Congress prepares to rape the environment

[quaoar]

Congress is preparing an Interior Department appropriations bill that would commit a host of atrocities against the environment. They are going to try to ram it through by folding it into a much bigger, omnibus appropriations bill.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1112-17.htm

Expedite a land exchange aimed at allowing oil drilling in an Alaska Wildlife Refuge. This rider appears to expedite a land exchange that would give more than 100,000 acres of important wildlife habitat in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge to the Doyon Corporation, which wants to drill for oil on the land.

< snip >

Allow commercial fish stocking within wilderness areas in Alaska. This rider would severely weaken protections for wilderness areas in Alaska. Specifically, it would overturn a recent federal court ruling and allow commercial fish hatcheries and stocking, including associated roads and airstrips, in protected wilderness areas in some of most spectacular of our national parks and wildlife refuges in Alaska.

< snip >

Biscuit Logging Amendment. Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon has announced that he may offer an amendment to override existing law and push the largest public lands logging project in modern history: the post-fire Biscuit logging project on Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest.
His amendment would prohibit judicial review and citizen appeals, effectively eliminating all public involvement in this massive project. That would leave the area's roadless areas, ancient forest reserves, wild and scenic rivers and salmon runs at serious risk.

< snip >

Cumberland Island National Seashore. Only the Congress can designate wilderness, and only the Congress can remove that protection. Never has it done so in a unit of the National Park System. But now, as the rest of America celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, some members of Georgia's congressional delegation are asking precisely that. This likely amendment would remove wilderness protection from lands on this fragile barrier island off the Georgia coast specifically to benefit private and commercial interests, specifically motorized tour operators.

[Amich]

1. well I told my friend here in oregon to take pictures...

Since that will be the only trees we'll be seeing for a while. I knew they would do this. those F*&*&%.

[eleonora]

2. this is depressing -sigh-

I don't know just how many stupid news like this I'm going to be able to handle until I POP. Four more years....GAAAAAH

[The Straight Story]

3. The Talking points:

Look for these in a paper/media outlet near you:

Alaska is 365,000,000 acres, 100,000 of that is nothing compared to the oil we can get and solve some dependency issues.

The doyon Board is made up of many natives and cares about people:

Doyon, Limited is one of the thirteen Native regional corporations established by Congress under the terms of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).

With the land entitlement of 12.5 million acres, Doyon is the largest private landowner in Alaska and is one of the largest private landowners in North America. Our lands extend from the Brooks Range on the north to the Alaska Range on the south. The Alaska Canada border is our eastern border and the western portion almost reaches the Norton Sound.

Voting shares of stock were originally issued to 9,061 Alaska Natives who had a tie to our region. In March 1992, shareholders approved giving stock to Native children born between 1971 and 1992, missed enrollees and Elders who were age 65 by December 1992. Today we have over 14,000 shareholders. Our headquarters are located in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Doyon's mission is to continually enhance our position as a financially strong Native corporation in order to promote the economic and social well being of our shareholders and future shareholders, to strengthen our Native way of life and to protect and enhance our land and resources.

Logging

SUMMARY: The Forest Service, USDA, will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) on proposed activities in areas burned in the summer of
2002 by the Biscuit Fire. The Biscuit Fire affected almost 500,000
acres burning in the steep canyons of the Klamath/Siskiyou Mountains.
It destroyed four homes, burned millions of trees, and altered habitat
for various plant, wildlife, and fish species, including Threatened,
Endangered, and Sensitive species. The fire damaged roads, trails,
recreation signs and other structures. The implementation of this
proposal is scheduled for fiscal years 2004 through 2009. The proposed
action would be in compliance with the 1989 Siskiyou National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan, as amended by the Northwest Forest
Plan, which provides the overall guidance for management of this area.
The Rogue River and Siskiyou National Forests invites written comments
and suggestions on the scope of the analysis. The agency will give
notice of the full environmental analysis and decision-making process
so interested and affected people may be able to participate and
contribute in the final decision.

Cumberland wilderness

As many of you know, I am an avid outdoorsman and conservationist. I am a supporter of sound wildlife management and the preservation of our Nation’s unique and complex history. Another key point that I wish to make is that this history has been preserved for all of us to see and experience. Under the enactment of Public Law 97-250 (96 Stat. 709) in 1982, Congress designated approximately 8,840 acres of Cumberland Island as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation system and authorized an additional 11,718 acres to be designated as potential wilderness. Currently, the main road on the island passes thru the designated wilderness area. Due to the location of the designated wilderness area, access to historic settlements such as: Plum Orchard Mansion and Dungeness, both former homes of Andrew Carnegie descendants; the First African Baptist Church established in 1893 and was rebuilt in the 1930’s; as well as the High Point/Half Moon Bluff historic district, is severely restricted. Such restrictions make it extremely difficult for visitors to experience this unique collection of Georgia’s history and diverse ecology. I believe that history and nature can best be appreciated when one is given the opportunity to experience it first hand. It is vitally important for the unique history and ecology of Cumberland Island to be properly managed and protected so that many generations to come will be able to experience this beautiful treasure found in the State of Georgia.

The nature and history of Cumberland Island needs to be preserved and managed in such a manner that will allow many generations to experience this golden treasure of Georgia. The Cumberland Island Wilderness Boundary Adjustment Act of 2003 will do just that. This bill will allow for greater access to key areas of the island by removing the areas of the Main Road, the Spur Road to Plum Orchard, as well as the North Cut Road from the previously designated wilderness area. Further, the bill allows for the addition of 210 acres to the wilderness area upon acquisition by the National Park Service. I should clarify and stress that this bill does not suggest that we open this land to the public for further habitation and degradation of the area’s natural history and ecological habitats. The purpose of this bill is very simple---I want to improve the management and preservation of Cumberland Island’s history and diverse ecosystem so that others in the future will be able to experience and learn about the treasures of the Golden Isles and all that they represent.

It is crucial that Cumberland Island’s history and unique ecosystem is properly managed and protected. And, we want to ensure that these treasures are available to all of our Nation’s citizens to experience and enjoy. This bill allows Congress to address this issue and to make the necessary changes so that Cumberland Island can remain as one of Georgia’s treasured Golden Isles for many years to come.

[The Straight Story]

5. Links

Cumberland:
http://chambliss.senate.gov/News/singleNews.cfm?NewsID=189

Doyon:
http://www.doyon.com/

Biscuit fire:
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-IMPACT/2003/March/Day-19/i6503.htm

[progmom]

4. Shit.

Seriously.
Why can't i just not care about this like most of America?
I would sleep so much better.