WOODLAND REPORT
EPA FINDS A CULPRIT IN WATER POLLUTION... UNFORTUNATELY IT IS US!
National Woodland Owners Association
When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972 with widespread public support ... they assigned implementation to the federal Environmental Protection Agency rather than any of several federal agencies (Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS), Forest Service, etc.). The reasoning was that most water pollution come from point sources: sewer outfalls, industrial pipes and factory sites. For more than two decades they have focused on these 'point sources' and much progress has been made.
The low also identified 'non-point sources' of pollution including agriculture, range land and forests. The low exempted agriculture from regulatory provisions, opting for educational initiatives. Also exempted was normal silviculture practices. Eventually all 50 states developed a Best Management Practices (BMP guidelines) -most of them voluntary - backed with education programs through state agencies, Extension Service, forest industry, and landowner associations.
With water pollution from forestry operations down to 5% or less, most thought the program was working well. Yet on August 23 EPA dropped a bombshell: they announced their plan to require federal point source discharge permits for forestry activities on private and public woodlands. Forest landowners could be required to get a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The regulation would arise out of proposed revision to the water quality program, known as "Total Maximum Daily Load" or TMDL.
The forestry community in Washington D.C. was quick to respond. Led by AF&PA and the Forest Industry Association Council - (of which NWOA is a member), they cited a 1994 EPA National Water Quality Inventory Report in which forestry was ranked the lowest of any source category tracked by the states. In 1996 forestry was not even mentioned at all! A review of state BMP programs revealed a greater than 85% compliance nation-wide!
October 28 the forestry subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee held hearings on the EPA initiative. In a heated exchange, Subcommittee Chair Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) questioned how EPA could justify revamping TMDLs without legislative authority. EPA replied that in their opinion they had that authority already.
At issue is a procedure to rank watersheds by level of degradation. On first review that makes sense, however a trial program in a western state revealed two 'degraded streams' to be located well within a National Forest wilderness area without roads or for-est management activities. There are clearly other factors at work.
WHAT TO DO NOW? NWOA will continue to track the issues it unfolds. Everyone is for clean water ... including the 10 million NIPF landowners who own 59% of the timberlands in the U.S. The issue boils down to education and landowners accepting responsibility for their stewardship (which NWOA believes is already working), or additional regulations (which are expensive to administer and may not be needed at all).