Subject: SW BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#108
******* SOUTHWEST BIODIVERSITY ALERT
#108 ***********
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1/6/98
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* SOUTHWEST CENTER
FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
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1. USFWS AGREES TO MORATORIUM
ON IMPLEMENTATION OF DAMAGING "NO
SURPRISES" POLICY
2. GROUPS
SUE TO STOP CLEAN WATER ACT EXEMPTIONS IN ARIZONA
3. HYDROLOGIST: TUCSON AND
ARMY CORPS IGNORED DATA SHOWING THAT SUPERFUND
SPILL IS MOVING
TOWARD PLANNED DETENTION BASINS
4. HYDROLOGISTS WARN N.A.F.T.A. COMMISSION
THAT SAN PEDRO RIVER IS BEING
PUMPED
DRY
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USFWS AGREES
TO MORATORIUM ON IMPLEMENTATION OF DAMAGING "NO
SURPRISES" POLICY
In
exchange for a 60 day extention on a court deadline to review public
comments
on its "No Surprises" ESA policy, the USFWS has agreed to a 60
day
prohibition on issuance of take permits for endangered species under
the
damaging policy.
The No Suprises policies exempts timber corporations and
developers from
the Endangered Species Act for up to 100 years, in exchange
for a promise
to implement untested conservation strategies. The Spirit of
the Sage
Council, Southwest Center, Biodiversity Legal Foundation, Fund for
Animals
and Forest Guardians sucessfully sued the Fish and Wildlife Service
in 1996,
requiring them to submit the policy to public comment and reissue a
decision
on it.
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GROUPS SUE TO STOP CLEAN
WATER ACT EXEMPTIONS IN ARIZONA
Defenders of Wildlife, the Southwest Center,
and Desert Watch filed suit
against the Army Corps of Engineers on December
19, 1997 for systematic
violations of the Clean Water Act in southern
Arizona. In exempting dozens
of development projects from the Clean Water
Act, the Corps is allowing
habitat
for the endangered cactus ferruginous
pygmy owl to be piece-mealed to death
without environmental
review.
Developers who dredge, fill or channelize desert washes must
first obtain a
Clean Water Act permit from the Army Corps. To lessen its
workload and
streamline the permit processing, however, Army Corps
pre-approves "small"
development projects under a single nation-wide permit.
The Corps admits that
the combined impact of numerous "small" projects may
have huge, unpredicted
environmental impacts. The problem is exacerbated by
systematic abuse: mega-
developers illegally claim exemption under the
nation-wide permit, knowing
the
Army Corps will rubberstamp the permit
unless challenged by
environmental
groups.
______________________
HYDROLOGIST: TUCSON
AND ARMY CORPS IGNORED DATA SHOWING SUPERFUND SPILL IS
MOVING TOWARD
PLANNED DETENTION BASINS
An independent hydrologist has issued a report
showing that the Army Corps of
Engineers and contractors hired by the City of
Tucson ignored crucial data
showing that proposed water detention basins in
Arroyo Chico are likely to
hamper efforts to clean up a state superfund site.
The site is only 500 feet
from one of the proposed basins, and is moving
toward it through the polluted
aquifer.
The Southwest Center and
residents of Barrio San Antonio have informed the
Army
Corps that they
will sue if the Corps if it does not prepare a supplemental
Environmental
Impact Statement, addressing the superfund site and
environmental
justice
issues in the predominately Hispanic
neighborhood.
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HYDROLOGISTS WARN N.A.F.T.A.
COMMISSION THAT SAN PEDRO RIVER IS BEING
PUMPED DRY
On 12/11/97 two
hydrologists at the University of Arizona informed NAFTA's
Commission on
Environmental Cooperation that the upland aquifer surrounding
the San Pedro
River has been drained so deeply that it is now drawing
water
away
from the river instead of contributing to it. They warned basin
developers
that
they can no longer ignore the looming death of Arizona's
last undammed river.
Pumping by the U.S. Army's Fort Huachuca (and associated
urban growth
growth in
the city of Sierra Vista) are causing the
river to dry up.
The Southwest Center, represented by Earthlaw
(Denver), petitioned the
international Commission to review the status of the
dying river and present
recommendations to curb the unsustainable growth
fueled by expansion of Fort
Huachuca. It is the first time the commission has
agreed to review an
environmental
problem in the U.S. The Southwest Center
(represented by Earthlaw) has
twiced sued
the base for refusing to review
the impact of its growth on the river and the
endangered species which depend
upon it.
The Commission has completed a draft report which will soon be
released for
scientific and public
review.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Kieran
Suckling
ksuckling@sw-center.org
Executive
Director
520.623.5252 phone
Southwest Center for Biological
Diversity 520.623.9797 fax
http://www.sw-center.org
pob 710, tucson, az 85702-710