Tenn essee IS8N 1089-6104 (!, itizens for Newsletter No. 320 Wildern ess March 15, 2015 Planning Taking Care of Wild Places 1. Obed, good news! (plus a BSF capsule) .•.•. .••• p.3 . .. ~- . :. .; A. Pres. Obama•s budget contains Obed acquisition funds B. More than 500 acres ofObed land acquisitions facilitated by TCWP '·:·.-:·.--.. > ~ _.,. ' . C. Spring Planting and Music Festival at BSF Ob~~- f4rid$ il1 b~C:tget .... ~tA : ..... -.. · '-·.:;- ·-. •. ·. '·. .. .. :- ' .. -· 2. Frozen Head Plan needs our comments. • . • • . • • • • • p. 3 ·:. · :. : · · · · . · . Ob•d tracts· acquired .-~.. 111 B . ;' .--,. ,· .. ·- 3. Other Tennessee news • • . • • . • • • • • • . • • . • • • • • . p. 4 A. Grassy Cove acquisition funds are in the budget ·frOzen Head. Plan·, .. ·. ·. B. The Tennessee Legislature (Four of numerou~ bad bills are discussed) ·needs· cC,mtiients ~.·:~.~~:::.. ·112. C. Survey underway for Seven Islands 8tate Birding Park . -- . Grassy Cove .In budget .. 1J3A · 4. TV A news • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . • . • . • • • • . • . • p. 5 · · - · A. Draft IRP ready for review C. State sues over coal-Dh cleanup · ·· ·· B. Large-scale solar-energy purchase D. Changes in TVA Board .TV·A'a IRP is ready •• ..•••• 1f4A . ' ~ -. 5. Cherokee NF: a tunnel alternative for Corridor K .. p. 6 ;l(eyatone ·pipeline vetoe~; . .permit must be denied .••• 1(6 6. The Keystone XL Pipeline (the bill; the permit) .••• p. 6 WOTUS must:aurviVe ~ RA 7. Other national news • . • • • • . • • • . • • • . • • • • p. 7 A. "Waters of tile US" must sunive Cong~s Obama recommends ' ,. · B. Administration recomm~nds Wilderness for ANWR (incL Coastal Plaia)!!! C. President designam additional national monuments ANWR Wilderness _,. ,..... fTB D AUacks on the Antiquities Act E. The Administration budget: items of special intt-rest 2014, hottest on reco d .. vas: . F. This Congress doesn't like Wilderness G. Wilderutss organizationa 8. Climate change ................ ........... .......... _•• ·• -. ..... ·.. , .• -~ ~ .• ·~ •••• ~ • • p•.. 9 A. How EPA's Ckan Po\\-tr Rule would work · · · B. 2014, the hottest year on record C. What do snaton think abont clbnate mangt? Aad tilt l'e8f otu? . 9. Oak Ridge and the ·Reservation•••••••••••••••••••• ~ ••••••· •· .............. ~-. •. p.ll .· A Habitat improvement at ORBS aad Civic Center B. Nature walb jJl ORR C.TWRA.oftker for ORR 10. TCWP NEWS (Upcoming & receat adivitks; Charlie Klabnde; ·I~ the aews; T.... ; EO column) ••• ~ ••p.l1 11. Calendar; Resources..... p. 15 . ··12. ACTION SUMJ.\.IARY.: ~ ••• ·.• P.l Editor: Liane B. RusseU, 130 Tabor Road, OakRidge, TN 37830.. t:-.an: Jitlneru~tast.aet Shaded box or star means "Action Needed." Don•t be overwbel:aJed- ch«k the AcnON S MMARY on p. l NL 320, 3/15/15 2 12. ACTION SUMMARY ~0. Issue Contact "Message!" or Action 1A Obed appropriation US senators and rep. "Support Obed appropriation!" -HIGH PRIORITY NPS Director Jarvis "Thank you for your wonderful support!" lB Obed land acquisition Sandra or Jimmy "I am a potential conservation buyer'' 2 Frozen Head Plan Tenn. State Parks Provide comments 4A Integrated Resource Plan TVA, by April 27 Provide comments 6 Keystone XL Pipeline Pres. Obama "Thanks for veto! Reject the project; it would warm our Planet! " 7A Water quality and quantity US sens. and rep.; editors "Do NOT oppose WOTUS rules! They protect drinking water!" 7B Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Pres. Obama; Sec. Jewell "Thank you for recommending Wilderness protection!" US senators "Support the Wilderness recommendation!" 7C National Monuments Pres. Obama "Thanks for designations! Please designate additional ones!" 7D Antiquities Act US senators "Retaining this· Act is essential" Sen. Alexander "Thank you for not supporting attack on the Act!" Senator John Doe The Hon. John Doe Pres. Barack Obama Governor Bill Haslam United States Senate U.S. House of Representatives The White House State Capitol Senate Office Building House Office Building Washington, DC20500 Nashville, TN 37243-9872 Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 202-456-1111 (comments); 615-741-2001; Fax 615-532-9711 456-1414 (switchbd); Fax 456-2461 [email protected] www. whitehouse.gov/contact Dear Senator Doe Dear Congressman Doe Dear Mr. President Dear Gov. Haslam Sincerely yours, Sincerely yours, Respectfully yours, Respectfully yours, Sen. Bob Corker Sen. Lamar Alexander: Rep. Chuck Fleischmann: Ph: 202-224-3344; FAX: 202-228-0566 Ph: 202-224-4944; FAX: 202-228-3398 Phone: 202-225-3271 e-mail: http://corker.senate.gov/public/ e-mail: http://alexander.senate.gov/public/ FAX: 202-225-3494 Local: 865-637-4180 (FAX 637-9886) Local: 865-545-4253 (FAX 545-4252) Local (O.R.): 865-576-1976 800 Market St., Suite 121, Knoxville 37902 800 Market St., Suite 112, Knoxville 37902 https:f/fleischmann.house.gov/contact-me To call any Repr. or Senator, dial Congressional switchboard, 202-224-3121. To fmd out about the status of bills, call202-225-1772. URLs: http://www.house.gov/lastname/ and http://lastname.senate.gov/ General contact info: http://www.lcv.org With mail to Congress still slow following the anthrax scare, consider faxing, phoning, and other modes of communication. You can find contact information in our Political Guide. It's on TCWP's website (htto://www.tcwp.org), as are some current action calls. You can also choose to receive e-alerts by contacting Sandra Goss (see below). WHAT IS TCWP? T(:'WP· (Te.... essee <:;~ns ..for Wilderness· P~nning)' iS ·dt.~ica,ted to a,chiev,ing and ~erpetu$~g ,protection of natura]Jan4s t:tl,td·wated_bymea_.!l·.ofpnblic_oWti~rslliP'·le¢sbitio1l; ot ' toope~ation · oftbepriyate : sector. : :While ' our · fit-st:rocns . iS .. on.the C~berlan~ · and Ap}J!ll~cbian'J'egions .o{'Tenp.eSSee;:our:effoi1s may ei#nd to·cthe ·rest otthe :State and tbe.: n~tion: 'J;<:;\Vp•s ~~~ngili]jes··in: ·.r~ear~bing ·· inform1ltion · pertiD~~t ·to•:an' issue, i,ntornifilg ~~ . ~ducati.ig :. o«-r nie)nl"ier$bip ·a:n4 .tJie . .·pllbli.c, mt~r~ding mtll. groups. ~aViJ;Ig .•·sblt!}8r. ·obj~Cthres~: and••• worldJigJbroug"··· the. ·IegiSlativ,e;·adlllinistrlttive,7 andojudidal··•hranchey 00 ~~:r~~::~1~:~~~; ,; ,' _+>; ~~~ J.::t:~5]~~~~9;) ..•.·.··. ... Executive and Membership-Uevelopment D4'ecto,r: . Sandra Goss, 865-583-3967. [email protected] , - · -N~sle~er: ~ito-r: :_: ·Le~ __ RQs~ell;--Ii~~sep.@-~om~t.tiet ~ ·· _,_ TCWP website·: h ://www.tc .oi' . · · · · NL 320, 3/15/15 3 There are LOTS of really BIG stories in this Newslet- Groton, Frank Hensley, and Sandra Goss) have been work- ter, and many of them bring good news. Enjoy! ing to get these two tracts protected. This is just the latest of numerous and miscellaneous 1. OBED, GOOD NEWS! (plus a BSF actions (10, so far) by which TCWP has facilitated land acquisitions for the Obed WSR, and it brings the total capsule) acreage to about 503. Over many years, TCWP members and friends, as well as TCWP itself, have been acting as 1A. Pres. Obama’s budget conservation buyers, i.e. persons or groups who will pur- contains Obed acquisition funds!!! chase vulnerable lands and hold them until further protec- For the first time in well over a decade, the Presi- tion by another entity is secured (by sale or gift). The dent’s budget includes funds for land acquisition at the other entity has usually been NPS, but in three cases (in- Obed Wild & Scenic River. Not only that, but in the Na- cluding one where the tract, vital to the viewshed, was out- tional Park Service priority list, these funds are item #2 in a side the authorized boundary, NL314 ¶1) it was The Nature list of 23 items. The budget requests $1,204,000 for Obed Conservancy. WSR acquisition of 451 acres. “Obed Wild and Scenic River (OBED) was estab- WHAT YOU CAN DO: If you, or someone you know, are lished October 12, 1976, to preserve segments of the Obed willing to be a conservation buyer, get In touch with San- River in free-flowing condition as a component of the Na- dra Goss ([email protected]) or Jimmy Groton tional Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Wild and Sce- ([email protected]) nic River contains 5,073 acres, of which 1,034 acres are privately owned.” 1C. BSF Spring Planting + Music Festival The budget is wonderful news, but unfortunately it’s This festival will be held April 25 at Bandy Creek not yet the end, because the Congress must now play its and the Oscar Blevins Farm, starting 9:00 a.m. ET. The heavy hand in passing a Land & Water Conservation Fund notice reads: “If you, or anyone you know, would be in- (LWCF) appropriation, from which land-acquisition funds terested in being a teamster for plowing, food vendor, (for all agencies) derive. Over the course of recent years, crafts vendor, music to include gospel, teach/talk about Congress has increasingly slashed the LWCF to where it is canning/processing food, tanning animal hides, or anything approaching zero. It helps to be so high on the priority list, else that would relate to the life style of the Upper Cum- but it is no guarantee. It’s now imperative that our Con- berland area in the late 1800 hundreds to early 1900 hun- gressional delegation supports the Obed in the appropria- dreds please let us know. [We] hope you can join us tions process. TCWP will, of course, diligently work to- either as a participant, volunteer, or a visitor. For further ward that end, but so must individual members. info, call 423-286-7275.” WHAT YOU CAN DO: (1) High priority! Please contact your Congressman and both senators (contact information on p.2 and in Political Guide 2. FROZEN HEAD PLAN – e-mail, phone call, or letter) and strongly urge their sup- NEEDS OUR COMMENTS port for the Obed WSR appropriation. Tell them what a [Contributed by Annetta Watson, wonderful resource the Obed is, and that, after nearly 40 Sandra Goss, and Cindy Kendrick] years, more than one-fifth is still unprotected and is in- Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area (FHSP), creasingly threatened.