We’re Suing the Forest Service Over a Forest Plan That Threatens the Wild Heart of WNC

After more than a decade of public engagement, partnerships, and planning, the U.S. Forest Service had the opportunity to get it right. Instead, on March 20, 2023, they finalized a Forest Management Plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests that takes us backward — threatening some of the most beloved and biologically diverse landscapes in Western North Carolina.

That’s why today, MountainTrue is taking legal action.

We are joining with our partners to sue the Forest Service over its deeply flawed Forest Plan — a plan that undermines public trust, sacrifices rare species habitat and existing old-growth forests, and sets a dangerous precedent for forest management across the Southern Appalachians.

What’s At Stake

The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are home to some of the most extraordinary ecosystems in the eastern United States — ancient trees, roadless backcountry, rare plants and animals, and cold mountain streams that feed communities and support thriving recreation and tourism economies.

Yet under the new Forest Plan, more than 600,000 acres — over half the national forest lands in WNC — are open to commercial logging, including:

100,000 acres of Natural Heritage Areas, underdeveloped areas with backcountry character, and rare species habitat,
Steep slopes that were previously off-limits to ground-based logging — and where many of our last stands of old-growth still exist, and
Existing old-growth forest, which the agency now claims the authority to cut without even surveying to know what’s at stake or notifying the public of its plans.

The Forest Service claims that it has actually increased protection for old growth in a ‘designated old-growth network.’ But this network was designed to include forests, including much younger forests, that are legally or practically off limits to logging already. Meanwhile, existing old growth convenient for loggers was deliberately left out of the network. This allows younger forests to be counted as old-growth simply because they might eventually reach that status — as long as it’s convenient for future logging.

Our Position Is Clear

Let’s be clear: MountainTrue is not against logging. Responsible timber harvests are an important part of our regional economy and can play a role in supporting wildlife habitat — especially when done in the right places.

What we are fighting against is a plan that permits logging in the wrong places: pristine backcountry, rare species habitat, and mature and old-growth forests that take centuries to replace. The new plan aims to dramatically increase the amount of logging from what occurred under the previous plan, but the volume of logging isn’t the real issue — location matters far more.

The Forest Service had the benefit of detailed mapping, science-based recommendations, and a collaborative proposal from the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership — a coalition that includes conservationists, local businesses, timber interests, and recreation advocates. Instead, the agency ignored the consensus and pushed through a plan that prioritizes flexibility for logging over long-term forest health and public trust.

We Tried Every Other Avenue

MountainTrue participated in every phase of this process: submitting expert comments, proposing collaborative solutions, meeting with Forest Service officials, and filing formal objections. We offered science, consensus, and good-faith alternatives. When harmful projects started rolling out under the new plan, we pointed out how those harms could be traced directly back to the plan. And we called for an amendment to the plan to fix some of its most egregious errors. We were ignored.

When an agency ignores its own data, rejects overwhelming public input, writes off years of coalition-building, and violates the law — that’s when we go to court.

What Happens Now

The lawsuit will challenge the Forest Plan’s failure to protect old-growth forests, underdeveloped areas with backcountry character, and sensitive habitats. We will show that the Forest Service violated core environmental laws and disregarded science and public input in its decision-making.

But this lawsuit is about more than one plan. It’s about demanding a future for our national forests where:

Old-growth stands are protected, not put on the chopping block,
Rare species and wild places are prioritized,
Collaboration and science are taken seriously, and
Public lands serve the public good, not short-term interests.

The Fight for Our Forests Isn’t Over

MountainTrue has always believed that the forests of Western North Carolina are worth fighting for — and we’re backing that belief in court. But we’re also continuing our work in the field, in the halls of government, and in communities throughout the region to build a better vision for public lands.

We’ll keep showing up. We’ll keep speaking out. And we’ll keep defending the places we all love.

You can support this work by staying informed, spreading the word, and donating to help cover the costs of legal action and advocacy.

Press Release: Conservation Groups sue U.S. Forest Service over controversial Nantahala- Pisgah Forest Plan

Press release from the Southern Environmental Law Center, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, MountainTrue, and Sierra Club

For immediate release: March 28, 2025

Contacts
SELC: Eric Hilt, 615-622-1199 or ehilt@selc.org
Defenders of Wildlife: Jay Petrequin, 202-772-0243 or jpetrequin@defenders.org
MountainTrue: Karim Olaechea, 828-400-0768, karim@mountaintrue.org
Sierra Club: David Reid, 828-713-1607, daviddbreid@charter.net
Center for Biological Diversity: Will Harlan, wharlan@biologicaldiversity.org

Conservation Groups sue U.S. Forest Service over controversial Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

Asheville, NC — On Thursday, a coalition of conservation groups sued the U.S. Forest Service over its Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan, arguing the agency violated federal law by downplaying the harmful impacts of a dramatic expansion in logging and by failing to include binding standards to restore important native ecosystems.

The Plan guides the long-term future of North Carolina’s Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, which are among the most visited and most beloved public lands in the country. The Nantahala- Pisgah Forest Plan outlines where activities like logging and roadbuilding will occur and sets objectives for future timber harvests. The Plan will determine what happens on these Forests for a generation.

The Forest Service was handed a collaboratively developed Forest Plan proposal that allowed for logging while minimizing harmful impacts. However, the agency rejected the compromise out of hand in favor of a Plan that aims to quintuple the amount of logging in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests and expand logging and roadbuilding into sensitive habitats. More than 23,000 people commented to oppose the Plan which will degrade important ecosystems, imperil rare species, make our forests less resilient, and hurt local economies that depend on recreation and tourism within the forests.

These flaws were magnified by Hurricane Helene, which not only wreaked havoc on western North Carolina communities but also decimated forests. The Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan did not anticipate the level of damage brought by this kind of climate-change-fueled storm, instead justifying high levels of logging by arguing that there is not enough disturbance from storms and fire. Logging healthy forests at the high levels called for in the Plan—levels the agency has refused to adjust in the wake of Helene—will compound the harm to these landscapes.

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, MountainTrue, and Sierra Club. The case was filed in United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

Below are statements from the conservation groups:

“Ever since the Forest Service published the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan, we have given the agency every possible opportunity to do the right thing and fix this flawed Plan. But the Forest Service has refused,” Sam Evans, Leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s National Forests and Parks Program, said. “We simply can’t stand by and ignore the significant and long-lasting harm this Plan will do to these remarkable forests and the
communities that rely on them.”

“The Forest Service’s final plan for the Nantahala-Pisgah was a major step backward. It opened up old-growth forests, rare species habitat, and remote backcountry to commercial logging while failing to address critical needs like road maintenance, trail infrastructure, and monitoring. Logging can play a valuable role in our region, but this plan sacrificed balance in favor of conflict. That’s why we’ve had to make the difficult decision to challenge the Forest Service in court,” Josh Kelly, Resilient Forests Director for MountainTrue, said.

“This disastrous Plan broke the law and the hearts of millions of forest visitors,” said Will Harlan, Southeast Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The most popular and biodiverse national forest in the country should not be targeted for massive increases in clearcuts, especially after Helene. The hurricane did plenty of logging. We don’t need five times more.”

“Our national forests are reeling from massive storm destruction, yet they’re still subject to a management plan that includes unrealistic timber targets. Failing to change the Plan would create additional threats to the natural beauty treasured by millions of visitors and the environmental health required for the survival of many rare and endangered species,” said David Reid, National Forests Issue Chair for the Sierra Club’s North Carolina Chapter. “We can’t wait any longer for the U.S. Forest Service to take the initiative to correct its Plan to achieve the balance necessary to protect these remarkable lands.”

“A forest plan that sacrifices the needs of imperiled wildlife while accelerating logging without appropriate sideboards is no forest plan at all,” said Ben Prater, Southeast Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife. “Instead of supporting rare species like forest bats, fish, mussels and amphibians, this Plan ramps up logging justified by faulty assumptions that are even more precarious in the wake of Hurricane Helene. This Plan was built on the assumption that natural disturbances would create less than 200 acres of open and young forest habitat a year. By that metric, Helene caused 400 years’ worth of disturbance to some of the most important habitats in the region in a matter of days. The Plan was already flawed, and now it is completely out of step with the realities on the ground.”

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Press Release: MountainTrue Announces Anna Alsobrook as New French Broad Riverkeeper

Photo: Anna Alsobrook paddles the French Broad River to assess the damage in Asheville’s River Arts District after Hurricane Helene, photo by Hartwell Carson.

March 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MountainTrue Announces Anna Alsobrook as New French Broad Riverkeeper

Asheville, NC – MountainTrue welcomed Anna Alsobrook as the organization’s new French Broad Riverkeeper in early March. Anna has been part of the MountainTrue team since 2014, most recently serving as their Watershed Science & Policy Manager.

“My love of the French Broad started with a canoe-camping trip down section 10 of the river with a NC Outward Bound trip. I’d never done or seen anything quite like that before. I got to experience the sacredness of this river and these mountains. It has truly been an honor to work for its protection, and I’m thrilled to step into the French Broad Riverkeeper role,” said Alsobrook. “I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Hartwell Carson [previous French Broad Riverkeeper] for the last 10 years, and there’s not a week that goes by that I don’t learn something from him. I’m so grateful for his mentorship and guidance. The French Broad is lucky to have had his voice for the last 20 years.”

Hartwell Carson now serves as MountainTrue’s Clean Waters Program Director and works directly with all four of MountainTrue’s Riverkeepers — the Broad, French Broad, Green, and Watauga Riverkeepers — to protect waterways across the Southern Blue Ridge.

“I thoroughly enjoyed being the eyes and ears for the river during my time as French Broad Riverkeeper,” said Carson. “Our work put the French Broad on the map as a great place to recreate by establishing the French Broad Paddle Trail; vastly increasing awareness of the threats posed to the river by pollution; establishing a monitoring program that is one of the first of its kind in the world; forcing Duke Energy to clean up their coal ash ponds and close their power plant; restoring miles of streams; and hosting a plethora of volunteers to help clean up millions of pounds of trash in the river and along its banks.”

Stay up-to-date with Anna’s work as the French Broad Riverkeeper on Instagram and Facebook; she can also be reached via email at anna@mountaintrue.org. Hartwell can still be reached hartwell@mountaintrue.org.

About MountainTrue

MountainTrue champions resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities. We are committed to keeping our mountain region a beautiful place to live, work, and play. Our members protect our forests, clean up our rivers, plan vibrant and livable communities, and advocate for a sound and sustainable future for all. MountainTrue is active in the Broad, French Broad, Green, Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, New, and Watauga watersheds and is home to the Broad Riverkeeper, French Broad Riverkeeper, Green Riverkeeper, and Watauga Riverkeeper.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue is committed to leading the recovery of our region with a vision to rebuild stronger, safer, and better prepared for the impacts of climate change. mountaintrue.org

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Groups ask EPA to withdraw state authority over water permits

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— The Southern Environmental Law Center today filed a petition on behalf of community groups with the Environmental Protection Agency asking it to take back North Carolina’s authority to regulate water pollution because the state legislature is crippling the state’s ability to protect its waterways, drinking water sources, and communities from harmful pollution. SELC filed the petition on behalf of Cape Fear River Watch, Environmental Justice Community Action Network, MountainTrue, and the Haw River Assembly.

“The people of North Carolina deserve clean water, yet the state legislature is preventing the state from limiting toxic pollution of our waterways and drinking water,” said Mary Maclean Asbill, director of the North Carolina Offices at the Southern Environmental Law Center which represents the conservation organizations. “Legislative-induced failure is not an option when it comes to protecting North Carolina’s water and communities, so we are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to step in.”

As with most states, EPA delegated authority to North Carolina to regulate pollution from industry and wastewater treatment plants into rivers, lakes, and other waters through the “National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System” program. This means the state took on EPA’s legal duty to issue water pollution permits that protect North Carolina waters and include participation from the public, and to enforce against any polluters that violate water quality laws.

The petition documents how the North Carolina General Assembly has systematically undermined the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Management Commission to the point that the state can no longer effectively protect its waters, including through the following actions.

Supermajority controlled commissions block DEQ efforts to protect North Carolinians from toxic chemical pollution, including from PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. Laws passed by the General Assembly have ensured that the state Rules Review Commission and Environmental Management Commission effectively are controlled by a supermajority in the General Assembly that is hostile to environmental protections. North Carolina waterways like the Cape Fear River Basin, including the Haw River, have among the highest levels of toxic pollutants like PFAS and 1,4-dioxane in the United States. But these increasingly partisan commissions are blocking development of important water quality standards for these toxic chemicals and harming the state’s ability to protect communities from them.

New laws enacted by the General Assembly give a free pass to polluters by mandating weak state permits for fish farms and certain wastewater treatment plants.These new laws force the state to allow many polluters, including fish farms and certain wastewater treatment plants, to release pollution into the state’s waters and drinking water sources. The laws mandate weak permits that only control a short list of pollutants hand-picked by legislators, cutting experts and scientists at DEQ and the public out of the permitting process. In doing so, the General Assembly prevents DEQ from using its expertise to evaluate and control other potential pollutants, including toxic PFAS, 1,4-dioxane, mercury, and arsenic.

The General Assembly’s decade-long failure to properly fund DEQ endangers North Carolinians by sabotaging the state’s ability to protect communities from harmful pollution. For years, the state budget enacted by the General Assembly has systematically underfunded DEQ as compared to other state agencies. Because the agency is severely understaffed as a result of the legislature’s actions, at least one fourth of the state’s polluters are releasing their pollution under expired permits. This means that North Carolinians are deprived of permits that incorporate available treatment technologies that protect the health of communities, wildlife and water quality, and that comply with the law.

The North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings is preventing the state from complying with the Clean Water Act.The state legislature modified state law to give the Office of Administrative Hearings final authority over water pollution permits, cutting the public out of the permitting process. Now, the chief administrative law judge is poised to strip DEQ’s authority to control toxic 1,4-dioxane pollution in these permits. The chief administrative law judge also recently ordered DEQ to pay nearly one million dollars in attorneys’ fees, penalizing the agency for doing its job and paralyzing it from issuing permits that polluters are likely to challenge.

Petitions typically lead to EPA investigations of issues raised. EPA may work with the state and petitioners to resolve the concerns, deny or grant the petition.

U.S. Forest Service abandons plans to recklessly log sensitive area of Nantahala National Forest after lawsuit

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — In response to a lawsuit from a coalition of conservation groups, the U.S. Forest Service announced it is scrapping plans to log an important area of North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest near the Whitewater River.

The announcement, which was published in a letter last week, comes nearly six months after the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the MountainTrue, Center for Biological Diversity, Chattooga Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, and Sierra Club, sued the Forest Service over the logging plans. The lawsuit would not have prevented the agency from implementing other parts of the Southside timber project.

The agency offered to abandon its logging proposal in the area if the coalition of conservation groups dismissed the lawsuit, which they anticipate doing later this week.

The area spared from logging sits above stunning waterfalls, boasts towering trees, and shelters rare plants in a unique, wet microclimate. The Forest Service had slated it for heavy logging in the controversial Southside timber project.

PHOTOS: Area of proposed logging project

Because of the area’s incredible ecological value and stunning beauty, the Forest Service designated it as a “Special Interest Area” in the recently published Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan. Destructive projects, like logging and roadbuilding, are significantly restricted in Special Interest Areas. The Forest Service’s previous decision to move forward with the logging project contradicted its own decision to protect the area, undermined one of the few things its new Forest Plan got right, and violated federal law.

Below are quotes from conservation groups about the resolution of the lawsuit:

“We have been pointing out problems with the agency’s logging plans for this area for years. It’s a shame we had to take them to court to achieve this outcome, but we’re glad this incredible area is no longer on the chopping block,” Patrick Hunter, Managing Attorney of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Asheville Office, said. “Unfortunately, the new Forest Plan sets us up for more of these conflicts in the future. National forests in western North Carolina—and the people who enjoy them—deserve better.”

“This wild and beautiful forest was saved because people spoke up to defend it,” said Will Harlan, Southeast director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Even though the public overwhelmingly supports protecting special places like the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, the new Forest Plan tragically fails to do that. Unless the Plan is changed to protect important forests and streams, more legal fights are probably going to be the only way to ensure that the public’s voice is heard.”

“We applaud the Forest Service for agreeing to drop their illegitimate plan for logging in a Special Interest Area next to the Whitewater River. Regretfully, it took filing a lawsuit and six months of negotiations to prompt the recalcitrant Forest Service to abide by federal law, to save one unique stand of our national forest,” said Nicole Hayler, Director of the Chattooga Conservancy. “The rest of the damaging Southside Project still is on the chopping block, while the new Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan is on deck with its mandates for escalating logging in sensitive areas—fueling more controversy and conflict that further undermines public trust in Forest Service managers.”

“We are thrilled to see the U.S. Forest Service commit to upholding the law,” said Jane Davenport, senior attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. “It’s unfortunate that it took a lawsuit to get there, but this commitment ensures a future for vulnerable species whose habitat would have been destroyed by logging.”

“We are pleased that the Forest Service chose to walk away from logging that is incompatible with sound stewardship of the Whitewater River Special Interest Area. It’s unfortunate that it took a lawsuit to reach this outcome, but we thank the Forest Service for coming to the right conclusion,” Josh Kelly, Public Lands Biologist at MountainTrue, said.

“The decision by the Forest Service is the right one, given the recent federal emphasis on old growth protection and the importance of recognizing North Carolina’s Natural Heritage sites. Unfortunately, it took legal action for the agency to make the right decision,” said David Reid, Sierra Club National Forest Issue Chair.

Media Contacts:

SELC: Eric Hilt, 615-622-1199, ehilt@selctn.org
Center for Biological Diversity: Will Harlan, wharlan@biologicaldiversity.org
Chattooga Conservancy: Nicole Hayler, info@chattoogariver.org
Defenders of Wildlife: Jay Petrequin, jpetrequin@defenders.org
MountainTrue: Karim Olaechea, 828-400-0768, karim@mountaintrue.org
Sierra Club: David Reid, daviddreid0@gmail.com

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Press Release: 82% of North Carolina voters support state action to reduce single-use plastics

82% of North Carolina voters support state action to reduce single-use plastics

RALEIGH, NC — In a new statewide poll of North Carolina voters, a significant majority expressed concern about the health impacts of plastics and said state lawmakers should take action to reduce single-use plastics.

Support for state government action to reduce single-use plastics was widespread and bipartisan: More than eight out of ten (82%) North Carolinians support enacting policies to protect human health and the environment. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Republican and 91% of Democratic voters support reducing single-use plastics.

Recent studies and media reports have linked the presence of plastics in the human body to obesity, heart attack, stroke, falling sperm counts, infertility, premature births, birth defects, developmental disorders, and possibly Parkinson’s and dementia. Nearly nine out of ten (88%) North Carolinians said they were concerned about the health effects of plastic, with 50 percent of those saying they were very concerned.

Statement from Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper with the Western North Carolina-based conservation organization MountainTrue:

“Ensuring that our food, water, and environment are safe and free of dangerous plastic pollution is widely supported by young and old, women and men, and Republicans and Democrats. With a resounding 82% of North Carolinians calling for action, it’s imperative that corporations quit forcing single-use plastics on us. We don’t want it. Sound policy can move us away from the detrimental impacts single-use plastics cause. In the meantime, businesses should be working to phase them out..”

These poll results mirror surveys conducted by the City of Asheville in 2023, which found that more than 80% of respondents supported a citywide plastic bag ban, and by the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce (2017), in which all but two of 500 respondents opposed overturning a popular local bag ban.

Special Interests Blocked Popular Local Laws. Now, It’s Time for the State to Act

In 2023, Durham was on the cusp of passing a 10-cent fee on disposable plastic and paper bags. In Western North Carolina, Buncombe County, the City of Asheville, and the towns of Black Mountain, Weaverville, and Woodfin were moving toward enacting local ordinances that would ban single-use plastic shopping bags at the checkout aisle and styrofoam takeout containers.

As those local laws moved forward, Senate Leaders conspired with special interest lobbyists from the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association to insert language into the state budget blocking local governments from enacting any regulations on “the use, disposition, or sale of an auxiliary container (153A-145.11)”, including styrofoam containers and single-use plastic bags. The omnibus budget containing these new limits on local governments was released to the public and to the House and Senate for an up-or-down vote without opportunity for debate or amendment. Governor Roy Cooper later allowed it to become law without his signature.

Environmental and public health advocates around the state regrouped and are now focusing their efforts on building support for and passing a state-wide ban on single-use plastic bags and takeout containers.

Statement from Steve Wall, MD, a retired pediatrician and member of the Plastic-Free WNC Health Working Group:

“Our legislators have a constitutional duty to safeguard the health and well-being of the people of North Carolina. It’s time for North Carolina to join the more than 500 state and local governments across the United States that have already passed commonsense laws to reduce single-use plastics. This is not just an environmental imperative—it’s a public health necessity.”

The Rise of the Plasticene Era: Plastics’ Significant Impact on Human Health

The theme of Earth Day 2024 is Plastic vs. Planet, and environmental and health advocates worldwide are calling for a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040 for the sake of human and planetary health.

The production of plastics has seen an exponential increase since the 1950s, now accounting for 20% of global fossil fuel usage—surpassing its use in vehicles and electricity generation. This shift marks the dawn of what many scientists are calling the “Plasticene” era, characterized by significant environmental and health impacts due to pervasive plastic production and waste.

Despite the common practice of recycling, the reality remains stark; less than 6% of plastic waste in America is recycled. The lower cost of producing new plastics compared to recycling only exacerbates the issue, leading to increased plastic waste that often ends up in landfills and natural environments. Over time, these materials break down into microplastics that infiltrate the air, water, and even our food supply.

Research indicates that the average individual inhales approximately 22 million plastic particles each year. Studies have confirmed the presence of plastics in various human tissues and bodily fluids, including blood, brain, lungs, colon, liver, placenta, breast milk, and carotid arteries.

The impact of plastics on human health is becoming increasingly clear. Microplastics can penetrate cellular structures, disrupting energy production and promoting inflammation. They also interfere with hormonal functions, impacting brain communication, immune responses, and organ function. The consequences are severe, linking plastic pollution to a range of health issues including infertility, premature births, various cancers, and even neurodegenerative diseases. Research has shown that plastics in arterial plaques could increase the risk of severe cardiovascular events by up to 4.5 times within a three-year period.

The economic burden is also significant, with diseases related to plastic exposure costing approximately 1% of the US GDP annually. As the problem of plastic pollution grows, its pace is outstripping our ability to fully understand and mitigate its impacts on human health and the environment.

About the Poll

This poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida from April 9 through April 13, 2024. A total of 625 registered North Carolina voters were interviewed statewide by telephone.

Those interviewed were randomly selected from a phone-matched North Carolina voter registration list that included both land-line and cell phone numbers. Quotas were assigned to reflect voter registration by county.

The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than ± 4 percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the “true” figure would fall within that range if all voters were surveyed. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a gender or age grouping.

About Plastic-Free WNC

Plastic-Free WNC is a coalition of environmental organizations, advocates, and citizens dedicated to reducing plastic pollution in our environment. Members include MountainTrue, Sierra Club of WNC, Environmental Action Community of Western North Carolina, Riverlink, Creation Care Alliance of WNC, Beloved Asheville, Asheville En Espanol, NRDC, NCPIRG, and the North Carolina Plastics Coalition. Learn more at PlasticFreeWNC.com.

Media Contact:
Karim Olaechea, MountainTrue
Phone: 828-400-0768 E-mail: karim@mountaintrue.org

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