April 30, 1999
1) Assorted "Green Bills" in the Statehouse
2) Wilderness Bill Clears House Committee
3) AWF : Cook-Offs to Governor Awards
4) Regional Forest Study Announced - Applauded By Groups
5) Don't Forget to "Bookmark" These Websites
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1. Green Bills In the Statehouse - Here is some good
news. Currently in the
Alabama legislature there are 10-15 pro-environmental pieces of
legislation
that have been introduced this session. Because of the "rocky
start" in the
State Senate that has shortened the session considerably, most
of these
pro-enviro bills will not pass, but it is encouraging to see the
introduction
of an overwhelming number of bills targeted at protecting Alabama's
environment. Here is a breakdown of some "green" legislation
that has been
introduced.
Clean Air Legislation - For the first time in years we have
seen some real
progress being made legislatively on several Clean Air initiatives.
Vehicle
Inspection and Public Transit bills have already cleared committees
(that in
itself is a first) and await votes by the full House. If we pass
these
bills, we will significantly reduce our air pollution problems.
Illegal Garbage Dumps - It is becoming very clear that Alabama
has a serious
illegal garbage dump problem. To address this problem, bills have
been
introduced to combat illegal tire dumping (HB 387 Rep. Gipson's
Scrap Tire
Bill) and criminal trespassing (HB 307) to dump garbage on one's
property.
Natural Resources - Incredibly, Alabama does not have a law
to prohibit
discharge of sewage from vessels into waters of the state. A Boat
and Marina
Bill will be introduced this week by Rep Mike Dean of Mobile to
address this
oversight. Last week, Rep Jack Page of Gadsden introduced a bill
to create a
state "wilderness system" within our state parks. This
bill is aimed at
creating a "Robert Trent Jones Trail Natural Wonders like"
system.
Environmental Health/Justice - Senator Rodger Smitherman of
Birmingham has
introduced several environmental health and justice bills. His
health bills
address childhood lead poisoning (HB 241-243).
Other Bills - Rep. Mike Rogers of Anniston has introduced pro-enviro
County
Zoning legislation (HB 488), Reps. Bill Fuller and Jack Page have
introduced
a ADEM Reform/Name Change bill (HB 532) .
For more information about "green" legislation, contact
Joe Turnham, Director
of the Alabama League of Environmental Action Voters at 1-877-ALA-LEAV.
2. Wilderness Bill Clears Committee - This Wednesday
(April 28) the House
State Government Committee passed out favorably a bill that would
establish a
State Wilderness System (HB 649). The legislation would provide
permanent
protection for certain state-owned lands and authorize state agencies
to
study their land holdings for possible further wilderness area
designations.
The Department of Conservation would administer the state wilderness
areas.
The legislation has targeted 4 specific areas to be designated
wilderness.
They are: 1) Double Mountain Wilderness - Approximately 5,000
acres of Oak
Mountain State Park, 2) Gulf Pines Wilderness - Approximately
1000 acres of
Gulf State Park, 3) High Point Wilderness - 1000 acres within
Cheaha State
Park and, 4) Tensaw Wilderness - consisting of 16,000 acres of
state owned
lands and waters in the Mobile/Tensaw Rivers Delta.
3. AWF: Cook-Offs and Governor Awards - The Alabama
Wildlife Federation (AWF)
will be hosting several "Wild Game" Cook-Offs throughout
the month of May.
All these event include great food (of course), live entertainment
from the
Glen Tolbert Bluegrass Band, a silent auction & raffle and
complimentary food
& beverages. Tickets cost $40 per couple which also includes
an AWF
membership. Here is the schedule of the May Cook-Offs.
May 8th, 5:30 - Northwest Alabama Chapter Cook-Off at Double
Head Resort in
Town Creek. For more info call Preston Trousdale at 256-767-0333.
May 20th, 5:30 - West Alabama Cook-Off at Water Oaks Farm in
Tuscaloosa. Call
David McGiffert at 205-759-1521 for more info.
May 27th, 5:30 - East Alabama Cook-Off at Civitan Park in Guntersville.
Call
Robert Thornton at 256-582-2003.
An Additional AWF Announcement - The Federation is seeking
nominations for
their pretigious Governor's Conservation Achievement Awards. AWF
honors each
year conservationists and organizations who have made a significant
difference in protecting Alabama's natural resources. To learn
more about
these awards and how to nominate an individual or a group, please
contact the
Alabama Wildlife Federation at 1-800-822-9453. The deadline for
nominations
is June 1.
4. Regional Forest Study Announced and Applauded - On
Tuesday of this week
(April 27) the U.S. Forest Service, EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and
other federal agencies announced a joint study to examine the
following
question..."Can forests in Alabama and the rest of the South
hold up at the
current rate of timber harvesting?" The interagency effort,
which will
include studying the effects of chip mills on the region, is already
underway
and will be completed by the year 2001.
The announcement of the study has been applauded by the forest
industry,
environmental community and the media. In a Mobile Register April
29th
editorial, the paper stated, "...Alabama can take heart that
finally, one of
its most valuable natural resources will spend some time under
the
microscope. Then the people can insist that state leaders use
the data to
sustain, and even improve, the forests for future generations."
5. Check Out These Websites This Weekend - In our quest
to provide our
readers with "new information" about Alabama's environment,
BEN has found
several websites that we have not previously publicized. They
are:
Friends of Locust Fork River - http://www.SWMA.COM/FLFR/
- Learn about this
dynamic river group who has prevented the beautiful Locust Fork
River from
being dammed for nearly a decade. While you visit the FLFR site,
download
information and directions on the group's 6th Annual River Festival
on May
8th.
Cahaba River Publishing -
http://www.cahabariverpublishing.com/portfolios.html
Go to an art gallery
without ever leaving your home. Check out Beth Young's Cahaba
River
Publishing website, where you can order online from home, prints
from Beth's
collection of dramatic and beautiful southern landscapes.
Hike Web - http://www.montesano.com/hikeweb/
Being a North Alabama native
this site is a wonderful discovery. Hike Web - Tennessee River
Trails, which
is authored by Jay Hudson, provides detailed information on various
hikes one
can take along the Tennessee Valley corridor. Contour maps, directions
and
incredibly precise information about various trails are available
at this
site. The site is also family-friendly with a section that informs
the
reader if a specific trail is good for kids.
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
