Take Action: Protect the Public’s Role in Public Lands

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The U.S. Forest Service has released an extreme set of proposed changes that would cut the public almost entirely out of decisions affecting our public lands. Will you speak out against the Forest Service’s proposal and protect the public’s role in public lands below?

The proposal would make dramatic changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which allows the public to have a say about the plans for government projects like new roads and timber sales. By requiring public input and a review of the environmental impacts of government projects, NEPA keeps these decisions from being made behind closed doors.

Here are just a few of the Forest Service’s proposed changes to NEPA:

A loophole to allow logging up to 4,200 acres at one time (6.6 square miles!) without environmental review or public input. In Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest, that’s the same as five years worth of logging at current levels all at once.
Cutting the public out of decisions to build up to five new miles of road at a time and to close roads used by the public to access hunting areas, fishing streams, and trails.
No longer requiring mining projects affecting fewer than 640 acres to have environmental review.
Allowing multiple Categorical Exclusions – activities the Forest Service has decided generally don’t require environmental review or public input – to apply to the same project. This is currently against the law, and would allow projects like timber sales to be significantly larger and more destructive.

We deserve to have a say about government projects affecting our communities.

Ask The General Assembly To Support WNC Rivers in the Budget

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Over the past few months, MountainTrue has been working with lawmakers to support a number of conservation projects that could end up being adopted in the next state budget. Specifically we are asking lawmakers to support funding to:

Provide the NC Department of Environmental Quality with the resources it needs to investigate and clean up hazardous spills from unknown sources.
Provide state funding to monitor popular WNC rivers and streams for E. coli and other pollutants that can make people sick.
Improve fish habitat and fishing access by providing matching funds to remove the Ward’s Mill Dam on the Watauga River in Watauga County.
Improve public access to a popular recreation area on the Green River Game Lands in Henderson and Polk counties.
Expand camping and fishing tourism with investment in the Watauga River Paddle Trail in Watauga County and the French Broad River Paddle Trail in Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe and Madison counties.

These items have all made it into the NC Senate’s proposed budget and are now being discussed in final budget negotiations with the state House of Representatives. MountainTrue – and our region – is fortunate to have a number of lawmakers who have been willing to support these projects including Representatives Chuck McGrady, Josh Dobson, Kevin Corbin and Brian Turner and Senators Chuck Edwards and Deanna Ballard.

Please contact your legislators and thank them for supporting these important projects and initiatives.

Keep Beech Creek Flowing! Say No To The Permit Revision.

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Protect Old-Growth Forest and Vibrant Ecosystems in the Buck Project

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The Buck Project has the potential to be the most destructive timber sale in Nantahala National Forest in more than 30 years. Submit your public comment below to protect the vibrant ecosystems, pristine waters and old-growth forests that are on the chopping block.

The Buck Creek Project would occur in the Nantahala National Forest in Clay County, NC. Every proposed timber sale in a national forest must have alternatives, and right now the one the Forest Service is recommending – Alternative B – would cut 845 acres and build 9.1 miles of roads, causing significant erosion and harm to sensitive wildlife species like the seepage salamander and the brown creeper. The plan would also include logging at least six old growth areas and logging in the Chunky Gal potential wilderness area, a 7,000 acre swath of land that has gained support for a wilderness designation from the diverse stakeholders in the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership.

Alternatives Modified B and C would also do great harm, degrading the character of the area and interior forests. MountainTrue supports Alternative D, the only one that would not harm the Chunky Gal and Botetler Peak areas, but even this alternative should be revised to include the full water quality improvements and controlled burns that are available in other alternatives.

Take the action below to tell the Forest Service: Protect the Chunky Gal potential wilderness area, old-growth forest and sensitive wildlife species in the Buck Project.

Tell Your Representative: No Lump Sum For Future Duke Energy Rate Hikes

MountainTrue’s French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson testifies to the NC Utilities Commission at a hearing about Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike in 2017.

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HB 624 would be a gift from NC legislators to Duke Energy, but it’s an insult to North Carolina’s ratepayers.

Yesterday, legislation that means trouble for anyone worried about their energy bill in North Carolina passed the NC Senate.

If the House version of this bill – HB 624 – passes, Duke Energy would no longer have to get approval from the NC Utilities Commission every time the company wants to raise energy costs on customers. Instead, this bill would allow regulators to approve yearly rate hikes for up to five years all at once.

HB 624 reduces transparency and accuracy around Duke Energy’s rate hikes, and limits the right for ratepayers to have a say when their energy bills are set to rise.

And since the bill allows rate hikes to be approved years ahead of time, it opens the door for ratepayers to be significantly overcharged for energy costs. We’ve already seen this happen in Virginia and South Carolina (details below action).

The amount you’ll pay for your energy bill in 2024 shouldn’t be decided in 2020 when any number of factors could change those costs by then. That’s just common sense, and politicians on both sides of the aisle should support making sure future costs to consumers are as accurate and transparent as possible.

Energy rate hikes are no small thing for North Carolinians trying to make ends meet. Take the action below to tell your NC House Representative: No lump sum for future Duke rate hikes. Vote No on HB 624.

Thank Boone’s Town Government for Taking Steps to Assess and Modernize Stormwater Management!

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Good news! Boone’s Town Manager and Town Council have selected the Center for Watershed Protection to perform a review of Boone’s stormwater management ordinance! By getting the expertise of the Center – which is the consulting organization that the Watauga Riverkeeper program recommended for this process – our local government is actively seeking information that will help modernize how Boone manages its stormwater.

It’s clear to Boone’s citizens and visitors that flooding is becoming a huge issue for our town. Flooding is harming water quality, eroding streambanks and roads, and causing property damage, and we’ve seen these issues get worse over time. We applaud Boone’s town government for taking leadership on this issue now to make Boone resilient for the future.