Southern US: More on Top 10 List of Endangered Places 2009
A few days ago I posted about this report. Thanks to a reader’s
request here’s more info! –Deane
Top Ten Endangered Areas in the South for 2009:
1. Clinch and Powell Rivers (Virginia) Issue: Construction of a new
coal-fired power plant in Wise County will accelerate mountaintop
removal mining in Appalachia, and further increase mercury levels in
the Clinch and Powell rivers.
2. Interstate 81 Corridor (Virginia) Issue: Virginia officials are
reexamining a plan to widen all 325 miles of I-81 to perhaps eight
lanes to support long-haul truck traffic – a plan that would cost
billions of dollars and cause tremendous harm to communities and
historic, scenic, and environmental resources.
3. Marine Waters (Virginia) Issue: Virginia is the first state in
our region to begin the process of opening up its marine waters to
offshore drilling for oil and gas. The benefit of this short-term
supply of energy is dramatically outweighed by the harm to the
environment and communities.
4. Globe Forest (North Carolina) Issue: Destruction of rare,
old-growth forest in the Southern Appalachians.
5. Pamlico River (North Carolina) Issue: The single largest
destruction of wetlands in North Carolina’s history will occur if a
phosphate mining company gets permission to expand its operations on
the river’s banks.
6. Great Pee Dee River (South Carolina) Issue: Santee Cooper, a
state-owned utility, is proposing to build more coal-fired power
plants with outdated technology that would dump an additional 300
pounds of mercury into an already mercury-overloaded river.
7. Johns Island (South Carolina) Issue: A $420 million highway
proposal threatens to bring large-scale development to this historic
community, transforming the island into a sea of condos, mega-stores,
and traffic.
8. Salt Marshes (Georgia) Issue: Large-scale development on
biologically rich islands and tidal waters.
9. Weeks Bay (Alabama) Issue: Unchecked development and weak
regulation threatens an area so unique it is one of only three in
Alabama to receive the designation of Outstanding Natural Resource
Water.
10. Cherokee National Forest (Northeast Tennessee) Issue: The U.S.
Forest Service is moving forward with its plans to log several areas
of this remarkable landscape, endangering trout, unbroken wildlife
habitat and rare species.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-06-095.asp
— Posted to http://forestpolicyresearch.com via gmail to posterous and
also to forestpolicyresearch@yahoogroups.com
Posted via email from Deane’s posterous