinator for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. "For all of his talk about safety and security, he failed to address our most basic security needs: clean air and clean water." Nathan Fetty of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition said he was glad that the governor talked a lot about education and economic development. 

"But something I hope that Bob Wise will realize is that all of that doesn't matter a hill of beans if your streams are polluted and your air isn't safe to breathe, and all of your streams are being buried by valley fills," Fetty said. Wise did mention the environment one other time in his speech: "We took great strides in the past year toward responsible environmental protection," he said. "A vast majority of West Virginians have reached the realization that none of our dreams - a clean environment, a healthy economy, a place where our children will want to live - is possible without working together." 

David Flannery, an industry lawyer who follows DEP, said that he hopes that means the agency will do more to speed up permitting for new and expanded businesses. "It really takes an inordinate amount of time to get permits," Flannery said. In his budget, the governor included one environmental initiative: He proposed to give the state Department of Environmental Protection an additional $700,000, the last year of a three-year plan to fund the writing of new water pollution rules. 

Wise did not propose an additional $40,000 to help the DEP dam safety office hire a new lawyer to beef up enforcement. On the Blackwater Canyon issue, the land involved in not among the 3,000 acres of property currently owned by timber operator John Crites. Crites has refused citizen requests that he stop timbering the area, and has floated a proposal for condominiums in the canyon. Under the Wise deal, the state will pay about $1.1 million for 250 acres currently owned by Allegheny Energy. 

"It's a very beautiful stretch of stream," said Division of Natural Resources Director Ed Hamrick. "There is an excellent trout fishery, and it is an area that has some endangered species habitat." Money for the purchase will come from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is a pool of money from the government's offshore oil leases. The program requires a 50-50 match, so Wise aides convinced Allegheny Power to donate another 250 acres of land, making the 500 total. "That's a tiny step in the right direction," said Cindy Rank of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. "Blackwater Canyon is truly one of our jewels. "But I get disappointed when so much emphasis is put on 250 acres here when there are so many hills and hollows that are 250 acres that are being obliterated without any thought of what is being lost - the forests, the streams, the communities and the way of life of Southern West Virginia."

To contact staff writer Ken Ward Jr., use e-mail or call 348-1702.

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Shameless Plea from WVEC President for help

Another shameless plea from your president! But this time I'm not asking for money-- I'm asking for labor. The last G.R.E.E.N. went out with the help of a small group, who didn't finish till 1:30 a.m. We like to get the Updates out in time to mail them so at least the first lot are received the next day...let's have lots more help. With plenty of people it goes quickly and is reasonably fun. This involves simple manual labor, stamping and addressing, printing, and then collating and stapling the newsletters. Show up at 1324 Virginia St E around 4 in the afternoon. One other way you can help if you have email: forego your hard copy. This saves us the 34c stamp, the paper, and all the labor. If you like a nice printed copy you can easily read or pass along...couldn't you print it off the computer?

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WACO Quarry on Brown's Mountain and Knapp's Creek

The quarry notice for the WACO quarry on Brown's Mountain and Knapp's Creek was published January 3, 2002 in the Pochahontas Times. Letters of comment must be received within 30 days referencing Application # WV-1017471 for a sandstone quarry on Brown's Mountain, addressed to Department of Environmental Protection 105 S. Railroad St. Suite 301 Phillipi, WV 26416

and should request a public hearing on the proposed quarry in addition to other comments.

I would appreciate if you could pass this information around and solicit what letters we can as only a vigorous opposition will stop this desecration.

The following information needs to be forwarded to those individuals and organizations that would be concerned about protecting the environment in Pocahontas County. I would appreciate any support/assistance/information you can provide.

Hefcorp-jon, Buckhannon, WV, and Waco Oil and Gas, Glennville, WV, are seeking a permit from DEP, in Phillipi, to strip mine 79 acres of a 248 acre parcel they have purchased on Browns Mountain along Knapps Creek on Rt. 39 between Huntersville and Minnehaha Springs, Pocahontas County, WV, across from the well-known Devil's Backbone arch exposed along the highway. They plan to remove at least three hundred feet of rock from the east side of the mountain to obtain the Tuscarora Sandstone (or White Medina Sandstone), which is used as a non-skid aggregate in road construction. This is the same rock that forms Seneca Rocks and would presumably be used for Corridor H construction. I have attached a photo showing the location of the proposed quarry. Presumably, after the east side would be quarried, they could apply to the DEP to extend the quarry to the west side of the mountain, thereby removing the whole thing.

What they are proposing is the equivalent of mountain top removal in an area with no coal and no other mining. The water gap formed by Knapps Creek as it cuts through Browns Mountain is one of the most scenic areas in West Virginia. Knapps Creek is stocked with trout by the DNR. Strip mining in this location would create a permanent scar on the landscape and probably destroy the creek for trout fishing downstream of the quarry. It would have a negative impact on tourism for many years to come and permanently change a beautiful landscape.

Local landowners have formed the Browns Mountain Area Preservation Society. They need help from environmentalists. Their contact person is Normal Wolcott (304-799-6579).

Both Permit numbers must be mentioned, and items of concern for each permit mentioned in order for them to consider a request for a public hearing.

These are revised instructions for requesting a public hearing and submitting comments.

Interested persons/bodies should write to the DEP and quote BOTH permit numbers, the NPDES and the Quarry number, and mention the items of concern for each permit and request a public hearing to raise those issues to arrive at DEP before February 2, 2002.

The NPDES is a water discharge permit. We have not been able to find out anything about an air quality permit for the crusher.

The NPDES Application Number is WV 1017471

The Quarry application number is SMA Q-2017-00

The address of DEP is Permit Supervisor Department of Environmental Protection Suite 301 105 S. Railroad St. Phillipi, WV 26416

Norman M. Wolcott

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WV Watershed Network Meeting

The next WV Watershed meeting on January 29. If there are any questions concerning this, please call Pam Russell at 1-800-682-7866.

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January 2002 InDEPth

http://www.dep.state.wv.us/pio/indepth/indepth_2002_1.pdf

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New Website Dealing with Environmental Concerns

The National Council of Churches and the Coalition for Jewish Life / COJL)have set up a new website dealing with environmental concerns and issues. You can log on, as an individual, for information and action initiatives. They are actively seeking environmental group co-sponsors . Our WV Interfaith Global Climate Change Campaign is signing on. Rich Killmer, the Executive Director of the NCC sent the e-mail out about this. The website is: www.protectingcreation.org

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