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TENNESSEE CITIZENS for WILDERNESS PLANNING NewsleHer No. 204 April17, 1995 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1. National Park System in jeopardy .. , , , , ........................................ p. 3 A. HR 260, an Anti-Parks bill. HELP!!! C. NPS reorganization"' chaos? B. Resdsion takes away NPS 1995 funds D. Park-support groups meet 2. Obed and Big South Fork ........................................................ p. 4 A. Scoping for regional water supply EIS C. Friends of BSFNRRA formed B. Implications of the rescisions for Obed and BSF 3. Coli courses in stale puks?........ p. 6 4. Action needed on additional state items . .. .. .. .. .. p. 7 A. ScoH's Gulf at risk C. Bills in state legislatu«- 8. Processing plant for Champion logging D. Key legislative commiHees 5. More state issues and news .. p. 9 A. Future mining in the Cherokee1 E. Protection for "non-game" species B. Sequatchie Valley threatened F. Military reservations rich in species C To revive Cumberland Trail G. Tennessee Environmental Endowment D. French Broad lands preserved 6. Smokies ............... ....................................................... p.11 A. Noisy overflights B. Abrams Cr. /Chilhowee Mtn. C. Elkmont cabins 7. Tennessee Valley Authority ... p.12 A. TVA in grave danger B. Update on the Duck River 8. National news: crises abound .................................................... p. 13 A. "Dirty Water'' Bill E. "Green Scissors" could cut billions B. To double National Forest timber cuts F. Northwest Forest Plan approved C. Sham "reform" of 1872 Mining Law G. Tracking coal-mine violations D. Mine threatens Yellowstone NP H. Temperatures headed up again 9. Oak Ridge capsules .................... .. p.IS A. North Ridge Trail C. Second greenway ready B. Worthington Cemetery D. Oak Ridge Reservation 10. TCWP news ............................ p.16 A. Upcoming activities C Volunteers E. In memoriam B. Annual Weekend D. Board and staff 11. Jobs, activities, and reading matter , p.18 12. ACTION SUMMARY ... p. 2 "Editor: Uan� B. RllSRII.UOTabor Rllllcl. Oak Ridg�. TN37830. Ph. US, 482·2:153 Stuin marsin means "ActionNft'd�." Don't bt'overwh�lm� - ch«kthe ACTION SUMMARY! �204.4/17/!l) 2 12. ACTION SUMMARY 1N �Mesnge!"orActton National Park System Congresman "HR260mu.st be strenuouslyopposed!" 2A Clear Creek dlJTI threat jack Davis, TVA 1. Contribute ideas on EISscope. 2. Get onmailing list. leeRu§sell, TCWP Join Friends of the Obed{FotO) network. 28 Rescission ofObed and BSF$$ US Rep and Senators "Rescissions hne hurt Obed andBSF. Defend these Copy toNPSDire.:tor areas against further harm!" Scott's Gulf !'res. of Bridge§tone Corp "Do not rush into deal with lumber company!" Champion's AQ permit TCWP Suggest upett witnesSHfor our appeal. 4.C Bills in General Assembly State legislators Support/Oppo5e selected bills. 6A Smokies overflights Rep. ].Duncan, jr "Urge FAA to enter into rulemaking re GSMNP!" GSMNP Fill out and send Aircraft Observation Record. Abrams Cr./Otilhow� Mtn. Foothills Conservancy Contribute 6C Elkmontcabins Commissioner Dill "Support NPS position!" 7A TVA's Resource Budget US Rep and Senators "This budget pays for essential programs;do not cut!" SA "Dirty Water" Bill Congressman Cast Floor vote against this disutrous bill [HR 961)!" 88 Mandated logging in P�ident Clinton "Veto this bill!" Nationa!Forests Media Write lettento editors. lSnMininglaw "Proposedbill is shamreform;opposeit!" 80 Mine threatening Yellowstone Sec. Bruce Babbitt "Deny Noranda's claim to mine!" 8E "Green Scissors"Report Media "Make Congress end corporate-welfare subsidies!" lOA Marchfor Parks TCWP Collect pledges for fundraiser; or send own contribution. lOB TCWP Annual Weekend TCWP Volunteer help with preparations. Senator john Doe TheHon. John Doe GovernorSundquist Doo United Statt!s Senate U.S. House of Representatives State Capitol Washington, OC20510 Washington,DC20515 Nashville, TN 37243-9872 615-741-2001;Fax532-97ll Dear Senator Doe Dear Congressman Doe Dear Gov. Sundquist Sincerely yours Sinarely yours, Respectfully yours, : To caD a Representati1-e or Senator, dial Congressional switchboard, {202) 224-3121 Tolind out about tlwstatus offederal bills,ca!l(202)225-lm. NL204. 4/17/95 3 1. NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM�IOPARDY IN public cloes not want the budget balanced through the selling off of 0\IT national paru. A. HR260, &D ADtl-ParbbW. HELP/If A bill is beginning to move thi'Qugh the B. S.ICiuio.a bllJ ta.b• a...,.m11cb: of NPS 1995 Congressthat !XIU!dlead to the de-authorization of frmdllJI �;ertainunits of the National �rk System. and the The National Park Serviee was already transfer of others to less earlng. ageneies. The poverty-midengoing tnto FiscalYear 1995. Now, National Pnk Servtee (NPSJ presently has the Congress is taldng away a h>.�ge chunk of what furisdietion over 366 units. It Is true that a small little had been appropriated for the current year. number of these taek national signifiea.nee -- they For Obedand Big South Forkimpac:ts, see 128.this were thrust upon NPS as local pork barrels by a NL. powertul Congressman here •nd there. The Viis! majorityof theunits,however,PT*serveand protect The bill thllt paned the House of in perpetuity the !lnest American landscapes and RePT*sentatives reseinded S47rnlllion of NPS' 1995 the most histot1eal sites. The criteria of national funds u follows: -S17 million trcom acq>.�tsition signi!leilnee, suitability and feasibility were in moneys,-S22 M fTornconstruction tvncls, and -ss M plaee for ea�;;h unit added on re<:ommendatlon of from NPS' Stllte Assistance progrllms. The money NPS. taken away represents a whopping 28'4 and 27'lo of what had been appi'Qpt1llted for federal land HR 260 (Hefley, Vento) Is named the National acquisition llnd for State Assistllnce,respectively. Park System Refonn Act. Theoretically. there is The Senate also pused a rescission bl11 <NPS room for reform, e.g.. by establishing tluit protection detllilsnot known to us) which had to be recondled of the resoun::e should take preceden�;;e over public With the House bin use; or by finding ways to invtgou.te the system That's not what HR 260 would do, however. It C. Park.Service •reorpaiution �? essent1ally forces the NPS itself to generate some The Nationlll Park Service is in the midst of kind of a hit hst. Even worse, the deadline under several aspects of a reorganization. (a) The which N PS would be made to operate Is Washington helldquarten are betng "downsized; unrealistically tight, especially in view of the With some of the peB<>nnel being moved into the Service's depleted and relatively d!sorgan!:r.ed parks, (b) the number of regionlll offices is being status at th1s time (see !18. below� If the NPS decreasedfrom 10to 7, llnd (c) the bulk of regional should fail to meet the deadline, 1 7-member office employees Win shift to one of 16 field suppon comm1ssion would be established that would draw offices up a list for modification or termination of park units. Two member$ of the commission would be The Southeast Regionlll Office (SEROJ appointed by House Speaker Gingrich and two by oversees more NPS units than any other regional the president prv rem of the Senate. It is very office; the dec:reue in number of regions will add unlikely that these persons would be di5passlonate even more parks for SERO to take care of. Yet students of our Nat!vnal Park System; on the SERO's number of employees is projected to shrink contrllry, it is very likely that they would hllve from 200 to less than 201 The shrinkage is being somea;o;tog:nnd. accomplished !.ilrgely by a shifting of staff into three "c:Nster" offices, Whleh eventuany Will move h is also very likely thllt criteria for the geographically (one may end up m JCnoxville\ but decommissioning of untts would include visillltion currently are stin located in Atlllnta. Heading levels, costs, llnd accessibility. Would that put the SERO is Bob Baker, this is a return engagement for Obed and Big South Fork in jeopllrdy? Oellrly him, after "' spell o>.�t west. He succeeds jim these are not the Cliterta by which to judge the Colemlln who rec:.entlyre tired.. Bakl'l' suppons the value ofa park unit! NPS reoTgllnizationscheme andthe extrll authority * it gtves to the superintendents of individual units. WHAT YOU CAN (MUST) DO: Contact your He believes that it Wi\1 cau51! superintendents to Congressman and tell him that HR 260 is a terrible workwith state andloc:al govemments,rather than bill that must be opposed ;u a\1 cosl5. Tell your With Washington or Atlanta friends, write a Jetter to your paper, get other organiutions you belong to to p>.�blieiZe this threat. There Is clurly anothf'T point of view. In l1 Congress m>.�st be mllde to relllize that the American recent letter to NPS, Pa>.1l Pritchard. president of NPCA (National Parks llnd Conservation Assoc.) NL204. 4/17/9'!> ' wrote: "We fear the restructur1ng Will lead to 2. OBEDAND BIG 90U1H FORK myriad parksand �rlr. clustersmaking inconsistent policy interpretations, with each developing its A. St»pilJiforPrqjed tbeR.,iotWWa&arSupp{r ownr.sponses to \oo;.al problems regardless of the � Pressure on the Catoosa Utility Implications tor the whole park systemand fflteral District (CUD) to build the Oear Creek dam has policy.• The NPS will also ta leu able to speak greatlytnc:TN.-d. CUrrently,CUD has a contntoct to with a strong unttied voice when lt is underattack buy water from the City of Crossville, but the city by outside forces, n�ch as the US Congress{see !lA recently gave CUD two yean�• noti�:e of cal"lceling andtlB,abo�). this con!Tact lor the purpose of re negotiilting it. It appears that Crossvlne plans to ina"ea$e by about D. P.rl..,apporfJ""Pmed 60"* the �e at which CUD payslor wilter. JCOI"Itnbulfllby)o.r•llumsl The National Parks & Cc;mnrvation Because there will be increasing water Association (NPCAJ re<:ently sponsored Southeast a demandsfor the Cumbe!"IIT"Id Plateau,�md because, Regional Forum in Atlantil, organized and inr=ent times, the damming of stn!amsin the Obed facilitated by NPCA Regional Director Don Barger or Big South Fork watersheds hilsbeeT"I the answt'T and by Vera Guise, from the Blue Ridge Pari'-way.