Knoxville News Sentinel:

A 17-acre addition to Knox County's Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge will be purchased this week by a private foundation set up to expand the area's public green spaces.

The article says the expansion will include a pedestrian bridge across the French Broad River.

Scott Frith is quoted as saying "It's all right here. We should settle for no less than being the cleanest, greenest, most beautiful city in America."

The Legacy Parks Foundation raised funds for the land purchase.

Commemorating the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision clearing the way for completion of the Tellico Dam, Robert Wilson takes a look back at the controversy in today's Knoxville News Sentinel.

Opposition to the Tellico Dam was one of my first forays into political activism. There were the land grab aspects. And the inundation of ancient, historical Native American gathering places and sacred burial sites. And the snail darter. All of which are covered in Wilson's article. But I was mainly opposed to destroying one of the South's premier trout fisheries.

Which is why I sent Pres. Jimmy Carter a telegram...

The Tennessee Clean Water Network has launched a new blog. The blog will cover water quality issues, legislation, stories from local communities, and updates on TCWN's activities.

Tonight, 7PM, Music Row of Maryville, 2808 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy. Details here.

The Tennessee Senate Environment and Conservation Committee had a somewhat confrontational hearing Wednesday on the bill to ban mountaintop removal. Chair Tommy Kilby blocked a vote on the measure.

There was some good news, though. See the LEAF update after the jump. Also see this report at Facing South.

Senate Bill 1408/House Bill 1829 mandates deposits for recycling of drink containers.

It will result in less litter along our roadways, less waste in the landfills, money saved on litter crews, and improved scenic quality of Tennessee.

Once assigned by the government operations committee, Senate Bill 1408 will go to the Senate Committee for Environment, Conservation and Tourism for a vote, probably next week. If approved, it will go to the full Senate. Once there, its chance of passage is deemed excellent.

If your State Senator is on the Environment, Conservation, and Tourism committee, encourage them to support this bill.

For more info visit the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project website.

Got our first full-month utility bill since installing our new energy efficient front loading washer/dryer.

As compared to the same period last year, it appears we may have reduced total water consumption by about 21%. Water is so cheap it isn't much in terms of cost savings, but every little bit helps in a drought.

It looks like we may have reduced our electricity usage some, too, possibly owing to less drying time. Compared to the previous month it's about a 13% reduction, but it's hard to compare month to month (average temperature, holiday cooking, etc.)

But the really good news is that CFLs, energy efficient washer/dryer, and other conservation measures have reduced our electricity consumption by 31% as compared to the same period last year. Last year's average temperatures during that period were 50.6 (high) and 31.7 (low), compared to 46.9 and 27.1 for this year, so the savings may actually be higher.

There's more stuff we can do to conserve, though, so we'll keep chipping away at it.

AP reports:

Oil prices soared to $100 a barrel Wednesday for the first time ever, reaching that milestone amid an unshakeable view that global demand for oil and petroleum products will continue to outstrip supplies.

I used to think the government should tax gas until it was $5 or more per gallon. Now I think they should subsidize it until it's only ten cents a gallon. The sooner we burn it all up, the sooner we will have to find better alternatives.

The Road to Nowhere has officially reached a dead end. Read all about it at TennViews.

The new energy bill that raises auto fuel efficiency standards for the first time in more than 30 years was sent to the White House for signature by way of a Toyota Prius.

Some (including the Mrs.) said they should have used an American made Ford Escape Hybrid. Hah. Try to buy one.

And, as the article notes, the Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid are the only cars currently sold in America that meet the bill's new mileage standards which go into effect in 2020.

Over at RoaneViews, WhitesCreek mentioned that LED Christmas lights save money and energy.

This sounded like a good idea, so we got some. They have strings of 50 at K-Mart on sale for $6.99. They also have them at Home Depot, Lowes and Target.

They look great, and use less than 5 watts per string as compared to about 25 watts for a string of 50 mini lights or 350 watts for a string of 50 traditional C9 lights.

Gov. Bredesen was in Knoxville today to celebrate the "the successful conclusion to the largest land conservation initiative in our state since the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated in 1940."

Connecting the Cumberlands is a joint project of the State of Tennessee, the Nature Conservancy, and two timber companies. More details here.

The Mrs. files this report over at BlountViews on today's Streams Done Right Picnic Seminar held at Springbrook Park in Alcoa.

It's a short workshop on establishing and maintaining riparian habitat to provide stream protection buffers. There are two more seminars scheduled. The cost is free. Attendance is apparently pretty good. Today's was fully booked. Bonus: there was free lunch, catered by Tomato Head.

In his presentation on land use planning and sustainable development this week, Ed McMahon mentioned a couple of interesting programs you may not be aware of (I wasn't).

One is a farmland preservation program, funded by the farm bill. It looks like he is talking about the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, one of several environmental and conservation measures in the farm bill. FRPP will provide up to $280 million per year for preserving farm land. Here's a summary:

• FRPP provides matching funds (up to 50 percent of the fair market easement value) to help State, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses.

• Participating landowners agree not to convert their land to non-agricultural uses and to develop and implement a conservation plan for any highly erodible land. Landowners retain rights to use the property for agriculture uses.

The catch is that it provides matching funds, so there must be a state farmland preservation program in place. I believe Mr. McMahon said that Tennessee does not currently have such a program, so it might be something worth looking at in the next legislative session.

Another program Mr. McMahon mentioned in a discussion about affordable housing is the Location Efficient Mortgage program. This is a mortgage loan that promotes living in "neighborhoods where residents can walk from their homes to stores, schools, recreation, and public transportation."

The fixed rate 15 or 30 year Location Efficient Mortgage recognizes the cost savings from not needing an auto as additional income for purposes of loan qualifying, meaning that a borrower who may not qualify for a conventional mortgage can qualify for a LEM, or can qualify for a larger loan. The goals of the program are to:

• Increase home purchases in a variety of location efficient communities

• Boost public transit ridership

• Support neighborhood consumer services and cultural amenities;

• Reduce energy consumption

• Improve local and regional air quality

At present, it is only available under a pilot program in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. It was developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Surface Transportation Policy Project, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Transit Administration, the EPA, and several charitable foundations. Fannie Mae administers the program.

Mr. McMahon noted an interesting fact: The amount spent for a typical auto purchase will service an additional $100,000 on a mortgage loan.

Under the Maryville ordinance, “when the flow downstream of the withdrawal operations is 40 CFS (cubic feet per second) or less, water supplied to customers of the system shall not be used for nonessential purposes.”

The CFS is the amount of water flowing past the plants. Currently water is running past the Maryville plant at 41 CFS, down from 43 on Monday.

Pay attention. We're running low.

The state has halted a proposed commercial development at Norris Dam State Park:

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner James Fyke said that after reviewing the proposal and public input on the project, the state will not allow the development to move forward in the state park.

According to the article, Fyke's letter says "At best, it would be a stretch to describe the proposed lodge as a component of the state park system. Placing a third-party commercial operation within a state park is not a precedent that we wish to set for all state parks."

The article also says that Bredesen refused to sign legislation that would have allowed the use of tax revenues from the proposed convention center/hotel to pay off $14 million in high-risk bonds issued by Campbell County to fund the project.

If these developments are such a great idea, why are taxpayers frequently asked to carry the risk?

Related: Norris Dam State Park

Sen. Lamar Alexander, Ruby Tuesday's Sandy Beall, and Pilot Oil Corp.'s Jim Haslam have purchased 5000 acres near Townsend and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for $19 million.

According to this Maryville Daily Times article, most of the property will be set aside for conservation, although some "low-density development" is planned by another parter in the deal, Knoxville developer Walt Lane.

The property is near Blackberry Farms. Sandy Beall says his son, who runs Blackberry Farms, will manage the new property in a similar manner.

Get your free copy at one of these fine establishments. (Not sure how up to date that list is, but add Atlanta Bread Co. in Blount County.)

Please sign this petition and/or email/write your state senators and house members asking them to support Gov. Bredesens Heart of The Cumberlands Project. Some state law makers (Ron Ramsey) are opposed to the idea of doubling the size of Frozen Head State Park (Morgan County) and protecting and conserving 124,000 acres in Morgan, Scott, Campbell, and Anderson Counties. I would bet that Ramsey has not even seen this amazing piece of land before unless it was in a picture. But anyways I am not going to preach, but I am taking this petition and a massive letter campaign to Sen Ramsey and the House and Senate Members soon, on behalf of my county and everyone who enjoys this amazing place in East Tennessee that I am lucky enough to call home. Please help me by just quickly signing this form. IF IT ASK YOU FOR MONEY, JUST CLOSE THE PAGE, IT IS SOME POP UP PROBLEM. SORRY. tHANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP.

This petition is to ask your state lawmakers to approve Gov. Bredesen's budget proposal for his Heart of The Cumberlands project. Some state lawmakers who have probably never even stepped foot on this land, (Sen. Ron Ramsey)are opposing this project. This project would preserve 124,000 acres in Morgan, Scott, Anderson, and Campbell Counties. The land is valued at $150 million but the state will only pay around $82 million. The land will be protected and used for recreation and conservation uses. This project would double the size of Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County. Preserving land may not sound like much of a use to some folks, but this project will bring in a large amount of tourism and recreation dollars to these small areas, which in turn could be used to improve the local education systems in these already lagging behind areas. Which I assume means that some state law makers are against the idea of improving the welfare of rural areas. If nothing else, this land has some of the most amazing natural areas left in the United States that have not been tampered with by humans in some shape or form. It would be a shame to let a few state lawmakers let it go to private timber companies to destroy and make a quick buck. We have a duty to protect areas like this so that we can pass them on the future generations, and for everyone to enjoy, not for one timber company to reap financial gains from. Thank you for your time.
"If we human beings learn to see the intricacies that bind one part of a natural system to another and then to us, we will no longer argue about the importance of wilderness protection, or over the question of saving endangered species, or how human communities must base their economic futures – not on short-term exploitation – but on long-term, sustainable development. "
- Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day

"I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use our natural resources, but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob by wasteful use, the generations that come after us."
- Theodore Roosevelt, speech, Washington, D.C., 1900

Nicholas Bishop
Morgan County Commissioner
P.O. Box 352
Sunbright, TN 37872
nbishop3@utk.edu

Link...

Here's a roundup of reporting on TVA's adoption of stricter land use policies...

KNS: TVA puts lock on gate

Despite pleas to water down TVA's temporary ban on selling federal land for private residential development, the agency's board voted 8-1 Thursday to make the ban permanent.

[..]

Williams, who chaired the committee that drafted the new policy, said 92 percent of the more than 5,000 people who submitted comments favored making the ban permanent.

KNS: Developers not happy with TVA land policy

"Obviously, I think the residential part of development along TVA lakes is a viable, important part of the local economy," said Mike Ross, owner of Rarity Communities. Ross' land swap in 2003 for formerly public land for his Rarity Pointe development in Loudon County helped galvanize opposition to TVA land transfers.

Maryville Daily Times: TVA bans sale of protected shoreline along river

"The people spoke, and TVA listened," [wildlife research associate and instructor at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Billy] Minser said. "This brand new board is a breath of fresh air."

The only board member voting against the new land policy was former board chairman Bill Baxter, who said the policy lacked flexibility for economic development projects.

Baxter served as the State of Tennessee's commissioner of Economic and Community Development for three years, from 1997 to 2000.

The Chattanoogan: TVA Votes to Protect Public Land

"Our committee worked through the comments from thousands of people and organizations to come up with a fair policy that protects public land while still allowing recreation and industrial development," said Director Williams, "The new policy reaffirms the usefulness and effectiveness of TVA's land planning process."

Associated Press: TVA: Limit Land Sales on Tennessee River

While the [high-end residential development] projects had supporters, the land deals behind them unleashed a storm of criticism from the environmental community and those who believed that land bought for public purposes generations ago should remain in public hands.

[..]

Some, including U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., worry the ban is too restrictive and will have a "substantial adverse impact" on the region.

Here's a link to the new TVA land use policy.

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised that the new board is reining in the go-go Baxter era and listening to the people. What's next, accelerating pollution controls at their coal-fired power plants instead of looking for ways to get out of it? Somehow I don't think this is what Bush had in mind when he restructured the board and "modernized" TVA.

As for the land use policy, this will probably drive the price of existing lakefront property even higher, if that's even possible. I predict that TVA will revisit the residential restrictions in a few years after a sort of "cooling off" period. If done properly, lakefront community development could be an asset to the region. And by "done properly", we mean something other than gated golf course communities with multi-million dollar homes, although every community ought to have a few.

Michael Silence had a couple of articles in yesterday's News Sentinel about the TVA land use policy review and the public comments.

Read more after the jump...

So the kids have courage even when the adults don't.

I attended a workshop on coal mining with industry reps, enviro types, and the Tennessee Conservation commission. I came away thinking there were significant monetary interests intent on ramping up strip mining in Tennessee and that the controls were very inadequate to protect the rest of us. National Coal has mining rights to very large tracts in Royal Blue and it is essentially impossible to extract the coal without damage to the New River which flows into the Big South Fork. There could be tragic consequences.

I can hear them screaming, "Jobs, jobs, etc." but the numbers don't actually support much of a job impact due to modern methods and equipment.

We'll see.

According to WATE, TVA has extended the public comment period on land use policy. The report has a summary of the policy and instructions for submitting comments.

TVA has proposed a new land policy. Citizens were asked for input and they responded.

Via the Maryville Daily Times, "TVA has received nearly 4,000 responses from residents about its use of public lands in East Tennessee.

According to TVA spokesman Gil Francis, residents are overwhelmingly opposed to the sale of public lands to developers."

Read more after the jump

Don't let the GOP rain on our parade.

Read more after the jump...

The last day to submit comments on TVA's draft Land Use Policy is Friday. The draft policy includes a fairly strong commitment to keeping TVA land in public ownership except in "rare instances where the benefits to the public will be so significant that...transferring lands...is justifed."

Look it over and let them know what you think. Instructions for submitting comments are at the linked page. Also, feel free to register your thoughts and suggestions as comments to this thread. 

On buying his way out of the Wal-Mart/wetlands lawsuit.
Here's the deal he was trying to hush up until after the election. Chattanooga TV news evidently does real reporting. Imagine that!

Link...

Congressman Duncan is against building a road through the national park connecting Bryson City to Fontana Dam. Comments have been collected on the project and surveys done, and a prefered alternative is expected soon.

Most of the impacted creeks are exceptionally clean and support a rich aquatic ecosystem. Floral diversity includes primitive forms like mosses, mushrooms and liverworts and many varieties of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and vines. High densities of aquatic insect larvae form the basis of a fauna that includes crayfish, darters, madtoms, brook trout, salamanders, dragonflies, sandpipers, otters and raccoons.

Plus, the construction estimates now surpass $600 million, and the $52 million settlement gets gradually less valuable as time passes. Swain County voted to accept the settlement in 2003, but Congressman Taylor allocated $16 million in 2001, from which an environmental impact statement has been drafted. 

Some unhappy news this morning. Reports are coming in that Steve Irwin, the 'Crocodile Hunter' was killed while filming a documentary off the coast of Queensland. There's a certain irony in the manner of his death, but the event removes one of the most visible and most popular advocates for conservation in the world. See here:
Link...