Spring is barely upon us, but already the year is filled with activity at the EPIC offices. The following are just a few of the many projects that will keep our staff and volunteers busy in the months ahead. Please call or see EPIC?s website for more information on these issues and other actions that EPIC is taking to protect the forests, watersheds, and coastal estuaries of the North Coast.
The Logging Exemption
The logging industry has enjoyed broad exemptions from the state Clean Water Act since the 1980s. These exemptions could not have proven more harmful, but Regional Water Boards throughout the state simply renewed the ?waivers? when they expired at the end of last year. On January 16, EPIC filed a lawsuit to challenge the exemption approved for the North Coast region, and is now preparing to initiate legal action to overturn the waiver adopted for the Sierras and Central Valley area.
The Mad Water Grab
The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District announced in January a plan to use bags the size of three football fields to export 15 millions of gallons of Mad River water every day down the Pacific Coast. This proposal sets a very dangerous stage, with the privatization of water, implications under NAFTA, and significant environmental concerns all at the center. EPIC is working as part of the Coalition to Stop the Mad Water Grab, a growing alliance of labor, environmental, and public interest organizations to prevent this ?mad? plan.
Jurassic Fish: Protecting the Green Sturgeon
In February, EPIC notified the Bush Administration of our intent to sue for its failure to protect the green sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. This ancient fish has remained virtually unchanged for more than 200 million years, but with only three spawning populations remaining today, it now faces imminent extinction. The green sturgeon outlived the dinosaurs, and EPIC is determined to ensure that it survives the Bush Administration.
Ancient Forests Protection for our Public Lands
Faster than ever, the fallout from the latest rollbacks in environmental laws is descending on the four National Forests in northwest California. The Forest Service has moved forward with numerous logging sales that target ancient forests, roadless areas, sensitive wildlife habitat, and key salmon watersheds. EPIC filed formal appeals on four of these so far this year, and we are preparing to take legal action on these and other harmful logging sales slated for the region.
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