Wednesday, June 12, 2002
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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 |
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Tyrone squeaked by this time . . . By Dennis Chase Our organization, Line Creek Association of Fayette County, has expressed our concerns here before regarding small government's belief that they are above the law, at least where environmental law is concerned. The town of Tyrone has been a particularly good or is that, bad? example of this problem. Eighteen months ago, I filed a complaint with federal agencies regarding what I considered illegal filling of wetlands by Tyrone to create new ball fields. I recently followed that with another complaint when I discovered another ball field in another city park where wetlands had been filled. To date, no action has been taken on the second complaint. A few days ago, a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers met Tyrone's town manager on the first complaint site and concluded that while the city had violated the law, it was a relatively minor offense. According to the Corps' staff person, the town manager assured him that they were glad to be aware of how the process worked and they wouldn't let it happen again. It would seem an innocent enough response by the town except that response is not accurate. Town Manager Barry Amos was city engineer for Peachtree City as well as for Tyrone for several years and knows the Clean Water Act requirements very well. I have heard from Tyrone citizens that the town was ready to offer mitigation for their transgression. Knowing how to set up a mitigation plan for taking of wetlands demonstrates a high degree of knowledge, though not necessarily an understanding of the importance, of the law. Where I have the most trouble understanding Tyrone's actions here is that the Town Council should clearly know when they are being led astray. However, they choose to believe the town manager's interpretation of events and most likely, they have already heard how they have been vindicated on this wetland issue. But here is my question to Tyrone Town Council: How does it feel to be listed by the Corps of Engineers as a flagrant violator and the next time this issue comes up, you will receive the full force of the punishment available under the Clean Water Act? I bet Mr. Amos neglected to tell you that little bit of information. [Dennis Chase, now retired, was a fish and wildlife biologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for more than 26 years. Since retiring, he has worked as a consultant for Fayette County on environmental concerns and has published numerous newspaper columns.]
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