November 11, 1999
1) Justice Department Takes Action Against Southern Company
and TVA
2) Newspapers Praise Congress for Dugger Mountain Designation
3) Birding Notes: New Coastal Birding Trail Book Available
4) Help Wanted: Environmental Positions Available
5) Cahaba River Publishing's Open House Begins Next Week
6) What is Your Ecological FootPrint?
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1. Justice Department Takes Action Against Southern Company and TVA - Last week, the Justice Department on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed seven lawsuits against electric utility companies in the Midwest and South, charging that 17 of the companies' power plants illegally released massive amounts of air pollutants for years. The suits allege that the utilities violated the Clean Air Act by making major modifications to many of their plants without installing the equipment required to control smog, acid rain and soot.
According to an EPA press release Alabama Power and TVA power plants have been targeted for this action. The following is a summary of the targeted plants:
Southern Company/Alabama Power Company - Barry near Mobile, Gorgas near Jasper AL. , Miller near Birmingham, AL.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) - Widow's Creek in Stevenson, AL., and Colbert in Tuscumbia, AL.
Additional Alabama plants receiving notices of violation are: Gaston (AL) and Greene County (AL) - both are affiliated with Southern Company.
For more information on the details of these lawsuits and actions, which results from what the Justice Department calls "one of the largest enforcement investigations in EPA history", visit the following websites at:
EPA's Home Page - http://www.epa.gov
EPA Region 4's site - http://es.epa.gov/oeca/ore/aed/coal/index.html
This site has online the Civil Judicial Complaints, Notice of
Violations and Administrative Orders.
Southern Company's Response to the EPA Lawsuit can be found
at: http://www.so
uthernco.com/site/home.asp
2. Newspapers Praise Congress for Dugger Mountain Designation
- The reaction to the congressional passage of the Dugger Mountain
Wilderness bill has been universally positive. Check out the following
editorial excerpts from the Huntsville Times and Anniston Star.
"...This week, the Alabama conservation movement was back. In rapid succession, the U.S. House and then the Senate passed overwhelmingly the legislation necessary to create the 9,200 acre Dugger Mountain Wilderness in the Talladega National Forest.
...At a time when both Alabama's economy and population are growing steadily, it's important to balance that growth by preserving the state's natural diversity and lands necessary to sustain such outdoor recreation as hunting, camping, hiking and nature study.
Credit goes to Rep. Riley, Sen Sessions and the rest of the delegation for seeing the state's natural resources as something other than pawns in partisan power struggles. All Alabamians will benefit." - "Our Newest Wilderness" Huntsville Times November 4, 1999 editorial
"When a hunter, a fisherman, a backpacker, a hiker or anyone who likes the outdoors, starts looking for a new place to explore he goes to the maps. He pours over them looking for green areas, the areas that are set aside.
They look for places that are far from the groaning highways and noise of development. They look for quiet, and the bigger the green spot the quieter and more attractive the area. Few places peak more curiosity than the Wilderness Area. For folks seeking the wild this is the place to be.
...We already have a lot to offer in our area. Cheaha is a
Wilderness Area and the Pinhoti and Chief Ladiga Trails run through
the region. Put them all together, and it is an outdoorsman's
heaven. And these nature-loving people will bring eco-dollars
with them. Think of our position between Atlanta and Birmingham.
These city dwellers need to get out and breath the fresh air and
explore nature now and then. They have no better and closer place
to go to than our area." - "Dugger Wild: Our Wilderness
Area" Anniston Star November 3, 1999 editorial
3. Birding Notes: New Coastal Birding Trail Book Available
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has just released a new publication
called "The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail". Arranged
in a series of loops (trails), this colorful pocket booklet, describes
the birding spots most frequented by Alabama birders. This new
booklet is a must for anyone exploring Alabama's Gulf Coast and
our abundant bird habitats. To receive a free copy of this 51
page coastal birding trail booklet, please call Herb Malone of
the Alabama Gulf Coast and Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-982-8562.
4. Help Wanted: Environmental Positions Available - Please post these excellent employment opportunities from the Nature Conservancy of Alabama and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Development Coordinator at the Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Alabama
TNC seeks a fundraising professional for the State Chapter.
The responsibilities include coordinating annual giving, donor
recognition,
special events, records and solicitation. A 4 year degree is preferred,
and the position is at entry level management. Please send a cover
letter, salary history and resume to the Nature Conservancy of
Alabama at 2821 2nd Ave. South, Birmingham, AL. 35233.
Law Fellowship at the Southern Environmental Law Center's (SELC) Deep South Office
SELC is accepting applications for a two-year law fellow position in its Deep South office in Atlanta, Georgia. The law fellow will work with senior attorneys in several of SELC's substantive areas of practice.
Law graduates and practicing attorneys will be considered.
Litigation or environmental advocacy experience preferred. Salary
$34,000-$38,000,
commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits.
All applications must be in writing and include a resume, law school transcript, and at least three references. Applications should be sent to Dana Wiley at the Southern Environmental Law Center, 127 Peachtree Street, Suite 605, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
5. Cahaba River Publishing's Open House Begins Next Week - Beth Young's Cahaba River Publishing is having an Open House November 18 through the 21st from noon to 8:00 p.m. The exhibits will be up through Christmas.
This year's Open House will feature along with Beth Young's wonderful work (southern rivers and wetlands), local artists including - Malcolm Pierson (bird photography), Mike Clemmer (music and photos), Mary Gray Hunter (garden images), Hugh Hunter, Robin McDonald (hand made books), Mac Dean (images of Montana wildlife and landscapes), Keehn Berry (photos of Africa).
Folks are welcomed to visit Cahaba River Publishing's Open House located at 700 28th Street South Suite 204, Birmingham, AL. If you can't make the Open House reserve an appointment to view these works by calling 205-324-1900.
6. What is Your Ecological FootPrint? - In Audubon Magazine's Nov-Dec 1999 edition, there is a great article (page 107) on "Ecological Footprints Around the Globe". The article examines not just overpopulation (number of people), but people's "ecological footprint". The "footprint" is calculated by the amount of land and ocean it takes to support the consumption habits (food, energy and materials) of individuals from different countries around the world. For example, France and Thailand have the same population. But the ecological footprint for the French is 13 acres per person while an individual from Thailand's footprint is 5 acres per person. By considering consumption habits as well as population size, we can discover the true impact of a nation's people on the planet. So... How big is our footprint in the U.S. ? 27 acres.
For more information on ecological footprints visit http://www.rprogress.org
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
