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1) Governor's Environmental Commission Puts Forth
60 Action Items
2) ADEM Could Face Severe Budget Problem in 2001
3) Lowndes County Landfill Stopped Because State
Lacks Plan
4) WildLaw Files Notice to Protect the Vermillion
Darter
5) BEN Notes : TVA Receives Wildlife Recognition,
Project ROSE Website,
Sierra Club Honors Green Champions, AEC Seeking Newspaper Recyclers,
BEN
Fundraising Appeal Results
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We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent
upon its vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed for
our safety to its security and place, preserved from annihilation
only by the care, the work and, I will say the love we give our
fragile craft.
We cannot maintain it half fortunate, half miserable, half
confident, half despairing, half slave to the ancient enemies
of mankind and half free in a liberation of resources undreamed
of until this day. No craft, no crew, can travel safely with
such vast contradictions. On their resolution depends the security
of us all.
-Adlai Stevenson, July 1965
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1. Governor's Environmental Commission
Puts Forth 60 Action Items - After 12 town meetings across
the state and countless committee meetings, Governor Don Siegelman's
Commission on Environmental Initiatives (ACEI) unveiled on Wednesday,
December 6th, 60 action items that had received consensus during
the committee process. At the State Capitol meeting on the 6th,
the Commission as a whole, proceeded to vote on paper ballot
and by raising hands, whether to proceed with the 60 initiatives.
The 60 initiatives were generated by four committees within
ACEI. Those committees were Air and Water, Environmental Review,
Land and Natural Resources and Health and Education. Some of
the consensus committee action items include, the potential development
of a water withdrawal system for surface and groundwater, development
of nutrient standards for lakes and
streams, creation of a Toxics Use Reduction office, development
of a state wetlands protection plan, stronger public notification
for landfill siting, increased funding for ADEM, support for
Brownfield redevelopment, development of a statewide environmental
education program for schools, and development of an initiative
to address environmental justice. To receive the complete list
of initiatives, visit the Jacksonville State University Environmental
Policy and Information Center (EPIC) website at: http://www.jsu.edu/depart/epic/december6meeting.html
Governor Siegelman asked the Commission to come up with consensus
action items that can be proposed for the 2001 legislative session,
which begins February 6th. The Commission is scheduled to submit
its findings by mid-January. Meanwhile, citizens are being given
an opportunity to provide input on the proposed initiatives (remember
you can access them on the website). Written comments can be
sent to Pete Conroy, Chair of ACEI, at pconroy@jsucc.jsu.edu.
The deadline is January 5th.
2. ADEM Could Face Severe Budget Problem
in 2001 - The Alabama Department of Environmental Management
(ADEM) needs approximately $2.8 million in new funds for FY 2002,
to continue current programs such as the North Alabama Field
Office, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study requirements, Safe
Drinking Water program components and toxic waste cleanup programs.
The requested new funding is over and above ADEM's $4.3 million,
FY 2001 appropriation from the state's General Fund. ADEM's funding
from Alabama's General Fund has decreased in real budget numbers
(from over $5 million in 1990 to today's $4.3 million in '01)
for nearly 10 years, while their responsibilities have dramatically
increased. The following list is a breakdown of ADEM's FY 2002
State General Fund needs.
$1,000,000 - TMDL Funding - Section 303 (d) of the Federal
Clean Water requires the completion of a Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) for all streams listed by the state as not meeting
water quality standards. A citizen's suit filed in Federal Court
concerning the completion of TMDL's in Alabama resulted in a
court order requiring development of TMDL's for the 200+ stream
segments not meeting their designated classification. Congress
has appropriated money for this effort, but it must be matched.
$1,000,000 - RCRA, TSCA, CERCLA, CORE and Voluntary Cleanup
Programs- The $1 million requested will match approximately $2.2
million in Federal funding. ADEM uses these funds to administer
inspections, assessments, cleanups and monitoring of hazardous
waste sites.
$500,000 - North Alabama Field Office - For several years
Alabama's Congressional delegation has secured funding for a
Field Office in North Alabama. This was done to counteract TVA's
reduced presence in the area because of reductions in TVA's nonpower
budget. The Field Office's duties include inspections of facilities,
emergency response and critical monitoring projects. ADEM lost
federal funding for the program this past year.
$300,000 - Drinking Water Revolving Loan Funds - "Set
Aside" Funds established by the Drinking Water Revolving
Loan Fund originally funded ADEM employees to implement a water
assessment program for public drinking water supplies using 100%
Federal funds. Recent changes in federal regulations now require
the states to match on a dollar for dollar basis.
Not included in ADEM's most recent request is nearly $14 million
in desperately needed environmental infrastructure programs.
For example, ADEM needs $4.5 million to match more than $10.5
million in Federal funds to fund the Clean Water State Revolving
Fund. More than $3.6 million is needed to receive a $9.2 million
Federal match for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Of
course, all these revolving loan programs would help shore up
many of Alabama's decaying wastewater and drinking water treatment
facilities.
3. Lowndes County Landfill Stopped Because
State Lacks Plan - Montgomery Circuit Judge Sally Greenhaw
has put the brakes on a proposed solid waste landfill near the
Selma to Montgomery Historic Trail. In an order issued last week,
Judge Greenhaw stopped work on the landfill because the Alabama
Department of Environmental Management has failed to adopt a
statewide plan on how to dispose solid waste. The plan which
was mandated nearly a decade ago has never been approved.
According to published reports, ADEM responded to the judge's
order by stating that, "The judge's order stayed, but did
not revoke the permit."
4. WildLaw Files Notice to Protect the
Vermillion Darter - On November 27th, WildLaw, a Alabama
public interest environmental law firm, filed a 60 day notice
of intent to sue under the Endangered Species Act against Secretary
of Interior Bruce Babbitt and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
for their unlawful delay in making a final listing decision for
the Vermillion Darter. The notice is on behalf of the Biodiversity
Legal Foundation and Wild Alabama.
The Vermillion Darter exists in only one seven mile long segment
of Turkey Creek in Jefferson County, and that habitat is being
heavily impacted by development, sedimentation and other pollution.
According to the groups, the USFWS recent decision to have a
moratorium on new listings is a violation of its legally mandated
one year deadline for potential listing of the darter.
The recent listing moratorium has impacted dozens of other
species around the country. To learn more about the moratorium,
visit the CNN website at : http://www.cnn.com/2000/nature/11/23/endangered.species.ap/index.html.
Contact Ray Vaughan at Wild Law - 334-265-6529, for additional
information about the Vermillion Darter case.
5. BEN Notes: TVA Receives Wildlife
Recognition, Project ROSE Website, Sierra Club Honors Green Champions,
AEC Seeking Newspaper Recyclers, BEN Fundraising Appeal Results
TVA Receives Wildlife Recognition - The Wildlife Habitat Council
(WHC) recently recognized the Tennessee Valley Authority's Muscle
Shoals Reservation for creating and preserving wildlife habitat
and for its environmental education efforts. The Muscle Shoals
site is one of 277 corporate sites worldwide included in the
Silver Spring, Md. - based WHC's Registry of Certified &
Internationally Accredited Corporate Wildlife Habitat Programs.
TVA programs at the reservation include the establishment
of bluebird-nest-box-trails, the planting of flood-tolerant trees
and shrubs to protect shorelines and creeks along the Tennessee
River, and the planting of wildflowers and other landscaping
work to attract songbirds and other wildlife.
Project ROSE Website - One of Alabama's most outstanding environmental
education programs is Project ROSE out of Tuscaloosa. Please
check out their website at: http://www.eng.ua.edu/~prose.
Sierra Club Honors Green Champions - Last month, the Alabama
Chapter of the Sierra Club honored several environmental and
civic leaders at their Annual retreat. Here is a list of this
year's Green Champions.
Jay Hudson, Chair of the Cahaba Group - Sierran of the Year
Nat Berry, Huntsville Group member - Environmental Activist of
the Year
John Fleming, Editorial Page Editor for the Anniston Star - Environmental
Reporter of the Year
Dr. George Folkerts, Auburn professor - Environmental Educator
of the Year
Joe Turnham, Founder AlaLeav's - Political Activist of the Year
AEC Seeking Newspaper Recyclers - The Alabama Environmental
Council (AEC) and Southeastern Paper (SP) Recycling are partnering
together in a newspaper-recycling project. The objective is to
locate large newspaper-recycling bins at churches and schools
throughout the 5 county Birmingham region. The AEC is looking
for groups interested in providing their community a place to
recycle newspapers.
In this agreement there are no obligations for the church
or school. The church or school can request that the bin be removed
from its location at any time. Plus, for every ton recycled (1
bin full) the organization receives $5.00.
If you are interested in locating a bin, please contact Frank
Juliano or Emily Browning at 205-322-3126.
BEN Fundraising Appeal Results - We want to thank everyone
who participated in BEN's November fundraising drive. Here are
the results of the appeal. The Southern Environmental Center
received - $740 from 11 contributors. American Lung Association
of Alabama received - $525 from 2 contributors and Camp McDowell
received $510 from 8 contributors. Grand Total - $1775!
Please consider one of these three groups in your end of the
year gift giving.
Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham Southern College
900 Arkadelphia Road
Birmingham, Alabama 35254
205-226-4934
Camp McDowell Episcopal Church Camp (Pat Byington Scholarship)
105 DeLong Road
Nauvoo, Alabama 35578
205-387-1806
American Lung Association of Alabama
900 18th Street South
Birmingham, Alabama 35205
205-933-8821
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Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions or comments about this publication,
contact Pat Byington, the author and publisher of BEN at 205-226-7739
or pkbyington@aol.com
To receive back issues of BEN, please go to our website at: http://www.BamaNews.com
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