welcome. community meeting co-sponsored by: buckeye forest council ohio environmental council sierra...
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome
Community Meeting
Co-Sponsored by:
Buckeye Forest Council
Ohio Environmental Council
Sierra Club – Ohio Chapter
A little about your Meeting Co-sponsors
Buckeye
Buckeye Forest Council
Protecting Ohio's native forests and their inhabitants
Buckeye Forest Council Who We Are
Statewide Nonprofit Member Based (200+
members) Advocacy Education Organizing
Advocacy
Meeting with State Legislators and Bureaucrats at the Division of Forestry – Open Houses and Strategic Plan…
HB 357 –Stopping Oil and Gas Drilling on public lands
SB Sub 221 Governor’s Energy Bill – Bio-Mass - opposing State Forest trees for bio-mass
Fighting Columbia Gas Expansions at Mohican and Hocking State Forest
Educating the Public about NiSource Columbia Gas
Education
Community Meetings just like this one!
Traveling, Tabling, Talking
Quarterly Hikes
Organizing
Building Grassroots Community Commitment to Preserving our Forest Treasures
Training Forest Watch Monitors
The OEC – who we are
The Ohio Environmental Council advocates for healthy air, land, and water to make Ohio a better place in which
to live, work, and play.
The OEC – who we are
collaborationsupporting & leading environmental/ conservation groups
educationtraining member groups and fostering environmental awareness
observationkeeping watch for opportunities to protect Ohio’s environment
The OEC – who we are
launching legislative agendas & proposing reform
litigation
fighting for better legal protection of Ohio’s environment
legislation
Sierra Club – Who We Are
As the world’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization, the Club’s 1.4 million members and supporters in 65 chapters and over 400 local groups nationwide possess the unique ability to empower people and influence public policy through community activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation.
Sierra Club – Who We Are
Sierra Club’s statement of purpose is: “To explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the
Earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the
Earth’s ecosystem and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and
human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry
out these objectives.”
Sierra Club – Who We Are
The Ohio Chapter has: over 17,000 members throughout the state, which
includes seven local groups working on local and regional
conservation issues. Members and volunteers of the Sierra Club Ohio
Chapter:– work to protect public forests and endangered species, – fight for clean air and water, and – reduce global warming pollution.
What’s NiSource up to?
NiSource the parent company of Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. is requesting unprecedented relief from triggering Endangered Species reviews for 50 years.
The permit would cover approximately15,500 miles of its natural gas pipelines and storage units from the Atlantic seaboard running southwest to Louisiana.
Some Specifics
Over 3,000 miles are located in Ohio, the most heavily impacted of all affected states
. Further, the request calls for a mile wide corridor or a half mile on either side of the pipeline
Some Specifics
This means that the request would allow NiSource access free from triggering Endangered Species Reviews to over 3,000 square miles of Ohio or a little more than 7% of our land mass.
Roughly equal to the amount of Ohio covered by Water…
The request covers 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties
NiSource HCP InitiativeNiSource HCP Initiative
NiSource Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Initiative
Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 (a) (2) – requires that federal agencies consult
with USFWS to ensure that actions they undertake, fund, permit, or authorize are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat.
NiSource HCP Initiative
ESA Section 10 – HCP/ITP (a)(1)(B) permits non-Federal entity to “take” federally listed
species while ensuring their long-term survival and enhancement.
Promotes the long-term conservation of federally listed species.
Reduces conflict between species and economic activities. Develops partnership between public and private sectors.
NiSource HCP Initiative
“Why Do This?”
Good for Conservation/Good for Business More efficient and effective use of resources
(FWS and NiSource) Pipeline infrastructure in the US is expanding.
NEPA/EIS Process Overview
Notice of IntentPublished 10/11/2007
Public Scoping PeriodConcluded 12/8/2007
Draft EnvironmentalImpact Statement (EIS)
(Summer/Fall 2008)
Final EIS(2009)
Record of Decision(2009)
( ) – Dates subject to change
Applicant’s HCP Submittal(May/June 2008)
Comment Period
Public Scoping Summary
•Federal Register - Notice of Intent Published 10/11/2007
•Media Announcements• Legal notices & scoping meeting notifications were published
in 22 different newspapers across the Applicant’s operating territory.
•Public Scoping Letters• Public scoping notice letters were mailed to approximately
1,300 known interested parties.• Letters included project info, scoping meeting date/location
info, instructions on how to comment, and various contact options.
•Public Information Website• http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/permits/hcp/
hcp_nisource.html
• Open Houses / Public Scoping Meetings• Conducted 13 open houses / public scoping meetings
across Applicant’s operating territory in November 2007.• Consisted of 6 information stations, each providing
various take-home information pamphlets (including contact and how-to-comment info):1. Welcome & Registration2. HCP/ITP & NEPA Process Overview3. NiSource Corporate/HCP Information (operated by
Applicant)4. NEPA and EIS5. Proposed Covered Lands, Species, & Activities6. Comment Station
• A comprehensive Public Scoping Summary will be prepared and made available as an Appendix to the EIS.
Public Scoping Summary (con’t)
What is Currently Happening?
•Applicant continuing to prepare their HCP• Service continues to consult with and assist Applicant with
the preparation of their HCP.• HCP currently expected to be received May/June 2008*.
•The Service and their Environmental Contractor have initiated preliminary analyses of various EIS components including:
• Affected EnvironmentPhysicalBiologicalSocial
•DEIS available for comment Summer/Fall 2008*
*Dates subject to change
Most Current Information
Bob Kyle
Sierra Club Ohio Chapter Forest Committee
will provide an update.
Steps to assure broadest possible public input in the process:
Learn as much as you can about this request. Note that USFWS has acknowledged that there has never been a request comparable in size and scope.
Demand that any public comment opportunity include a town meeting style gathering as opposed to “Open House” .
Watch for our notices of fall public input opportunities and be prepared to attend and provide comments. Attend these events with friends and neighbors.
Steps to assure broadest possible public input in the process:
Write to your Congress Person and let them know about your opposition to this request and call for a stop to this unprecedented request.
This sets a bad precedent for future permit requests. Remind your elected officials that there are many other utilities, gas and oil drillers, coal companies and logging/paper producers who also have to comply with The ESA who will take advantage of this opportunity.
Steps to assure broadest possible public input in the process:
Please also send a copy of this letter to USFWS officials.Write to Mary Knapp, Ph. D, Field SupervisorU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service6950 Americana Parkway, Suite HReynoldsburg, OH 43068orT.J. MillerU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service1 Federal DriveFort Snelling, MN 55111
E-mails for more information