Oregon Old Growth and W's Last Minute Timber Deal

by jamess

Sat Nov 29, 2008 at 02:33:22 PM PST

Losing ancient forests

The WOPR [Western Oregon Plan Revision] has three primary alternatives, including the Bush Administration's 'preferred' alternative: Alternative 2.

Under this plan, the BLM would clearcut 139,700 acres (over 200 square miles) of mature and old growth forest while building 1,000 miles of logging roads per decade, converting pristine ancient forests into monoculture tree farms.

Clearcutting would become the preferred logging method, and 24% of all logging would target trees 200 years and older.

The WOPR effectively pulls the BLM forests out from the scientific framework of the Northwest Forest Plan. The Northwest Forest Plan was enacted in 1994 and set aside old growth forests and sensitive areas along streams and rivers to protect them - while allowing some continued logging.

http://www.oregon.sierraclub.org/...


After Dec 9th, it's a "done deal" --
Unless you make your Voices heard,
and just say NO, to these give-aways to the Timber Lobby ...

• jamess's diary :: ::
• 
  

The Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club has just raised the alert,
especially to Oregonians, TIME IS NOW, to Speak Out, if you care about our Natural Resources.

Because like Clinton's last-minute plan to PROTECT millions of roadless timber acres, this last-minute Bush plan, would UNDO all that, and put-in those Timber Roads, to pave the way to those Million-Dollar Trees!

Practically speaking Clinton's roadless policy has been very hard to "reverse" for the last 8 years --
So will it be, also hard to "reverse", IF George W. Bush gets his way, to open for harvest, the last few remaining Old Growth Forest stands in Oregon.

These few remaining pinnacle Eco-systems have some how managed to escape the Axe, until now:

For how much longer, it's hard to say ... Timber Roads are always the key to this modern-day "gold rush".

"There's money in them thar Trees"

What is Old Growth Forest?

Old growth forests (sometimes called "ancient" forests) have not been logged for at least 200 years. They contain a variety of different tree species of varying ages, including some very large trees that are hundreds, or even thousands of years old.

http://mvh.sr.unh.edu/...

Our Forests are a vitally important "Carbon Sink" too. They capture and store CO2, and help to slow down and reverse the trend toward Global Warming. Instead of "mining" these ancient "Carbon Reservoirs" for the sake of quick profits, we should be planting more, and managing these Forests, to maintain this astounding Natural Heritage, for future generations!

Afterall, the USA does MORE than its fair share of creating the problem:

We SHOULD BE managing our Forests, within the bounds of Science, and NOT according to the ambitions of well-paid Lobbyists.

Most Forest professionals respect Science, and long-term planning for multiple use:

Protecting Old Growth

http://www.youtube.com/...

Too bad the out-going Administration does NOT have the same respect for Science or Scientists, or even for Nature itself!

Too bad the out-going Administration, still has ENOUGH TIME to wreak havoc on the pristine Environment of the Northwest, before they finally, pull up stakes, and get out of town!


The Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club, is calling for Action,
especially to Oregonians, TIME to Speak Out, IS NOW:

Urgent Action Alerts!

BLM Releases Final Plan for 2.6 million acres of western Oregon Forests!
Contact [Oregon] Governor Kulongoski TODAY!

Protections for Oregon's old growth forests are being stripped away by the Bush administration during its last 18 months in office. On 2.6 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in western Oregon, currently protected old growth forests and salmon bearing streams and creeks are targeted for new clearcutting and logging roads. Its time to raise your voice for Oregon's last ancient forests.

http://www.oregon.sierraclub.org/

Across western Oregon, during the first decade, the Bush Administration's plan will:

1. Remove BLM forests from the scientific framework of the Northwest Forest Plan.
2. Ramp up clearcut logging across hundreds of thousands of acres and get over 70% of the timber volume from clearcuts.
3. Reduce streamside buffers that protect clean water and fish by 50%.
4. Log some of the last remaining older forests in western Oregon.
5. Increase logging by nearly 400% compared to current logging levels.
6. Add 180 million tons more carbon to the atmosphere compared to no logging. (equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 1 million cars driven for 132 years).
7. Result in 1,300 miles of new logging roads.

http://www.oregon.sierraclub.org/...


ACTION NEEDED: by Dec 9th
Oregon Governor Kulongoski can say NO to the BLM's WOPR Plan

Click Here his Contact Page

Or Call the Governor Kulongoski at 503-378-4582

Click Here for a sample letter plus other contacts.

Individuals CAN make a Difference!

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has ...

—Margaret Mead

Postscript:

In case you've never experienced the awe-inspiring wonder of an Old Growth Forest first-hand, this video may give you some small glimpse of it:

A Summary Of Our Old Growth Redwoods (CA)

http://www.youtube.com/...

These Ancient Forests would be worth saving, even if they did nothing to help stop Global Warming! (Inspiration is a very nice side-benefit, for stepping up and being Eco-aware, however.)

Afterall, it is much, much harder to put those ancient Giants back, once they are gone:

Forests of Eden: woodchips or carbons sinks?

http://www.youtube.com/...

However that doesn't stop some creative types, from dreaming up ways to "reverse" all the short-sighted damage, the profiteers have caused:

Bamboo Beach - reverse global warming with a big carbon sink

http://www.youtube.com/...


Yet perhaps it's better to prevent the damage, in the first place?

Preventing those new Timber Roads, from going into the Roadless areas in the first place, IS a great place to start, the long-overdue recovery!

The Planet will thank you.

Your Grandkids will thank you.

The Time is NOW.

You've saved lives...

For me, Thanksgiving has always been a time of reflection. Thinking about this past year, I’m struck by the tremendous difference we’ve made together on behalf of our wolves, polar bears and endangered wildlife.

With your help, Defenders of Wildlife…

Stopped planned wolf hunts in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies. Thanks to you, our lawyers successfully argued in court to restore vital federal protections to wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies. And while in its waning days the Bush/Cheney Administration continues the push to eliminate these protections, your support helped us save hundreds of wolves that otherwise could have died in planned wolf hunts.
Secured important protections for polar bears threatened with extinction. This year, the polar bear finally won protection under the Endangered Species Act after tens of thousands of Defenders activists like you called on federal officials to list this arctic ice king. Thousands more Defenders supporters successfully urged their Senators to include and fund the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act through comprehensive climate change legislation considered by the Senate. And many more have contributed to our important legal efforts to protect vital polar bear habitat, prevent polar bear trophy hunting and stop Governor Sarah Palin, Safari Club International and others from allowing these majestic animals to be killed.
Won vital new protections for some of the world’s most endangered whales. Fighting opposition from Vice President Cheney’s office, we helped win new protections for endangered right whales threatened by ship strikes. And despite Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s strong opposition, Defenders successfully argued for much-needed protections for the Cook Inlet beluga.
Protected sea otters and other marine wildlife off the coasts of California. Defenders of Wildlife’s California staff led a successful fight to pass new legislation that will improve oil spill clean-up and save wildlife. Defenders also led efforts to secure more than $250,000 each year in vital state funding for sea otter research and protection.
Worked to safeguard vital habitat for Florida panthers and help restore populations of this highly endangered big cat. Working in partnership with leading conservation organizations and landowners in Eastern Collier County, Defenders of Wildlife announced a conceptual Florida Panther Protection Program they have jointly developed to better protect and manage the Florida panther in Southwest Florida and to assist recovery of this highly endangered species. The plan is currently going through public and expert reviews.

And that’s not all! Defenders supporters like you also lent your voices to the fight to protect Yellowstone’s bison from senseless slaughter, secure safeguards against the use and misuse of deadly poisons that have inadvertently killed millions of birds, restore funding for our National Wildlife Refuges, and much, much more.

For people like you and I who care about protecting our wildlife, the year ahead will bring new challenges and opportunities. But for the moment, please accept my sincere gratitude for all that you’ve helped Defenders of Wildlife accomplish.

Happy Holidays,

Rodger Schlickeisen
President
Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. We still have many challenges ahead. We’ll need your support to finally put an end to Sarah Palin’s aerial killing of wolves in Alaska, continue the fight to save polar bears and work to save other wildlife threatened by extinction.

Please consider making a wildlife gift adoption this Holiday Season. Your tax-deductible adoption will provide a meaningful gift to your favorite wildlife lovers and help support Defenders of Wildlife’s effective programs to save animals from the threat of extinction.

Make a wildlife adoption online or by calling (800) 385-9712 before December 2nd and enter promotion code THANKS15, and you’ll get 15% off any wildlife adoption as a sign of our gratitude for supporting our work to protect our wildlife.

Dick Cheney and Halliburton: Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals in YOUR Drinking Water.

Cheney Helped Halliburton Hide Secrets About Dangerous Chemicals in America's Drinking Water. Please recommend so others will have this information!

Hydraulic fracturing (fracing) is a drilling technique that was developed by Halliburton. Millions of gallons of fresh water, along with sand, and cancer-causing and toxic chemicals are injected under high pressure miles down the drilling hole to fracture the limestone shale and release the oil and gas trapped within.

In 2005, at the urging of Dick Cheney, former Halliburton CEO, Congress exempt fracing from the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In 2001, Cheney’s energy task force report "touted" benefits and ignored consequences. His office was "involved in discussions about how fracturing should be portrayed in the [EPA] report." Halliburton earns about $1.5 BILLION annually from hydraulic fracturing.

The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject KNOWN hazardous material—unchecked—directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.

EARTHWORKS-Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil and Gas Wells

H.R. 7231 to Close the Hydraulic Fracturing Loophole That Is Fracing Up America’s Water

H.R. 7231 will reinstate basic federal standards for hydraulic fracturing under the SDWA and enable the EPA to protect our drinking water from oil and gas pollution.

Ninety percent of all U.S. oil and gas wells undergo hydraulic fracturing to stimulate the production of oil and gas.

The EPA conducted a study of hydraulic fracturing in 2004 which concluded it posed no threat to drinking water. The conclusions of that study have since been questioned. An investigative report by Abrahm Lustgarten and ProPublica found that the EPA omitted information and negotiated the results of the report with the oil and gas industry.

Scientific American

DRILL FOR NATURAL GAS, POLLUTE WATER
The natural gas industry refuses to reveal what is in the mixture of chemicals used to drill for the fossil fuel.

...documents obtained by ProPublica show that the EPA negotiated directly with the gas industry before finalizing those conclusions, and then ignored evidence that fracing might cause exactly the kinds of water problems now being recorded in drilling states.

Buried deep within the 424-page report are statements explaining that fluids migrated unpredictably—through different rock layers, and to greater distances than previously thought—in as many as half the cases studied in the United States. The EPA identified some of the chemicals as biocides and lubricants that "can cause kidney, liver, heart, blood, and brain damage through prolonged exposure." It found that as much as a third of injected fluids, benzene in particular, remains in the ground after drilling and is "likely to be transported by groundwater."

More than 1000 documented cases of contamination have occurred in Colorado, New Mexico, Alabama, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In the Barnett Shale area in North Texas, several cases of contaminated water wells have recently been documented. Here are just a few:

• Methane seeped into residential water supply causing a house to explode.
• Numerous spills and leaks above ground contaminated water supplies with benzene.
• Sludge pits overflow and benzene and other chemicals leach into streams, springs and water wells.
• wells in Sublett County, WY showed contamination and the contamination plume stretched over 28 miles.
• Oil and gas Accountability Project has documented several serious incidents of contamination.
• A 200 ft waterfall appeared in the side of a cliff in Parachute, CO. Fracing fluids had leaked from a sludge pit and traveled via groundwater to seep out the side of the cliff.
• Colorado records show over 1500 spills since 2003 with 206 in 2008.
• In Hill County Texas, goats die after drinking water contaminated with toluene, a drilling chemical. The wells of 5 families are contaminated and the water is unusable.

Just how cold and cruel is Halliburton?

One of the most outrageous cases of contamination happened to Cathy Behr, an emergency room nurse in Durango, CO, who treated an oil field worker who was splashed with fracing fluid. From A Toxic Spew? Officials worry about impact of 'fracking' of oil and gas.

Cathy Behr says she won't forget the smell that nearly killed her. An emergency-room nurse in Durango, Colo.'s Mercy Regional Medical Center, Behr was working the April 17 day shift when Clinton Marshall arrived complaining of nausea and headaches. An employee at an energy-services company, Weatherford International, Marshall, according to Behr, said that he was caught in a "fracturing-fluid" spill. [Fracturing chemicals are routinely used on oil and gas wells where they are pumped deep into the ground to crack rock seams and increase production.] The chemical stench coming off Marshall's boots was buckling, says Behr. Mercy officials took no chances. They evacuated and locked down the ER, and its staff was instructed to don protective masks and gowns. But by the time those precautions were enacted, Behr had been nursing Marshall for 10 minutes--unprotected. "I honestly thought the response was a little overkill, but good practice," says Behr, 54, a 20-year veteran at Mercy.

A few days later, Behr's skin turned yellow. She began vomiting and retaining fluid. Her husband rushed her to Mercy where Behr was admitted to the ICU with a swollen liver, erratic blood counts and lungs filling with fluid. "I couldn't breath," she recalls. "I was drowning from the inside out." The diagnosis: chemical poisoning. The makers of the suspected chemical, Weatherford, tell NEWSWEEK that they aren't sure if their brand of fracking fluid can be blamed for her illness.

Cathy Behr almost died! From DRILL FOR NATURAL GAS, POLLUTE WATER:

...The worker was released. But a few days later Behr lay in critical condition facing multiple organ failure.

To save Behr’s life, her doctors needed to know the chemicals involved but they were only given vague information. The information is considered proprietary and Halliburton threatened to pull all its products out of Colorado rather than give up the recipe information Behr’s doctors needed to save her life.

Weeks later, after Behr was recovering, her doctor finally learned the details of the chemicals involved but he is sworn to secrecy.

The oil and gas industry claims that hydraulic fracturing has never contaminated a well. They claim the public is misinformed. They claim information about the chemicals they use would only "confuse and frighten the public."

On October 31, 2007, the U.S. House of Representative's Oversight and Government Reform Committee began hearings investigating fracing.

Hearing statements by scientists and national defense council analyst, other experts and landowners found:

...gas companies not only injected diesel fuel into the fracking liquid as a part of their drilling, but also injected benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene into the liquid which in turn contaminated drinking water, causing serious physical ailments to residents.

...we have identified...245 different chemicals, 92% of which have adverse health effects.

~Dr. Theo Colborn, Ph.D.
President, Endocrine Disruption Exchange link

H.R. 7231 will close the loophole that exempts hydraulic fracturing from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

The bill, H.R. 7231, would reinstate basic federal standards for hydraulic fracturing under the SWDA and enable the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect drinking water supplies...

H.R.7231 Coauthors:
U.S. Congresswoman Diana DeGette, CO - Sponsor
Congressman John Salazar, CO
Congressman Maurice Hinchey, NY

It is imperative that we safeguard our drinking water from any chemicals associated with natural gas drilling.
...
Congress must pass this bill to reverse the harmful provision in the Bush-administration sponsored Energy Policy Act of 2005 that created the hydraulic fracturing loophole.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey, NY

H.R. 7231 was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Please contact committee members and ask them to expedite this bill. TARGET THE DIRTY MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE

Remember H.R. 7231. You will hear from me on this again.
_____________________

Additional information on natural gas drilling:

There is a massive propaganda campaign underway to convince YOU that natural gas is a clean energy. If you think that is true, please THINK AGAIN!

Natural Gas Pollution Fact Sheets from The Oil and Gas Accountability Project

List of chemicals used in Hydraulic Fracturing

Union of Concerned Scientists: EPA’s Findings on Hydraulic Fracturing Deemed "Unsupportable."

Myth Busting: The Cleaner Fuel, Safer At Home and Energy Independence
Myth Busting: Methane, Worst of the Greenhouse Gasses, Caused by 'The Cleaner Fuel.'
Sarah Palin’s big lie: Natural Gas is the 'Clean, Green Energy'

Shale Gas Radioactive Waste is Bone-Seeking Carcinogen When Airborne and Has 1622 Year Half-Life

Dallas Morning News: Radioactive waste surfaces at Texas gas sites

Gas Extraction Causes Ozone Alerts in Wyoming, the Least Populated State in the U.S.

Emissions from gas drilling operations in the north Texas region are TWICE the ozone forming pollution as ALL the cars in the nine-county non-attainment area.
That is the assertion made by Dr. Al Armendariz, Asst. Professor of Engineering at Southern Methodist University

Conscientious Objectors

Public employees and their allies on the outside fight against Bush’s war on science.

On Earth: How Halliburton Technology Is Wrecking the Rockies, by Michelle Nijhuis

Los Angeles Times: Halliburton’s Interest Assisted by White House

The administration has lent support to a lucrative drilling technique. Some in the EPA consider it an environmental concern.

Rocky Mountain News: ‘He’s either loved or reviled’
EPA whistle-blower stands up to agency.

YouTube of fracing

The water use for hydraulic fracturing is not sustainable.

Committee on Energy and Commerce

2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2927
Comments may be submitted to the committee here:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/...
Specific committee members who may need persuading:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Capital Switchboard Toll Free Number: 800-828-0498

Save Coal River Mountain -- Now

Feeling a post election letdown? Looking for another dragon to slay? Buddy, have I got a mean, scaly, ugly one for you.

Coal River Mountain in West Virginia is a beautiful forested area surrounded by communities with long experience with coal mining as been practiced for decades. How long have these folks been settled around the mountain? Many are descendants of those who moved to the area on land grants given soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Now the mountain itself is threatened by coal mining as it's been practiced under the Bush administration -- mountaintop removal.

Just yesterday, a permit to start blasting the top off the mountain was awarded to Massey Energy, headed by Don Blankenship. Who is Don Blankenship? He's the guy who spent millions putting his own man on the West Virginia Supreme Court so he could get out of a lawsuit. Then, when he was caught vacationing in Monaco with that judge, he bought himself another. And another. He spent millions on smear campaigns so he could get his own brand of justice. He's the guy who was named the scariest person in America when it comes to the environment. This is the guy behind the death of miners in the Aracoma mine after hundreds of safety violations.

This is a guy who makes $15 million a year, and spends as much as $9 million of it reshaping West Virginia into a deep red state that supports his strong arm tactics. You think West Virginia has an "Appalachian problem?" No. It has a Don Blankenship problem.

Now Blankenship has Coal River Mountain in his grip, and if he has his way, it will soon join more than a million acres of ancient mountains, towering forests, and free-flowing streams that are turned into the acidic rubble left behind after mountaintop removal mining. And perhaps worst of all, Coal River Mountain has already been studied as a site for a wind farm. This wind farm would produce more energy than the coal that Blankenship will get from blasting down the mountain. It will employ more people. And it will do it cleanly, preserving both the mountain and the surrounding communities.

You can sign the petition in support of the Coal River Wind project, but today that's not enough.

There's only one man that can put the brakes on Blankenship before he starts knocking down Coal River Mountain forever. That man is West Virginia Governor, Joe Manchin. Manchin is a Democrat, and he has good reason to dislike Blankenship. The Massey CEO sued the governor after for violation of his first amendment rights when Manchin said he was going to look more closely at serial-violator Blankenship's operations. Apparently Don Blankenship believes that the first amendment includes not just speech and religion, but also bribery and evasion.

Despite all that, it's not expected that Manchin will step in to stop Massey from taking down Coal River Mountain. Not unless you help. Call Governor Manchin at 1-888-438-2731 and ask him to put a hold on this permit. Now. Like pronto.

The fight didn't end on election day. Get on the phone and let people know that change is coming to West Virginia, and it starts at Coal River Mountain.