Written comments will be accepted by mail, fax or e-mail through October 10,
2003. Send comments to:
Canyonlands National Park
Attn: Salt Creek Rule
2282 S.W. Resource Blvd.
Moab, UT 84532
Fax: 435-719-2300
E-mail: canysaltck@nps.gov
For more information, check out the following web sites.
Canyonlands National Park http://www.nps.gov/cany/home.htm
Downloaded http://www.nps.gov/cany/pdfs/waisgate.pdf
a PDF file of the recent Federal Register notice.
IN GENERAL
2. R.S. 2477 Moves to the Senate
(ACTION ITEM)
In September, the U.S. Senate will begin work on its version of the Interior
Appropriations Bill. We are hoping for an amendment which will completely cut
off funding for the implementation of the Interior Department’s "disclaimer"
regulations, which went into effect earlier this year. A similar amendment was
introduced in the House by Colorado Rep. Mark Udall, but it was weakened to
include only national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, and wilderness study
areas. A stronger Senate amendment would give us leverage in negotiations in
the House-Senate conference committee.
California’s Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), a member of the Appropriations Committee,
has been a strong opponent of the administration’s handling of the R.S. 2477
issue, and we need her to remain strong on the issue. Calls and letters to her
office are important! Remember, mail to Washington, DC is still irradiated and
delayed up to 3 weeks, so please call or fax letters to Washington, or mail
them to the local offices below.
In Washington, DC:
202-224-3841 phone
202-228-3954 fax
1 Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
415-393-0707 phone
11111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 915
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-914-7300 phone
750 B Street, Suite 1030
San Diego, CA 92101
619-231-9712 phone
For more information on R.S. 2477 visit http://www.highway-robbery.org
3. Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt Nominated To Head EPA in Washington
(ACTION ITEM)
As you’ve undoubtedly heard, Pres. Bush has nominated Utah’s governor Mike Leavitt
to replace retiring EPA administrator Christy Todd Whitman. This is not good
news.
Gov. Leavitt is not a real friend of the environment and believes in letting
states make their own regulations on many issues, rather than adopting a single
national approach. He has consistently misstated wilderness advocates’ positions
on issues, and uses the word "extremist" to refer to us at every possible
opportunity. However, he claims to be a moderate himself, although he always
adopts the positions of those who look to use the land for their own advantage:
extractive industries, off-road vehicle users, ranchers, and others.
If he has the same attitudes toward his EPA duties as he does toward public
lands issues in Utah, Mr. Leavitt will fit in perfectly with the Bush administration,
probably better than Ms. Whitman ever did.
Some areas of concern:
1. Gov. Leavitt frequently touts collaboration in solving difficult issues as
his goal. In practice, he has never collaborated with anyone in the environmental
community on anything: wilderness designation, R.S. 2477, or his Legacy Highway
plans.
One example is the settlement of his lawsuit against the Department of the Interior
regarding BLM’s Utah wilderness inventories. This settlement overturned policies
in place for decades, stretching back to Pres. Jimmy Carter’ days. A second
is the negotiation of the memorandum of Understanding with the Interior Dept.
over R.S. 2477 claims in Utah. Even Gov. Bill Owens of Colorado, another Republican,
called those negotiations "secret, closed-door with no public process and
no involvement of stakeholders," and vowed that Colorado would undertake
a more open process.
So far, Gov. Leavitt’s administration has failed to disavow the R.S. 2477 claim
in Canyonlands National Park (Item 1).
2. His philosophy of "Enlibra" - a Latin word that he made up himself,
supposedly meaning "toward balance". is for people "who choose
problem-solving instead of politics, litigation and obstructionism," to
quote his web site. However, he has never hesitated to threaten or instigate
lawsuits when it suited his own purposes. The lawsuit against the Interior Department
comes to mind. The state of Utah also filed suit against the Forest Service
Roadless Rule.
3. One task of EPA is to protect wetlands. As governor, one of Mr. Leavitt’s
pet projects has been the construction of the controversial Legacy Highway.
The freeway itself would destroy over 114 acres of marshland on the edge of
Great Salt Lake, and open many more acres to development. The freeway route
is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve System. In addition, the
construction contract specified that the government would reimburse the contractors
for delays brought about by litigation and appeals. The EPA had sent a letter
warning Mr. Leavitt not to proceed because of pending litigation, but knowing
full well that lawsuits would be filed against the project, he proceeded anyway.
So far, the state of Utah has had to pay out $23 million in penalties to contractors:
$17 million because of the delay and $6 million to get out of the contract.
Should the project be permanently stopped, $100 million in construction cost
would wind up being for nothing, plus the state will have to pay to restore
the land where it has already built.
Confirmation hearings in the Senate will likely be held in September. Phone
calls and letters to opposing Mr. Leavitt’s nomination are crucial. Contact
information for Sen. Dianne Feinstein is in Item 2. Sen. Barbara Boxer’s information
is:
In Washington, DC:
202-224-3553 phone
1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-403-0100
415-956-6701 fax
312 N. Spring Street, Suite 1748
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-894-5000
213-894-5042 fax
201 N. E Street, Suite 210
San Bernardino, CA 92401
909-888-8525
909-888-8613 fax
4. Senator Boxer Announces Opposition To National Forest
Recreation Fees
The following comes from the Keep Sespe Wild Committee:
Senator Barbara Boxer recently announced her opposition to extending the Recreation
Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo) on National Forests, including Southern
California's "Adventure Pass" parking fee.
The Senator stated: "I believe this demonstration program has not worked,
and I will oppose efforts to extend it."
Previously, the Senator had not taken a position on this issue.
The Fee Demo program is being addressed by Congress this year in several ways
- Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY) sponsored a bill, S.1107, to make permanent the Fee
Demo program only in National Parks, with hearings scheduled for September 9;
on August 17 the House passed, by 241 - 184, an Interior Appropriations rider
to extend the program in all four agencies (NPS, USFS, BLM and USFWS) by two
more years; and Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), chair of the House Resources Committee,
is preparing permanent legislation for all four Fee Demo agencies, for introduction
this fall.
ACTION ALERT
Please make a couple of quick calls to California's two Senators.
Please thank Senator Barbara Boxer for opposing forest fees. You may also, if
you wish, ask her to cosponsor S.1107 (see above). Call Senator Boxer in DC
at 202-224-3553 or in CA at 213-894-5000 or 415-403-0100
Please call Senator Dianne Feinstein and ask her to oppose any extension to
Fee Demo in the Senate. (She sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee which
will soon be deciding whether to extend Fee Demo or not.) Ask her, if you wish,
to cosponsor S.1107 (see above). Call Senator Feinstein in DC at 202-224-3841
or in CA at 310-914-7300 or 415-393-0707.
IN CALIFORNIA
5. Los Padres National Forest Oil & Gas Drilling
(ACTION ITEM)
We are repeating the following item from our July
Interim Update:
The Forest Service has said it will release its environmental impact statement
for oil and gas exploration in Los Padres National Forest in September. (Release
of the plan has been delayed several times already, so there is no guarantee
on this.) Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-24) is the only representative in the area
who has not publicly opposed the proposal. Because his district includes the
areas of the forest proposed for development, it is important that he oppose
the plan. We would like still him to do just that.
The House of Representatives will be on recess through the month of August.
If you (or anyone you know) live in Rep. Gallegly’s district (Ventura, Simi
Valley, Thousand Oaks, and much of Santa Barbara County), this is the perfect
time to let him know you oppose oil & gas exploration in the national forest
-- immediately adjacent to the release areas for the California Condor.
There are several ways to do this. You can call his local office and find out
whether he has any townhall meetings scheduled. You can write a letter to the
editors of the newspapers in his district -- particularly effective is to identify
yourself as a Republican voter (if you are one).
Finally, a sign-on letter is being circulated among scientists, civic and religious
leaders, and business owners of the state asking him to oppose the project.
If you (or anyone you know) fall into one of these categories, please contact
Erin Duffy calwild_sb@yahoo.com of
the California Wild Heritage Campaign, and she will send you the text of the
letter and you can sign on.
6. Bison Event in Marin
Wednesday, September 3, 7 P.M.
Let the Buffalo Roam!
Meet Ernest Callenbach author of Bring Back the Buffalo!
and Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign
Wild Buffalo are a symbol of America's national heritage, yet the United States
government and the state of Montana, under the influence of the powerful livestock
industry, in just ten years slaughtered over 3,000 native buffalo that roamed
out of Yellowstone Park - forever altering the wild character and integrity
of our public lands and wildlife.
The Foundation for Deep Ecology invites you to learn more about the plight of
the buffalo. Join us for an informative discussion and video presented by Ernest
Callenbach, author of the new book Bring Back the Buffalo! and Mike Mease, co-founder
of the Buffalo Field Campaign.
Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:00 p.m.
Foundation for Deep Ecology
Building 1062 Ft. Cronkhite, Sausalito
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin Headlands
The Buffalo Field Campaign is dedicated to protecting Yellowstone's bison, America's
only wild herd, 365 days a year. Volunteers defend the bison and their habitat
through grassroots campaigning, and are often seen roaming with the herds as
they move from wintering to breeding grounds inside and outside of the park.
Author Ernest Callenbach's books include Ecotopia, Ecotopia Emerging, and Ecology:
A Pocket Guide. His new publication, Bring Back the Buffalo! offers constructive
alternatives to the decline of cattle ranching, depletion of underground water,
and dependency on outside energy sources. It shows how bringing back the hardy,
majestic bison and using the region's winds to generate power are keys to renewed
economic and social health for Plains communities.
Refreshments will be served
Contact Tracee at 415-229-9339 to RSVP and for directions