1) Governor Siegelman Calls For Safety Measures At Weapons Incinerator
2) Citizen Groups Ask EPA to Withdraw ADEM's Hazardous Waste Authority
3) Vessel Sewage Dumping Bill Passes House
4) Several New Enviro Bills Introduced
5) BEN Notes: Scenic Alabama Job Opening, Sierra Club's Jim Price Honored, 5th Annual Stewardship Awards Announced, Legacy Summer Workshops Scheduled, Talladega Mountains Bluegrass Festival, Mobile Bay Delta Presentation

1. Governor Siegelman Calls For Safety Measures At Weapons Incinerator - This week, Gov. Don Siegelman threatened to oppose the opening of the Anniston Army Depot's chemical weapons incinerator in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld unless the Army improves and implements numerous safety measures. The letter expressed the governor's "grave concerns" regarding the chemical weapons incinerator and outlined 12 actions needed to insure the safety of Calhoun County residents (view the letter at: http://www.annistonstar.com/news/news_20010425_8178.html ).

The governor's letter came on the heels of a similar letter issued by the Calhoun County Commission.

2. Citizen Groups Ask EPA to Withdraw ADEM's Hazardous Waste Authority - According to the Anniston Star, nine citizen groups have signed a formal petition asking the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw its approval of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's hazardous waste program. If the petition is granted, the EPA rather than ADEM would have enforcement authority over the state's hazardous waste program, including authority over the Anniston chemical weapons incinerator.

The group believes ADEM does not follow federal mandates that it require hazardous waste facilities to have adequate contingency plans. The groups whose names are on the petition include Serving Alabama's Future Environment (SAFE), Families Concerned About Nerve Gas Incineration, Community Against Pollution (CAP), Citizens for Environmental Justice, Annistonians for a Clean Environment, Friends of Terrapin Creek, Coosa River Basin Initiative, Mother's Environmental Coalition and the Alabama Environmental Council.

3. Vessel Sewage Dumping Bill Passes House - Last week, the Alabama House of Representatives voted 90-0, on a bill outlawing sewage dumping from recreational boats and houseboats. The vessel sewage dumping bill, which is part of Governor Don Siegelman's environmental legislative package, will deter boat owners from dumping sewage waste in the middle Alabama's lakes and rivers. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Valley Authority released a study documenting the problem of sewage waste dumping in the Tennessee River.

If the bill becomes law, violators could face fines of between $100 and $1000 for each violation. In addition, boats with marine sanitation devices would have to undergo annual inspections. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources would conduct the inspections.

4. Several New Enviro Bills Introduced - A "new wave" of environmental legislation has been introduced over the past month. Check out these new bills on the web at http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLogin.asp

HB -728 Emissions Testing Clean Air Legislation - Sponsored by Rep. George Perdue
HB - 793 Constitutional Amendment Making it a Right of All Citizens to a Clean and Healthy Environment - Sponsored by Rep. Jack Page
HB -794 Alabama Wilderness System - Sponsored by Rep. Jack Page
HB -838 Aquatic Habitat Protection Act - Sponsored by Rep. John Robinson
SB -587 Funding for the Village Creek Society - Sponsored by Sen. Rodger Smitherman

For information on environmental legislation that has been introduced since January - visit the BEN "Archives" website at http://www.bamanews.com/archives-BEN.html . Also, please contact Jeff Martin at the Alabama League of Environmental Action Voters (AlaLeavs), the lobbying arm of the environmental community for "positions" on various legislation. Contact Jeff at 334--834-2956.

5. BEN Notes: Scenic Alabama Job Opening, Sierra Club's Jim Price Honored, 5th Annual Stewardship Awards Announced, Legacy Summer Workshops Scheduled, Talladega Mountains Bluegrass Festival, Mobile Bay Delta Presentation

Scenic Alabama Job Opening - Scenic Alabama has an opening for either a full time or part time Executive Director. You can help preserve the beautiful Alabama countryside. Please send resumes to: Steve DeMedicis, Search Committee Chair, 2764 Hanover Circle, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 or contact Steve at sdemedicis@autocheck.com or 205-414-2605.

Sierra Club's Jim Price Honored - Alabama's own Jim Price, Southeast Senior Regional Staff Director of the Sierra Club has been awarded the Club's esteemed Michael McCloskey Award. This national award is presented to an employee whose work has reflected and strengthen the meaning, purpose and mission of the Sierra Club and who has contributed to the prestige of the Club in the world community. Jim heads up the Sierra Club's Southeast office in Birmingham and has been a trailblazer in the areas of corporate responsibility and environmental justice.

5th Annual Stewardship Awards Announced - Last week, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program announced at the Bay Area Earth Day Celebration their 5th Annual Stewardship Awards Recipients. This year's winners were:

Citizen Award - Ms. Willie Morgan of the Alabama Coastal Foundation
Municipal or Government Award - Fairhope Intermediate School, Fairhope Outdoor Nature Center
Citizen Organization - Main Street Mobile
Business Award - Buzz Sierke of Gothic Arch Greenhouses
Special Award - Commissioner Riley Boykin Smith for his Outstanding Leadership of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

For more information about this year's recipients contact the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program at 334-431-6409.

Legacy Summer Workshops Scheduled - Legacy will be holding summer workshops for educators in Birmingham (June 4-8), *Tuscaloosa (June 10-22 - this is the two week intensive teacher institute), Montgomery (June 25-29), Huntsville (July 9-13) and Mobile (July 16-20). These are very popular and first class training sessions. The deadline to apply for these workshops is May 4th. Please contact Legacy at 334-270-5921 or 800-240-5115 to learn how to register for these events.

Talladega Mountains Bluegrass Festival - The first annual Talladega Mountains Bluegrass Festival benefiting the proposed Talladega Mountains Natural Resource Center will be held on May 4th and 5th at the Cheaha Mountain Amphitheater on Highway 9 near Anniston. For more information on this worthy cause, contact Julia Hill, Jacksonville State University's Environmental Policy and Information Center at 256-782-8010 or juliah@jsucc.jsu.edu

Mobile Bay Delta Presentation - Dr. John Valentine will be giving a presentation titled "The Mobile Bay Delta: A Canary for an Esturine Coal Mine," Monday, April 30th, 7:00pm at the Environmental Studies Center in Mobile.

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