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For Immediate Release
Norton Stand on Oregon Inlet Continues Assault on Science at Interior Department
MANTEO, N.C. -- Interior Secretary Gail Norton has continued to ignore and undermine scientists and environmental experts within her own department by refusing to officially convey to the White House their strong concerns with plans to build a pair of mile-long jetties anchored on the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Defenders of Wildlife will tell a federal government panel today.
According to Interior’s scientists and others at the Department of Commerce, these jetties could have a devastating effect on endangered species including sea turtles and piping plovers, as well as a variety of commercial and sport fish species.
Norton, however, has refused to convey that information to the president’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) as an official "agency referral," which is required by the National Environmental Policy Act, opting instead for a severely watered-down letter to the Council that has no legal effect. The Council is holding field hearings on the issue in Manteo today.
"It’s just the latest example of the sacking of science at Interior," said Noah Matson, science policy analyst for Defenders of Wildlife. "The Oregon Inlet project fails at every level -- it’s bad for the economy, bad for taxpayers, and bad for wildlife and the environment. Secretary Norton’s team of scientists told her loud and clear that it would be a mistake for her to give the Corps of Engineers the green light for this project, and she chose to ignore their advice."
The Oregon Inlet Project on North Carolina’s Outer Banks ended up on the desk of the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality to resolve irreconcilable differences between the Corps and other federal agencies. The case was formally referred to the Council by the Department of Commerce’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to protect fish resources - noticeably absent was a formal referral from Department of Interior Secretary Gale Norton, even though the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service within her department have long been opposed to the project.
According to a draft Fish and Wildlife Service referral letter to the CEQ, the $100 million project "would produce unacceptable, adverse environmental impacts", "is not compatible with the purposes for which Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was established and would impact the resources and values of Cape Hatteras National Seashore", and "violates national environmental standards" compelling the Department of Interior to formally refer the project to CEQ because of "irreconcilable differences" and because there is a "feasible, environmentally preferable alternative."
The Interior Department referral never made it to CEQ. Instead, a watered down letter left Norton’s desk calling recent changes to the Corps project "improvements" and stating that the project "might" impair the national seashore and "might" be incompatible with the Pea Island refuge, even though the Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared the jetties incompatible in 1982.
"Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge - and every refuge - is for wildlife," said Matson. "This project would not only harm shorebirds, fish and sea turtles, but would set an awful precedent if Gale Norton cuts the legs out from under scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service on the project and allows it to go through."
Government documents on the issue are available.
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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 480,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on environmental issues. For timely information on environmental issues, visit www.defenders.org and subscribe to DENLines, a free e-mail alert newsletter.
