The Governor's Advisory Committee on Chip Mills has requested and been granted a two month extension until February 1, 2000. The committee has also completed a draft report which is available for public comment. Comments on the report will accepted from December 1 through December 31. Comments will also be accepted at a public hearing on Monday, December 20 from 4:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. at DNR's Conference Center at 1738 East Elm Street in Jefferson City. Written comments should be addressed to the Advisory Committee on Chip Mills, c/o Llona Weiss, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102 (until December 31, 1999). Copies of the draft report can be obtained from the same source or viewed (after Dec 1) on the DNR Web site at: http://www.dnr.state.mo.us/deq/chipmills/ .
This committee was established by executive order in September 1998 to study the environmental, economic and social consequences of high capacity wood chip mills. For more information contact Llona Weiss at DNR: (573) 751-4732 or see the DNR Web site: http://www.dnr.state.mo.us/deq/chipmills/ .
Sponsored by the MU Environmental Affairs Council and Environmental Studies Program in cooperation with:
This conference is the third in a series of conferences on "Environmental Sustainability and Public Policy" sponsored by the Environmental Affairs Council and Environmental Studies Program at the University of Missouri- Columbia in cooperation with a number of other agencies and organizations. Because it also follows a previous conference at Southeast Missouri State University in 1992, "Towards a Vision for Missouri's Public Forests," the focus of this conference is on private forest lands. Approximately 85 percent of the state's 14 million acres of forests are private, the vast majority in tracts of less than 1,000 acres distributed among as many as 200,000 owners. To encourage landowner participation, the conference is being held in conjunction with the annual Missouri Tree Farm Conference March 5-6.
The purpose of the conference is to explore the intersections of science, economics, human behavior, and public policy with respect to Missouri's private forest lands. Speakers and panelists will assess the history and current status of Missouri's forests and the prospects for sustaining the full range of products, processes, and values they provide. Following a keynote address by Dr. Paul Ellefson of the University of Minnesota on policy initiatives in states throughout the nation, two half-day panels on Friday will consider emerging trends in demands for resources impinging on Missouri's private forest lands and the range of public policies that might be considered in Missouri to encourage sustainability.
The conference is intended for forest landowners, university faculty and students, forestry professionals, resource management agency officials, and interested citizens.
FIELD TRIP: There will be a field trip Saturday, April 3, to visit Pioneer Forest and other forest sites in the vicinity, with meals, lodging, and an informal program of music and stories about the Ozarks Friday evening at the Presley Center 24 miles south of Salem off Highway 19. Further information available at the conference. Reserve early because space is limited.
Planning Committee: Susan Flader (coordinator), Jan Weaver (arrangements & registration), David Bedan (MO Audubon Council), Brian Brookshire (MDC), John Dwyer (MU Forestry), Tom Lange (DNR), Bernie Lewis (MU Forestry), Eric Peters (MFPA), Sandy Rikoon (MU Rural Soc), Jack Slusher (MU Forestry), Doug Wallace (NRCS/Tree Farm Committee).
For many years Missouri citizens have wrestled with difficult forestry issues. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries virtually all of Missouri's forests were clear cut and then farmed or over-grazed resulting in widespread soil erosion and wildlife habitat destruction. The resulting devastation led to the creation of Missouri's national forests as a partial attempt to heal the land. But then the practices of the Forest Service itself became questionable and various issues regarding Missouri's national forests have been on the environmental agenda for nearly 30 years. And recently the Sierra Club raised questions about forestry practices on Missouri Department of Conservation lands.
But eighty-five percent of Missouri's forest lands are privately owned and that is where the health of Missouri's forests will largely be determined. In the past two years a major new threat has appeared. Missouri is now home to two high capacity chip mills: the Canal Industries mill at Scott City and the Willamette Industries mill at Mill Spring. These highly mechanized mills employ a handful of people and chip logs for export out-of-state or even overseas for processing into paper and other products with very little economic benefit to Missouri. They also encourage rapid, highly mechanized forms of timber harvest, frequently clear cutting with little regard for sustainable forestry, soil erosion, water quality and wildlife habitat. Many people feel that these two mills are but the first of a coming chip mill invasion of Missouri. This has already happened throughout the southeastern states where nearly 150 chip mills are now operating. Approximately 1.2 millions acres of forest are clear cut each year to feed these mills. Each mill in Missouri could result in the clear cutting of 10-20,000 acres per year. In addition, out-of-state chip mills are also buying logs in Missouri.
In response to citizens' concerns about the startup of these two high-capacity chip mills Missouri Governor Carnahan issued an executive order on September 18, 1998. This order established an Advisory Committee on Chip Mills which is to develop recommendations regarding high-capacity chip mills and report to the Governor on December 1, 1999. The executive order also placed restrictions on any permits issued to chip mills during the study period.
The Committee is to make interim recommendations to the Governor by January 1, 1999 and issue a final report by December 1, 1999. The Committee will be composed of at least 14 members: the directors (or the directors' designees) from the Departments of Natural Resources, Conservation, Economic Development, and Agriculture, two state representatives and two state senators, two forest products industry representatives, two representatives of citizen environmental conservation groups, a forest landowner, a representative of an organization representing private property owners, and any other members which the Governor may, from time to time, appoint. Until the committee makes its recommendations to the Governor all state agencies ". . . shall refrain from providing new economic incentives to develop or expand chip mills in the State of Missouri."
Until the Committee completes its study the order also directs DNR to:
On November 6, 1998 Gov. Mel Carnahan announced the appointment of the citizen members of the new Advisory Committee on Chip Mills:
* Deirdre K. Hirner, of Columbia is the Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri.The following legislators and agency representatives have also been appointed to serve on the committee:
* Rep. Jerry McBride of Edgar Springs. McBride is a Missouri State Representative.The Advisory Committee met in December, January and February and heard presentations from various points of view on the chip mill issue. At the January meeting the committee heard a presentation from Rick Cantrell of the American Forests and Paper Association. At the February meeting the committee heard presentations from Hank Dorst of Mark Twain Forest Watchers and Scott Banbury of the Dogwood Alliance and the Memphis Audubon Society. The committee meets on the first Monday of each month and plans to have a draft report by August 1, 1999. The committee also plans to take a field trip to view various timber harvesting practices, probably in June. The public is welcome to attend all meetings. Contact Llona Weiss of DNR at (573) 751-4732 or nrweisl@mail.dnr.state.us for information on meeting agendas, time and place.
Another major activity on the chip mill issue was the DNR's issuance in July of 1998 of a draft site-specific permit for the Willamette mill at Mill Springs. DNR held a public meeting on January 12, 1999, at the University of Missouri-Rolla to consider additional public input regarding a site-specific National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the Willamette facility. This facility produces wood chips and currently operates in Mill Spring, Wayne County, Missouri. Willamette, a multinational corporation based in Oregon, was allowed to operate under a general permit when it opened its mill, the first in the state, in 1997. That permit expired and was not renewed, but the mill is continuing to operate until a new permit is issued.
As directed by the Governor's executive order DNR's new draft permit imposes some precedent-setting conditions which link the mill to its "sourcing areas" in the forest. The most important condition requires the mill operators to reveal the sources of their logs. Monitoring and improvement of cutting operations can only occur if the source areas are known. Willamette is strongly protesting this condition. However, many citizens spoke at the Rolla hearing to support the DNR's permit conditions.
This issue of improving forestry practices on private land will also be the main challenge of the advisory committee also. This issue is dramatized by the fact that logs are already leaving Missouri to sent to chip mills in other states. Some combination of education, incentives and regulations will be necessary to improve timber harvesting by private landowners.
A conference on sustainable forestry on private land to be held at the University of Missouri-Columbia on March 4-5 will consider many of these issues. Copies of the proceedings can be obtained by contacting Dr. Susan Flader, Department of History, 102 Read Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia MO 65211, (573) 882-8264 or histsf@showme.missouri.edu or Dr. Jan Weaver, Director, Environmental Studies Initiative, 220 Gentry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO 65211, (573) 882-7116, or envstudy@showme.missouri.edu.
Further information on the wood chip mill issue can be found on the "Missouri Chip Mill Page" which is part of the Missouri Audubon Council's Web site. The Internet address is http://www.audubon.org/chapter/mo/mo/.
-- by Dave Bedan,
Missouri Audubon Council Comments at DNR NPDES Hearing on 1/12/99Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to address the DNR in relation to re-issuing of a permit to Williamette Industries. My name is Mike Doyen and I am the Chairperson for the Missouri Audubon Council. We represent over 10,000 Audubon members state-wide, and we have a number of serious concerns pertaining to the issuing of a Water Pollution Permit to Willamette Industries, in Mill Springs, MO.
I will follow up my comments with a written statement of concern.
Thank You.
-- Mike Doyen, Chair, Missouri Audubon Council
Return to topDNR Hearing on Chip Mill at Mill Springs, MOOn January 12th, DNR will be holding a public meeting in Rolla, MO regarding the NPDES permit for Willamette Industries' chip mill in Mill Spring, MO. The meeting will take place at 7:00 at Centenial Hall located at 11th St. and Rolla St. Last year over 100 Missouri residents concerned about chip mills filled a DNR public meeting leaving such an impression the Governor issued a state wide study on chip mills! We, again, want to impress upon DNR the public objection to chip mills in our state.
This NPDES meeting reflects issues pertaining to water so bring your knowledge regarding waste water, off-site impacts of logging on streams and watersheds, tanic acid, oxygen content, endangered critters in the Black River etc. etc.
Let's give DNR something to talk about and Missouri yet another reason to celebrate!
Call 573.443.6832 for more information or DNR at 1.800.334.6946 and ask for Permits
----- This alert is from Kristen Kordecki kkordeck@MAIL.COIN.MISSOURI.EDU at Missouri Heartwood