February 3, 2014
Contacts:
Ulla Reeves, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, ulla@cleanenergy.org, (828) -713-7486
Amy Adams, Appalachian Voices, amy@appvoices.org, (828) 262-1500
Donna Lisenby, Waterkeeper Alliance, dlisenby@waterkeeper.org, (704) 277-6055
Tiffany Haworth, Executive Director, thaworth@danriver.org, (336) 627-6270
Bridget Whelan, North Carolina Conservation Network, bridget@ncconservationnetwork.org, (313) 919-5919
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The Dan River runs black: Initial indications estimate as much as 22 million gallons of coal ash could already be in the Dan River. Appalachian Voices and our allies are demanding accountability and disclose from Duke Energy.
Asheville, N.C. — Upon receiving news of a new coal ash disaster in North Carolina, concerned community and environmental organizations call upon Duke Energy and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources to immediately notify the public of the severity of the disaster. Groups cite recent West Virginia chemical spill as evidence for the need for immediate and full disclosure on the part of the responsible party.
Initial indications are that 22 million gallons of coal ash could already be in the Dan River headed toward the downstream communities of Eden and Danville. Eyewitness sightings claimed the Dan River was “running black” earlier today in Eden. For comparison, the Kingston Tennessee Valley Authority disaster dumped over 1 billion gallons of coal ash into the Clinch and Emory Rivers five years ago.
Both of the Dan River coal ash impoundments are unlined and carry a high hazard rating from the EPA, meaning a dam failure would cause damage to local communities and infrastructure and likely cause loss of life. Coal ash waste reads like a “who’s who list” of toxic heavy metals. From arsenic, boron, and chromium to selenium, mercury and lead, coal ash is a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and local drinking water.
The spill comes just days after millions of gallons of sewage spilled into North Carolina’s Haw River, and state environmental officials failed to notify the public within the 48 hours that the law requires.
Duke Energy is currently in litigation for alleged pollution at all 14 coal ash dump sites in North Carolina. The utility has repeatedly claimed that its coal ash storage facilities are safe and comply with environmental protection laws. Groups have continued to call on Duke Energy to address legacy issues of toxic coal ash to ensure proper long-term storage of the hazardous waste upon closure of any coal plant.
Statements:
“Based on our experiences with the Kingston dam break, we know that toxic coal ash dumped into waters is an environmental disaster that requires swift attention and cleanup,” stated Ulla Reeves, High Risk Energy Program Director with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “Downstream communities’ drinking water could be at risk and residents need to be forewarned immediately.”
“State environmental officials failed to immediately notify the public about a major toxic spill in one of our precious waterways,” said Stephanie Schweickert, affiliate organizer with the North Carolina Conservation Network. “Coal ash is extremely dangerous and the communities near the spill deserve information about their health and safety.”
“The Dan River Basin Association has a full time staff person in Rockingham County dedicated to the protection and promotion of the natural and cultural resources here. We are very concerned about the potential impact this spill will have on drinking water and the outdoor recreational economy, “says Tiffany Haworth, Executive Director of the Dan River Basin Association. “We have worked hard with community members to assure that our local rivers are clean and here for future generations, and we will continue to do so until this matter is resolved.”
“Five days after I sampled the river after the Kingston coal ash spill, I found arsenic, lead, chromium and other metals were 2 to 300 times higher than drinking water standards and the plume of coal ash stretched more than 20 miles,” said Donna Lisenby, Global Coal Campaign Coordinator for Waterkeeper Alliance. “The Dan River spill happened on Sunday and Duke Energy still has not reported the results of any water quality tests-this is unacceptable. Downstream communities need to know what pollutants Duke dumped into the Dan River.”
From the Charlotte Observer, 2/3/2014
Duke Energy said Monday that 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash and up to 27 million gallons of water were released from a pond at its retired power plant in Eden into the Dan River, and were still flowing.
Duke said a 48-inch stormwater pipe beneath the unlined ash pond broke Sunday afternoon. Water and ash from the 27-acre pond drained into the pipe.
“We’ve had some temporary solutions that have intermittently worked at times during the day, but we are still working on a short-term solution and the long-term repair,” spokeswoman Erin Culbert said shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.
The pond has a liquid capacity of 155 million gallons when full, according to a recent inspection report, but was at a lower level because the Dan River power plant’s coal-fired units were retired in 2012. It’s not known how much ash was in the basin, but Culbert said most of it appears to still be in the pond.
Duke said it notified local emergency managers and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which last year sued Duke over its ash handling, on Sunday afternoon. The first public notice of the spill came from Duke at 4:03 p.m. Monday.
Environmental groups that have filed lawsuits in an effort to force Duke and other utilities to remove ash stored near waterways quickly pointed out the lapse in time before public notification.
The Dan River plant is about 130 miles northeast of Charlotte near the Virginia line.
The North Carolina environmental agency said it notified downstream water districts of the spill. The nearest municipality that draws water from the Dan River, Danville, reported no problems with its water.
Duke and the North Carolina agency took water samples from the river but said results are not yet back. Coal ash contains metals that can be toxic in high concentrations.
The pond’s dam beside the river “remains secure,” Duke said. Some erosion has occurred on the side of a berm farthest from the river, it said, and engineers are working to stabilize it.
Independent engineers who inspected the pond’s dam in 2009 for the Environmental Protection Agency found it in good condition, but they noted some seepage and recommended a stability study on the structure’s river side. Built in 1956, it was divided into two ponds in the 1970s.
The report said the dam had “significant hazard potential” if it were breached, mainly for property and environmental damage.
A security guard spotted an unusually low water level in the ash pond about 2 p.m. Sunday, Culbert said, leading to the discovery of the pipe break.
Ash was visible on the banks of the Dan River on Monday, and the water was tinted gray.
“While it is early in the investigation and state officials do not yet know of any possible impacts to water quality, staff members have been notifying downstream communities with drinking water intakes,” the North Carolina environmental agency reported late Monday afternoon.
Danville, Va.’s water intake is about 6 miles downstream of the pond.
Barry Dunkley, the city’s water director, said in a release that “all water leaving our treatment facility has met public health standards. We do not anticipate any problems going forward in treating the water we draw from the Dan River.”
A 1-billion gallon spill of ash slurry at a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant in Tennessee in 2008 ignited national debate over coal ash.
Last week the EPA, which had been sued by two North Carolina environmental groups among others, said it would issue the first federal rules on ash-handling by December.
Duke has closed seven of its 14 North Carolina coal-fired power plants, including Dan River, and is evaluating ways to close the ash ponds at those sites. Groundwater contamination has been found around all 14 of its unlined ash ponds, although much of the contamination may occur naturally.
Ash ponds are at the Allen power plant in Gaston County near Belmont and at the Riverbend plant on Mountain Island Lake near Mount Holly.
North Carolina environmental officials, pressured by advocacy groups, sued Duke last year over ash handling at all its coal plants. Environmentalists say Duke should remove the ash from the retired ponds, as utilities in South Carolina have agreed to do.
Duke Energy’s Asheville-area coal plant
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Late Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to finalize first-ever federal regulations for the disposal of coal ash by Dec. 19, 2014, according to a settlement in a lawsuit brought by environmental and public health groups and a Native American tribe. The settlement does not dictate the content of the final regulation, but it confirms that the agency will finalize a rule by a date certain after years of delay.
A copy of the settlement can be found here.
The settlement is in response to a lawsuit brought in 2012 by Earthjustice on behalf of the Western North Carolina Alliance, Appalachian Voices; Chesapeake Climate Action Network; Environmental Integrity Project (D.C., Penn.); Kentuckians For The Commonwealth; Moapa Band of Paiutes; Montana Environmental Information Center; Physicians for Social Responsibility (DC); Prairie Rivers Network ; Sierra Club (Calif.); and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (eight southeast states)
In October, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the EPA has a mandatory duty to review and revise its waste regulations under the Resource and Conservation Recovery Act. The EPA has never finalized any federal regulations for the disposal of coal ash—the nation’s second largest industrial waste stream.
Taking overdue action to safeguard communities from coal ash was the first promise the Obama Administration made to the American public. Former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson vowed to finalize coal ash regulations following a spill in Kingston, Tenn., where over a billion gallons of coal ash burst through a dam and damaged or destroyed two dozen homes and 300 acres of riverfront property. In the aftermath of that disaster, the EPA proposed various regulatory options in May 2010 and held seven public hearings in August and September of that year. Environmental and public health groups, community organizations, Native American tribes and others generated more than 450,000 public comments on EPA’s proposed regulation, calling for the strongest protections under the law. But since then, despite coal ash contamination at more than 200 sites nationwide, the EPA has failed to finalize the protections under pressure from industry, the White House and some members of Congress.
A timeline of coal ash events from the TVA spill to today’s settlement can be found here.
The following statement is made on behalf of the organizations involved in this lawsuit:
“Now we have certainty that EPA is going to take some action to protect us and all of the hundreds of communities across the country that are being poisoned by coal ash dumps. Since the disaster in Kingston, we have seen more tragic spills, and the list of sites where coal ash is contaminating our water keeps growing. Today, we are celebrating because the rule we need is finally in sight.
“But this deadline alone is not enough. EPA needs to finalize a federally enforceable rule that will clean up the air and water pollution that threatens people in hundreds of communities across the country. Coal ash has already poisoned too many lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater aquifers. It is time to close dangerous unlined ash impoundments like the one that burst at Kingston.
“Utility companies need to stop dumping ash into unlined pits and start safely disposing of ash in properly designed landfills. Groundwater testing is needed at these ash dumps, data needs to be shared with the public, and power companies must act promptly to clean up their mess. A rule that requires anything less than these common-sense safeguards will leave thousands of people who live near ash dumps in harm’s way.”
An online version of this press release can be found here.
For information about coal ash in North Carolina, Maryland, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, Illinois, Tennessee or other southern states, as well as the implications this decision will have locally, please contact the following representatives:
Amy Adams, Appalachian Voices, (828) 262-1500; amy@appvoices.org (North Carolina)
Diana Dascalu-Joffe, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, (703) 772-2472; Diana@chesapeakeclimate.org (Maryland)
Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper at the Western North Carolina Alliance, (828) 258-8737; hartwell@wnca.org (North Carolina)
Mary Love, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, (502) 541-7434; mbloveky@yahoo.com (Kentucky)
Vickie Simmons, Moapa Band of Paiutes (702) 865-2910; simmonsvickie@ymail.com (Nevada)
Anne Hedges, Montana Environmental Information Center, (406) 443-2520; ahedges@meic.org (Montana)
Alan H. Lockwood MD, Physicians for Social Responsibility, (716) 836-0674, ahl@buffalo.edu (New York/Pennsylvania)
Traci Barkley, Prairie Rivers Network, (217) 621-3013; tbarkley@prairierivers.org (Illinois)
Ulla Reeves, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, (828) 713-7486; ulla@cleanenergy.org (Southeast)
For information about the lawsuit, federal legislation, or the status of the pending EPA regulation, please contact the following representatives:
Jared Saylor, Earthjustice, (202) 745-5213; jsaylor@earthjustice.org
Lisa Widawsky-Hallowell, Environmental Integrity Project, (202) 294-3282; lhallowell@environmentalintegrity.org
Kim Teplitzky, Sierra Club (267) 307-4707; kim.teplitzky@sierraclub.org
“Water Troubles and Water Solutions: Western North Carolina Water in Context”
A spring series of Saturday afternoon presentations at Pack Memorial Library
Sponsored by The Wilma Dykeman Legacy and Buncombe County Public Libraries
Western North Carolina is one of the world’s richest areas in natural water resources. Ten rivers begin their flow in our mountains – five on the east side of the Eastern Continental Divide, five on the west side. Major headwaters include the westward flowing French Broad and Little Tennessee, and the eastward flowing Yadkin, Catawba, and Broad.
Water is central to our lives. Water accounts for two-thirds of the human body. Except in a few extraordinary cases, humans cannot live longer than one week without water. Water also sustains the life of all plants and animals. We have words for places with little or no water: badlands, desert, wasteland.
What will happen to our water in Western North Carolina over the next 50 years?
A century ago, Western North Carolina was home to over 10 billion board feet of timber standing as the last best virgin hardwood forest on the planet. But a combination of the chestnut blight and devastating logging practices put an end to this treasure. Will a combination of drought and our own thoughtless behaviors put an end to our water treasure?
According to the North Carolina Division of Water Resources, “the 2007-2008 drought in North Carolina was the worst in the 112-year recorded rainfall history…At one point, as many as 30 cities and towns were confronted with running out of water or having to ration it.” In 2008, The Center for Integrative Environmental Research at the University of Maryland assessed the economic impacts of climate change on North Carolina and concluded that “increased severity of droughts in the future from unmitigated climate change could put an even greater strain on the already stressed water supply systems of North Carolina.”
How can Western North Carolina ensure an abundant and affordable supply of usable water forever?
It is a complicated challenge. To help us think about these questions, the Wilma Dykeman Legacy has invited experts from other areas in North Carolina, the South, and North America to share with us their water issues.
The presentations will be on five Saturdays from late March to early May in Pack Library’s Lord Auditorium (67 Haywood St.) – next to the U.S. Cellular Center.
Following each presentation, a responder from the Asheville area will take the podium and share his or her thoughts about the presentation and how it relates to Western North Carolina.
The Wilma Dykeman Legacy is a tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 2012 to sustain and promote Wilma’s values by sponsoring workshops, events, and other programs. For more information, visit www.wilmadykemanlegacy.org.
For more information, contact:
Jim Stokely
President
Wilma Dykeman Legacy
60 Shuford Road
Weaverville, NC 28787
stokely.jim@gmail.com
(828) 458-5813
During the 2013 legislative session, the General Assembly passed a bill overhauling how the state prioritizes and funds transportation projects. There are now three pots of funding – state, regional, and local – each with a different set of criteria for determining how projects will be prioritized and funded.
Early this year, NC DOT will be prioritizing those projects in the state funding pot and, as part of that process, is holding hearings around the state to hear from citizens what projects they believe are most important. Included in this statewide category are interstate projects of statewide significance, including the I-26 Connector.
Please attend the hearing from 4-7 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Haynes Building, AB Tech, Enka Campus
If you can’t attend, you can still comment by submitting a Comment Form, which can be found here. (Scroll down to Division 13.)
Tell DOT what you think about transportation generally, where state dollars ought to be invested, and what you want to see in the I-26 Connector Project specifically. Here are some talking points you may use:
- More investment of state dollars in multiple modes of transportation. From the recent GroWNC regional planning process, we know that citizens want increased investment in modes of transportation other than just vehicles – greenways, bike paths, commuter trails, transit, sidewalks. The new state funding program actually cuts the amount of state dollars going toward these modes, which takes us in the wrong direction for our health, our communities, and our environment.
- Look for low-cost but effective solutions. Cost is a large factor in the new prioritization program, and projects that are cost effective will score the best. Projects in this region continue to be larger and more expensive than they need to be (i.e. Leicester Highway and I-26) because DOT refuses to consider more context-sensitive, low cost alternatives. DOT should enable projects here to score better by looking at lower cost solutions.
- The I-26 Connector Project should minimize destruction of neighborhoods, homes, and businesses and should match the character of Asheville. NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are still insisting on 10 lanes through West Asheville and six lanes of interstate traffic across the river. This is too large a footprint for a road that handles mostly local, not interstate traffic, and in light of state and national data showing people are driving less and less each year. DOT should consider a smaller footprint, and therefore a smaller price tag, which will help the project score better. A smaller footprint might also reduce opposition to the project because fewer homes and businesses will be lost.
- The I-26 Connector Project should result in safe travel for both interstate and local traffic. While there may be other options to achieve this, the best way to improve safety on the Jeff Bowen Bridges is to return Patton Avenue to a local street, as contemplated in Asheville’s long range plan. This will improve opportunities for bike and pedestrian commuters to downtown and will increase the tax base for the City of Asheville by opening up new opportunities for urban, mixed-use development.
- The I-26 Connector Project should improve connections for all transportation modes. This cannot be just an investment for vehicles. Asheville has invested tremendously in its bike and pedestrian infrastructure recently and wants to do even more. The City recently amended its Greenway plan to include several greenway segments that should be advanced as part of this project. Also, the more infrastructure there is for bikes and pedestrians the more those modes will be used and the less local traffic there will be on our roads, including I-26/I-240.
At 7 p.m. Feb. 5, Sierra Club will present a program called: “Biofuels: A fully integrated local energy system.”
Representatives from Blue Ridge Biofuels will discuss recycling used cooking oil into bio diesel fuel for vehicles and heating homes.
The event will be at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, located at 1 Edwin Place (intersection of Charlotte Street).
For information, contact Judy Mattox at (828) 683-2176.
Press Release from the Southern Environmental Law Center
For Immediate Release: Jan. 15, 2014
Contacts:
Kathleen Sullivan, SELC, 919-967-1450 or ksullivan@selcnc.org
Frank Holleman, SELC, 864- 979-9431 or fholleman@selcnc.org
Representing:
Matthew Starr, Upper Neuse Riverkeeper, 919-856-1180 or matthew@neuseriver.org
Christine Ellis, Winyah Rivers Foundation, 843-267-3161 or christine@winyahrivers.org
Kemp Burdette, Cape Fear River Watch, 910-762-5606 or kemp@cfrw.us
Dean Naujoks, Yadkin Riverkeeper, 336-837-7669 or dean@yadkinriverkeeper.org
Julie Mayfield, Western North Carolina Alliance, 828-258-8737 or Julie@wnca.org
Amy Adams, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500 or amy@appvoices.org
Donna Lisenby, Waterkeeper Alliance, 704-277-6055 or dlisenby@waterkeeper.org
Local groups seek clean up of Duke’s coal ash pollution across North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—The Southern Environmental Law Center today filed motions to allow seven local conservation groups to participate in state court enforcement actions against Duke Energy’s illegal coal ash pollution of lakes, rivers, and groundwater supplying drinking water for individual families and local communities throughout North Carolina. The motion was filed on behalf of groups dedicated to protecting public waters across North Carolina, from the Broad River in the west to the Cape Fear at the coast.
“Duke’s coal ash pollution is threatening rivers, lakes, and drinking water in every part of North Carolina,” said Frank Holleman, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Local groups from around the state have come together to help ensure that the state and Duke Energy take meaningful action to clean up Duke’s illegal coal ash pollution across North Carolina.”
The Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation, the Yadkin Riverkeeper, Cape Fear River Watch, Appalachian Voices, Western North Carolina Alliance, the Winyah Rivers Foundation, and Waterkeeper Alliance seek to stop and clean up unpermitted streams of contaminated surface water discharging from many of Duke’s coal ash lagoons, as well as persistent groundwater pollution leaching from these unlined impoundments.
For example, the Lee facility on the banks of the Neuse River near Goldsboro has groundwater concentrations of arsenic as high as 665 parts per billion, more than 60 times the North Carolina standard, near neighboring residential areas. Other sites have a long legacy of illegal, unpermitted coal ash discharges: at Belews Lake, selenium from coal ash killed off nearly all the lake’s fish in the 1980s, and problems persist today.
“With DENR’s declared mission of ‘customer service’ to its polluter-permittees, groups like ours that are dedicated to protecting our lakes and rivers for recreation and drinking water need a voice in this process,” said Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks.
Last year, the North Carolina Department of the Environment and Natural Resources filed enforcement actions against Duke for its coal ash pollution at its Asheville and Riverbend facilities after local conservation groups announced their intent to take private legal action. When conservation groups sent another notice of intent to sue over pollution at the Sutton facility near Wilmington, DENR filed its own actions for Duke’s other 12 coal ash sites around North Carolina.
DENR and Duke proposed a settlement of the Asheville and Riverbend cases that does not require Duke to clean up its coal ash pollution, and almost 5,000 citizens and organizations submitted comments opposed to the settlement. The court has not yet decided whether to accept the proposed settlement.
“South Carolina is busy cleaning up its coal ash problem – it’s time for North Carolina to catch up,” said Christine Ellis of the Winyah Rivers Foundation.
The Winyah Rivers Foundation, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, recently obtained a settlement under which South Carolina utility Santee Cooper will remove all of its coal ash from unlined lagoons on the banks of the Waccamaw River. Facing similar liability at two other coal ash sites, the utility announced plans to remove all its coal ash from those sites as well, for a total of 11 million tons of coal ash to be recycled or moved to dry storage in lined landfills. An earlier suit by Charlotte’s Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation resulted in the cleanup of 2.4 million tons of coal ash by South Carolina utility SCE&G.
The North Carolina court has previously allowed other groups to intervene with respect to Duke’s coal ash sites on Mountain Island Lake, north of Charlotte; on Lakes Wylie and Norman along the Catawba River; Duke’s Asheville site; and its Sutton site near Wilmington on the Cape Fear River. Today’s intervention motion asks for the same action for additional sites represented by the seven conservation groups. Those additional facilities are: Buck, on High Rock Lake near Salisbury; Cliffside, on the Broad River near Shelby; Weatherspoon, on the Lumber River near Lumberton; Lee, on the Upper Neuse River north of Goldsboro; Cape Fear, on the Cape Fear River south of Jordan Lake in Chatham County; and Belews Creek on Belews Lake near Winston-Salem.
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About the Southern Environmental Law Center
The Southern Environmental Law Center is a regional nonprofit using the power of the law to protect the health and environment of the Southeast (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama). Founded in 1986, SELC’s team of nearly 60 legal and policy experts represent more than 100 partner groups on issues of climate change and energy, air and water quality, forests, the coast and wetlands, transportation, and land use. www.SouthernEnvironment.org
About the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation
Neuse RIVERKEEPER® Foundation protects, restores and preserves the Neuse River basin through education, advocacy and enforcement, in order to provide clean water for drinking, recreation and enjoyment to the communities that it serves.
About the Yadkin Riverkeeper
Yadkin Riverkeeper’s mission is to respect, protect and improve the Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin through education, advocacy and action. It is aimed at creating a clean and healthy river that sustains life and is cherished by its people. To achieve this vision, it seeks to accomplish the following objectives: sustain a RIVERKEEPER® program, measurably improve water quality, reestablish native bio-diversity, preserve and enhance the forest canopy, bring legal action to enforce state and federal environmental laws, and teach and practice a “river ethic” of ecological respect to all ages. For more information, visit YadkinRiverkeeper.org or call 336-722-4949.
About Western North Carolina Alliance
For more than 30 years, the Western North Carolina Alliance has been a trusted community partner, marshalling grassroots support to keep our forests healthy, our air and water clean, and our communities vibrant.www.WNCA.org
About Cape Fear River Watch
Founded in 1993, Cape Fear River Watch works to protect and improve the water quality of the Lower Cape Fear River Basin through education, advocacy, and action.
About the Winyah Rivers Foundation
The Winyah Rivers Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization whose mission is to protect, preserve, monitor and revitalize the health of the lands and waters of the greater Winyah Bay watershed. Our goal is to protect our community’s right to fishable, swimmable and drinkable water. We pursue this goal through education and advocacy programs in support of our mission to protect our river resources. These programs are developed and implemented to increase the scientific literacy of our community, including local decision makers, and to engage them in environmental stewardship and planning for river resource protections.
About Appalachian Voices
Appalachian Voices is an award-winning, environmental nonprofit organization committed to protecting the natural resources of central and southern Appalachia, focusing on reducing coal’s impact on the region and advancing our vision for a cleaner energy future. Founded in 1997, we are headquartered in Boone, N.C. with offices in Charlottesville, Va.; Knoxville, Tn. and Washington, D.C. www.AppalachianVoices.org
About the Waterkeeper Alliance
Founded in 1999 by environmental attorney and activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and several veteran Waterkeeper Organizations, Waterkeeper Alliance is a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect over 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa.
From ECO:
The Environmental and Conservation Organization will host a public forum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23 at the City Operations Center, 305 Williams St., in Hendersonville, to focus on North Carolina’s roll back of environmental protections.
According to a news release from ECO, some of the issues of concern include new billboard rules that could seriously damage the area’s tree canopy; new laws that delay energy efficiency standards, which could result in a substandard housing stock; and recent acts by the General Assembly to remove Asheville’s control over its water system.
According to DJ Gerken, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center and one of the forum’s presenters, “North Carolina has thrived (for decades) under laws that fostered both a healthy environment and vibrant economy– but in the past several years the legislature has set about dismantling those laws under the false premise that we have to choose between jobs and the environment.”
Gerken will be joined by Chuck McGrady, N.C. House of Representatives, and co-director Julie Mayfield of the Western North Carolina Alliance. Each panelist will speak individually on their understanding of the bills, as well as the long-term implications of the legislation.
Discussion will specifically cover HB 74 (Regulatory Reform Act of 2013), HB 120 (Building Codes: Local Consistency/Exempt Code), and HB 488 (Regionalization of Public Utilities).
Call ECO at 828-692-0385 or visit www.eco-wnc.org for more information.
Jan. 10, Asheville Citizen-Times:
As happens each year, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission proposes changes to its fishing, hunting and trapping rules across the state, and conducts public hearings to let people know what the proposals are and answer any questions.
The public hearing for District 9 in Western North Carolina on proposed changes to the state’s wildlife management, game lands and fishing regulations, will be Tuesday, Jan. 14, in Murphy.
The public hearing, which begins at 7 p.m., will be held in the Enloe Multi-purpose Room at Tri-County Community College. The Wildlife Resources Commission also has scheduled a staff presentation 30 minutes before the hearing to discuss statewide black bear management objectives.
The 6:30 p.m. presentation and discussion will give background information about rule proposals that further objectives in the North Carolina Black Bear Management Plan, 2012-2022. The plan assists the Wildlife Commission in managing bear hunting to maintain healthy bear populations consistent with habitat where bears occur, and balancing the consideration of stakeholders.
Other hunting proposals make changes to the Western Archery Deer Season, and adjust regulations for black powder firearms and crossbows.
Of interest to anglers is a statewide proposed regulation that encourages private landowners to allow public angler access to inland fishing waters through their property under an agreement with the Commission. The proposal provides landowners the ability to prescribe allowable activities on their property. Each area will be clearly marked with signs identifying activities allowed.
Another statewide proposed fishing regulation will provide anglers the option to label trotlines, set hooks and jug hooks with their names and addresses or with their WRC customer numbers. Allowing anglers to use their WRC customer numbers will help protect privacy by limiting the personal information required on the labels.
The “Public Hearings Applying to 2014-2015 Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Seasons” booklet, which provides a detailed list of all 42 proposed regulations, along with a comment form, is available online at www.ncwildlife.org.
*POSTPONED UNTIL 2/22 DUE TO PARKWAY CLOSURES*
Join WNCA and Ron Lance for a FREE Winter Plant Identification Hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Little Bald Mountain!
Ron Lance is a native plant specialist who has more than 30 years of experience growing, studying and teaching about native plants. Ron has written numerous tree & shrub guides and keys for Southeastern plants, including The Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge, The Surveyor’s Guide to the Trees of North Carolina, his self-published Hawthorns of the Southeastern United States; Hawthorns and Medlars, co-authored with James B. Phillips, and his newest release, Woody Plants of the Southeastern US – A Winter Guide, a college-level reference book with illustrations and keys for winter plant identification (University of GA Press).
We will begin our hike at the north end of the Pisgah Inn’s parking lot. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail (white blazes) will lead us for the first 0.3 mile to the trail junction that ascends to Little Bald Mountain, passing noteworthy examples of living yet ailing American chestnut trees and interesting shrubs like the minnie-bush and beaked hazelnut. At the summit of Little Bald (0.5 mile distance and 350 ‘higher than parking), we will pass through a dwarf beech forest as we descend the oak/laurel-covered ridge southeasterly on the Pilot Rock Trail (orange blazes) to a connector trail (yellow blaze) which leads north to Laurel Mountain Trail, about 0.9 mile and 608’ lower than the peak. We then take the Laurel Mountain Trail back to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, about a mile walk along north-facing slopes rich in hardwood/rhododendron forests, rocks and seepages. Returning to parking along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (about 0.8 mile) we will pass through aromatic patches of Galax (leaf odors) and oak forests as we complete a 3.2 mile loop. This trail has a variety of slope exposures, so if a cool day, remember those clothing layers! Please bring water, lunch, and dress appropriately including proper footwear.
There will be a carpool available for those who which to partake we will meet at Earth Fare Westgate at 9:15 a.m.
An alternate hike for inclement weather and parkway closures will be at Elk Mountain.
- What: Little Bald Mountain Winter Plant Ecology Hike
- When: Saturday February 8 at 10 a.m.
- Cost: FREE
- Where: Pisgah Inn Parking Lot 408.6 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Brevard, NC 28712
- RSVP: Isabelle Rios, Education and Outings Coordinator, 828.258.8737 ext. 201 or Isabelle@WNCA.org
