WVEC Action Alert

August 16 , 2005

Take Action to Protect the Mon!

Dear Friend of West Virginia’s Wild Places,

Today is a very big day for the fate of our Monongahela National Forest. It marks the start of the US Forest Service’s official public comment period for their newly released draft plan. This will be our big chance to tell them we want Wilderness, clean water and wildlife habitat protected for all, including future generations, to enjoy. The Forest Service’s Preferred Alternative (#2) threatens the future of the Mon’s wild lands by rolling back protections for roadless areas and failing to recommend an adequate number of new wilderness areas. Only Alternative 3, with changes, goes the furthest in recommending new wilderness areas and protecting the Mon’s remaining special wild places.

Get Involved! Throw a Wild Mon party with our newly released DVD!
This summer and fall you can play a vital role in helping to protect the Mon’s wildest places by inspiring others to send their comments on the plan. Our new video, ‘A Vision for a Wild Mon’, narrated by Larry Groce, with music by Wolf Creek Session is available, along with helpful party packs to folks interested in hosting a gathering of friends, family or coworkers. Click here more information and to get your video pack.

Get Informed!
Join us at 7 pm on Tuesday 8/23 or Wednesday 8/24 for an exclusive briefing on the forest plan and to discuss our strategy for protecting wild place on the Mon! Please RSVP to mattk@tws.org for toll free call in information, agenda, and memo.

The forest plan revision has already gotten a good bit of press. Click here to see how the state’s newspapers have been covering this important issue, including a recent PRO-WILDERNESS editorial in the Dominion Post. If you can listen to West Virginia Public Radio this afternoon, tune this afternoon to hear a feature on the forest plan.

For more information on the campaign to protect wilderness on the Mon visit our website www.wvwild.org or contact me.

Sincerely,

Matt

Matt Keller
Campaign Coordinator
PO Box 6
Masontown, WV 26542
304-864-5530
mattk@tws.org
www.wvwild.org

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Buffer Zone Rules Comment Period Extended to September 1st

If mining laws were enforced, then the Stream Buffer Zone rule (SBZ) would help protect streams from valley fills at mountaintop removal operations.

The Bush administration wants to "clarify" (read weaken) the SBZ. However, because so many of you spoke out last year, the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) has conceded it must conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the the SBZ changes the Bush administration wants.

The first part of the study (the EIS) involves a scoping process, during which you can comment. Please make written comments by Thursday Sept 1st, the newly announced deadline. You can send comments in by e-mail until 4 p.m. Contact information below. You may also hand-deliver your comments to OSM if you attend one of the hearings listed below.

Points to make in your letter:

  • OSM’s decision to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) is an admission that proposed changes to the stream buffer zone rule would have significant adverse effects on the environment, despite prior claims by OSM that the proposed changes were just clarifications.
  • OSM should conduct its meetings on the SBZ rule scoping process as formal public hearings, with written transcripts, and in a manner that allows all present to hear everyone's comments.
  • At the very minimum the proposed SBZ Rule should be withdrawn and the existing SBZ Rule should be enforced.
  • The stream buffer zone (SBZ) EIS should consider alternatives for strengthening and enforcing the SBZ Rule because the mountaintop removal draft EIS shows significant degradation of streams downstream from valley fills.
  • The SBZ EIS must consider the cumulative environmental impacts of valley fills including but not limited to water quality, overall watershed biological and chemical health, terrestrial impacts including deforestation and impacts on interior forest bird species such as the Cerulean Warbler, and air quality impacts and toxic run off caused by the burning of coal.
  • The SBZ EIS must assess the impacts of increased selenium downstream from valley fills by commissioning in-depth biological and chemical studies in areas high in selenium.
  • The SBZ EIS must fully analyze the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of mitigation approved by the Army Corps of Engineers to offset harm caused by valley fills.
  • The SBZ EIS must analyze the need for new biological water quality standards and monitoring to help protect against adverse downstream impacts of valley fills.
  • The SBZ EIS must analyze the socio-economic and cultural importance of maintaining stream buffer zones.
  • The SBZ EIS should include studying the impacts of long-term loss of water resources on national security.
  • The SBZ EIS should study the impacts on the loss of tourism dollars in the Appalachian region as aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are degraded and or annihilated.

Send your written scoping comments by 4 pm eastern time, Sept 1, 2005 to:

“EIS Scoping SBZ Rulemaking Comments”
c/o OSM Appalachian Region 3
3 Parkway Center
Pittsburgh, PA 15220

Or email your written comments to:

SBZ-EIS@osmre.gov and dhartos@osmre.gov

You may want to hand-deliver your comments at one of these OSM-hosted meeting on the EIS scoping process:

August 22: 6:00 to 9 p.m., Knoxville, TN. Hilton Hotel, Sequoia Room, 501 W. Church Avenue, Southwest, Knoxville, Tennessee

August 23: 6:00 to 9 p.m., Hazard, KY. Hazard Community Technical College, One Community College Drive, First Federal Center, Room 123A, Hazard, Kentucky

August 24: 6:00 to 9 p.m., Charleston, WV. Embassy Suites Hotel, Ballroom ABC, 300 Court Street, Charleston, West Virginia

August 25: 6:00 to 9 p.m., Pittsburgh, PA. -- Best Western Parkway Center, 8th Floor in the Horizon Room, 875 Greentree Road, Greentree, Pennsylvania.

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Call For Support and Participation - Regatta Festival Weekend, Charleston

Hi, everyone!

Last year, about 10 people from Sierra Club walked in the Labor Day Regatta parade holding our banner and wearing our shirts. But, alas, it was just one group, so the impact was a bit drowned out (literally) by the DARE car in front of us.

So this year, I'm hoping we can get more participation (!) and show both the unity and diversity of the WV environmental groups. It'd be great if each group (and any related ones that I haven't reached out to with this email) could bring people to march in the parade on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 11AM.

The unity aspect would be reinforced by having as many people as possible wear the I *heart* mountains t-shirts (which I understand Julian has many of). And the diversity? Each group would bring banners or signs announcing their issues and who they are. What a cool image, if OVEC and CAG and Friends of the Mountains and WV Wilderness Coalition and Highlands Conservancy and Sierra Club and Coal River and Christians for the Mountains all walked together in support of each other and our related issues!

The deadline for applying for the parade is this week, so I have faxed an application in to the parade office. If anyone has ideas, or images this brings to mind, or anything else that could springboard off this, email back!

Forrest Hale
WV Sierra Club
304-444-2016 (cell)
forrest.hale@gmail.com

By the way, Sierra Club has applied for a booth at the Regatta, at a cost of a $1000. Vicky has been reaching out to some of the groups to see if they would like to share in the exposure/staffing of the table/(and cost) of this. Please contact her (vicky.mattson@sierraclub.org or (304)342-3182) if you have any ideas regarding this or would like to take part.

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And, lastly, a Reminder....

Sierra Club is having a table at WV State Fair Aug. 13-21. Vicky Mattson needs lots of volunteer help, also needs literature for their table. Contact Vicky for more info or to help (304) 342-3182 vicky.mattson@sierraclub.org.

Campsite space will be provided, entrance fees reimbursed and lots of fun events including Garrison Keillor on Aug 18th. See www.statefairofwv.com/

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