The House yesterday passed The “Resilient Federal Forests Act,” H.R. 2936 encouraging and allowing more logging on national forests framed as a way to curtail wildfires. The vote was 232-188. The Virginia delegation voted in a straight party line with all Republicans (Whitman, Taylor, Garrett, Goodlatte, Griffith, Brat and Comstock) voting in favor of the… Read more
by Susannah Gilmore The H.R. 2936 “Westerman Bill” has just entered the process of amendment and discussion in Congress. Proposed last June, it seeks to “improve forest management” by essentially allowing industry to bypass environmental assessment as mandated in the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 in order to expedite industrial progress. The bill… Read more
We are very disappointed in yesterday’s decision by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) to decline to defend easements on 13 Virginia properties and approve a conversion that will allow the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines to violate standing conservation easement agreements with VOF. We cannot emphasize how important conservation and trust agreements are in protecting… Read more
Despite recent bad news, the future remains uncertain for two huge, destructive natural gas pipelines proposed to mar our precious mountains and forests. Approvals for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline issued on Friday by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) are just one step in a continuing battle to determine the fates of these pipelines. The outcome… Read more
Tell the BLM “No Pipeline through our National Forests”. The BLM is accepting comments on the Mountain Valley Pipeline about the impacts to National Forest Lands. We know that our national forests will be impacted by the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Please take time to contact the BLM by mail or email by the comment deadline… Read more
Today, the Forest Service released a Draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline This terrible decision would authorize the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to construct 21 miles of pipeline on lands managed by the George Washington (GWNF) and Monongahela National Forests (MNF). The proposed pipeline route would also cross both the Appalachian National… Read more
H.R. 2936, The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 (more commonly called the Westerman Bill) is currently being discussed in the House of Representatives. This bill is intended to “expedite environmental analysis and availability of categorical exclusions to expedite forest management activities.” Apart from being destructive to forest ecosystems, the Westerman Bill is designed to… Read more
by Donna Fitzgerald This summer, hike around in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests or do some wildlife watching and camping. Summertime in Virginia is one of the best times of year to get outdoors and enjoy some of the state’s most beautiful forests. Whether you spend as much time as you can outdoors,… Read more
The US Forest Service (USFS) just released their Draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). This document would allow 11 exceptions to the Jefferson National Forest Plan and adopt an amendment that would allow the destruction of old growth forests, rare species, and wetlands by the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. In… Read more
Today, the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) was released. What’s in it – or more importantly – what is not? The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has again failed to adequately address many of the most important impacts and issues related to the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) had… Read more