SCIENTISTS SUPPORT RESOURCES 2000: Seventeen prominent scientists including E.O. Wilson and Dee Boersma signed a letter to Vice President Al Gore and Congress expressing support for the Lands Legacy Initiative and two bills known as Resources 2000, reported Defenders of Wildlife 4/22. The $2.3 billion Resources 2000 bills would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation fund and other programs to protect wildlife and habitat. The scientists advocated provisions of the bills promoting voluntary conservation of endangered species and requiring states to complete comprehensive conservation plans. The letter stated, "[W]e can think of no greater priority for maintaining our natural heritage than this historic opportunity to provide dedicated funding for land and resource conservation."

TONGASS PROTECTIONS A FIRST STEP: A 4/21 Washington Post editorial praised the Clinton Administration's recently announced restrictions on logging in the Tongass National Forest, but said the administration should do much more. The new restrictions prevent logging in 234,000 acres of the forest, and cuts the timber harvest by 30%. The editorial suggests no logging should be allowed in previously uncut areas and the timber industry should adhere to tougher standards for logging. "The national forests have been too heavily exploited. The pristine areas within them are a dwindling precious resource."

RECENT MOUNTAINTOP PERMIT FLAWED: The Charleston Gazette 4/18 reported a recently approved mountaintop mining permit is "riddled with serious errors." Experts from the Office of Surface Mining said the EPA-issued permit did not completely consider the mine's cumulative impacts on water quality. The EPA issued the permit after receiving pressure from Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV) in violation of a court settlement requiring tougher permit approval for large mines. OSM said it had no plans to rectify the faulty permit.

ARCO TO PAY MILLIONS: The 4/20 Missoulian said a federal judge approved a $260 million settlement between Atlantic Richfield Co, the state of Montana and the US government. The settlement ends a 16-year court battle over environmental damage resulting from defunct mining operations along the Upper Clark Fork River Basin. The state will use $80 million to clean up pollution from mine tailings, and the federal government will use $26 million to restore wetlands and protect the endangered bull trout. The remainder will go to Indian tribes and a state trust fund.

EVERGLADES FIRES HELP ECOSYSTEM: The AP 4/21 reported 160,000 acres in Florida burned by recent wildfires will encourage new growth and possibly prevent more serious fires in the future. A total of over 230,000 acres have burned in Florida this year.

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