SOSA filed a "Notice of
Appeal", appealing the Determination of Non-Significance issued by the
Skamania County Commissioners regarding the proposed changes to the zoning on
89% of the county lands.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge
filed "Notice
of Administrative Appeal and Comment Letter" indicating that Skamania County
has failed to adequately evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed
zoning changes. The Friends are declaring that before moving forward,
the County must consider the following points:
1. Skamania County must
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as required by state law.
The County is currently trying to bypass environmental review by failing to
produce an EIS. An EIS would mandate that the County fulfill its legal
responsibility to evaluate the impacts, protect wildlife and avoid scenic
view-sheds like the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Without
undergoing an full environmental review now, many future industrial projects
could be exempted from environmental review and approved without public
scrutiny..
2. Narrow the geographic
scope of the "Commercial Resource" lands. Currently, the County is
proposing to zone more than 89% of non-Scenic Area lands as Commercial
Resource, where energy development would be allowed virtually outright. The
County needs to amend the proposed zoning ordinance to include buffers along
the Scenic Area Boundary wilderness area boundaries and other specially
designated areas. The zoning ordinance should require avoidance of
Critical Areas, National Forest lands, migratory bird flyways, habitat for
sensitive, threatened or endangered plants and wildlife, residential areas,
etc.
3. Improve the proposed
standards for wind facilities. For example, require on-site cultural
resource specialists, require a financial security bond to be posted up front
in case the project goes defunct, require visual simulations of proposed
projects from public vantage points, require reporting of bird and bat
mortality and avoidance or mitigation measures in the event of high mortality
levels.
SOSA has just received information from Puget Sound Energy President
Stephen Reynolds that "PSE has signed a letter of intent with SDS Lumber Co.
and is investigating obtaining development rights...".
Now is your time for action! Please
write: Mr. Stephen P. Reynolds, Chairman, President & CEO Puget Sound Energy,
10885 NE 4th Street, P.O. Box 97034, Bellevue, WA 98009-9734, and let
him know that Saddleback and Underwood is an unacceptable location for this
industrial facility.
SDS Lumber, although advertising an end of 2007 timeframe, has not yet
submitted for any permits regarding the construction of the Saddleback
project. However, they have completed many of the necessary studies and
have completed the clear-cutting needed to construct the facility.
