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WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
Sears
Island, Maine, USA to Be Used to Export Woodchips
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Forest
Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
September
19, 1995
OVERVIEW
& SOURCE
Rainforest
Action Network's Boycott Mitsubishi campaign reports on
plans
to build a large woodchip exporting facility on Sears
Island,
Maine. This is the largest uninhabited
island on the
eastern
coast of Maine, USA.
The
world's continually growing consumption of paper, particularly
in
newly overdeveloped countries, seems poised to doom efforts at
sustainable
forest management. There is no reason
to continue
clearing
of virgin forests for convenience paper products; or
even,
in this case, large secondary growth forests.
Not when real
recycled
paper (that with high post consumer content), pulp from
plantations
planted on previously degraded lands, and alternative
fibers
such as kenaf and hemp all provide viable alternatives to
forest
woodchipping and its reliance upon industrial clearing of
forest
ecosystems and communities.
Industrially logged areas will
have
forest regrowth; but often of a lesser ecological complexity
and
commercial worth. RAN appeals for
letters to the relevant
authorities
for the current public comments period before which a
decision
will be made. This item was posted in
econet's
rainfor.general
conference.
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TEXT STARTS HERE:
/**
rainfor.genera: 149.0 **/
**
Topic: Sears Island Action Alert **
**
Written 2:14 PM Sep 19, 1995 by boycottmc in
cdp:rainfor.genera
**
***WOOD
CHIP ALERT***
IMMEDIATE
ACTION NEEDED!!!
THE
TREE CHIPPERS ARE AT IT AGAIN!
The
government in bed with the timber barons?!?
That's right!
The
Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Federal
Highway
Administration (FHA) are working with the Army Corps of
Engineers
(ACE) to build a wood chip exporting port so that the
logging
companies and multinational timber barons can turn what's
left of
the Maine woods (pecker-poles) into wood chips and export
them to
Southeast Asia. The plan is to build
the Marine Dry Cargo
Deep
Harbor Port on Sears Island (renamed Wassumkeag "Shining
Beach"
by it defenders), the largest uninhabited island on the
coast
of Maine. Located in Northern Penobscot
Bay at the mouth of
the
Penobscot River, Sears Island is
relatively undeveloped.
WHAT
YOU CAN DO:
1) By Sept 29, 1995, send comments to the
A.C.E.
2) By Sept 29, 1995, send comments to M.D.O.T.
3) By Sept 29, 1995, send comments to the
E.P.A.
4) Ask MDOT or FHA to send you a free copy of
the Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement(DSEIS).
(The "Synopsis" section of the
SEIS is free!!!)
Colonel
Earle Richardson Brian Nutter, Project Manager
Army
Corps of Engineers Maine Dept. of
Transportation
424
Tapelo Road State House
Station #16
Waltham,
MA 02254 Augusta,
ME 04333
John
DeVillars Paul Lariviere
Administrator Division Administrator
EPA-
New England Federal Highway Administration
JFK
Federal Building Federal Building
Boston,
MA 02203 Augusta, ME
04333
Tell
the A.C.E. to deny the permit by MDOT and FHA for the Sears
Island
Marine Dry Cargo Terminal, including Section 10 (Rivers and
Harbors
Act) and Section 404 (Clean Water Act-Wetlands) Permit.
"The
Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment pursuant to
it's
permit decision. Comments can be made
on the Draft
Supplemental
E.I.S. which contains detailed information regarding
the
project, purpose, existing environment, alternatives, impacts
and
mitigation." The ACE is charged
with making a decision based
on the
DSEIS and 'public comment'. The DSEIS
was prepared by the
MDOT
and FHA. For additional information
regarding the permit
application
or ACE evaluation process, contact
Christine Godfrey,
Assistant
Chief, Regulatory Division, or call 800-343-4789 or 617-
647-8338
(800-362-4367 from Mass.)
The
DSEIS lists the options for the port.
These "alternatives"
include
a 61-63 acre working area including administration
building,
storage areas, on-site sanitary wastewater treatment,
parking
lots, roads, rail yard and rail access with potential to
expand
to an 86-95 acre working area. The port
will handle dry
cargo
including but not limited to woodchips, paper, forest
products,
blueberries, potatoes and containerized cargoes.
Sears
Island Woodchip Exporting Cargo Terminal...
1) Bad for Sears Island- the impact of the
cargo terminal, roads,
dredging,
rail access, pollution, buildings, wetlands destruction
on the
largest uninhabited coastal island in Maine would be
detrimental
to the ecology of the island. There is
NO acceptible
level
of development on Sears Island.
2) Bad for Maine jobs- exporting woodchips is
the most
shortsighted
economic approach. It literally means
exporting jobs
to
Southeast Asia, jobs that could have employed thousands of
Mainers. It also means exporting value-added jobs
like lumber,
shingles,
furniture, paper, pallets, etc. The
major export
through
Sears Island Wood Chip Port may well be jobs.
3) Bad for the Maine economy- the affects of
the port on the
forests,
roads, logging communities, forest dependent communities
(such
as furniture makers, lumber yards, etc), tourist industry,
fisheries,
etc make it a bad investment for the people of Maine.
4) Bad for the Maine fisheries- The Maine
fishing industry will
see
fish populations further depleted from additional runoff and
estuary
siltation, reduced nursery areas, and increased waterfront
pollution. Dredging, spills, leaks, non-point source
pollution,
etc
would affect sea life in Penobscot Bay and Maine coastal
waters.
5) Bad for the Maine woods- Introducing
woodchipping into an
already
over-logged region would devastate what's left of Maine's
forests. The forests would be clearcut, chipped and
exported,
taking
even the smallest trees. This
"cut, chip and run" practice
destroys
the already delicate economic and ecological systems,
instead
of leaving the forests grow so that they may support more
value
added jobs. Also, firewood prices are
likely to double as
firewood
sellers go out of business, unable to compete for
hardwood
stumpage against bids by the mechanized chippers.
6) Bad for the Maine tourist industry-
Increased traffic and
yarding
areas along RR's, the development of new cutting areas,
new
chipping areas, new and larger clearcuts, heavier truck
traffic
in already congested areas, more unemployed and homeless
people
are not good for tourists.
7) Bad for communities around Sears Island that
use it for
recreation-
many family reunions and gatherings are held on the
island. The presence of the port will affect this
valuable
natural
recreation area.
8) Bad for Maine's rural poor and middle-class-
many people
depend
on firewood to heat their homes. The
woodchip port is a
class
issue because it would directly affect the price of
firewood. Instead of the people getting the firewood,
Koreans and
others
in S.E. Asia would get jobs.
9) Bad precedent for development on the Island-
once the
port is
there, investors and developers will push for new
projects.
10) Bad for the standard of living in Maine- the
project means
higher
taxes, less jobs, less recreation, more traffic, more
clearcuts,
dirtier water, polluted fisheries.
11) Good for the "Fat Cats"- Industry, particularly mechanized
heavy
equipment manufacturers, banks (which finance the
equipment),
insurance companies (which insure the equipment),
trucking,
railroads and chippers will all make big bucks. Most of
the
individuals and corporations who will profit most from this
project
are out-of-state corporate heads and shareholders.
12) Cumulative effects- Maine should not get involved with
woodchipping,
especially exporting woodchips. The
price Maine
will
pay for the port is far greater than what it will get.
###RELAYED
TEXT ENDS###
You are
encouraged to utilize this information for personal
campaign
use; including writing letters, organizing campaigns and
forwarding. All efforts are made to provide accurate,
timely
pieces;
though ultimate responsibility for verifying all
information
rests with the reader. Check out our
Gaia Forest
Archives
at URL=
http://gaia1.ies.wisc.edu/research/pngfores/
Networked
by:
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Enterprises/ 301K Eagle Heights/ Madison, WI
53705
USA/
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