HOLNAM UPDATE: By the time this newsletter is in your hands, the hearing in Jefferson City on our appeal to the Clean Water Commission will have taken place. The Environmental Law Clinic (Maxine Lipeles and students) are our attorneys. Co-clients on this appeal are the Coalition for the Environment, American Bottom Conservancy, and Ozark Chapter of the Sierra Club. Four expert witnesses have agreed to testify on our behalf on a range of issues including wetlands ecology, mercury, and the endangered Pallid Sturgeon (see below). We are challenging DNR's issuance of a 401 certification to Holnam related to the construction of the harbor in the floodplain. As yet, the Corps of Engineers has not issued its decision on whether to grant the 404 permit, deny the permit, or require an Environmental Impact Statement.

Three federally endangered species are known to be on or near the property. Indiana Bat and Gray Bat have been located on the Holnam property during a bat survey this summer and Pallid Sturgeon have been found in the Mississippi River at the Holnam site. These findings reinforce our position that these 4,000 acres of pristine habitat are critical to wildlife, not only for breeding but also for migration. The property deserves to be set aside as a wilderness area rather than be converted into a cement plant and quarry.

The Coalition for the Environment has spearheaded a powerful media campaign designed to draw attention to its web site, www.stopholnam.com. Using a $50,000 grant from the Florence Foundation, the Coalition created the web site and paid for radio ads, a billboard at I-270 & 55, and signs on the sides of Bi-State buses.

EQUILON PIPELINE/CARLYLE LAKE: Equilon Co., based in Houston, has responded to the concerns raised by WGNSS and other groups after our meeting in September. We are continuing our dialogue with the company. Mitigation efforts are under discussion, as well as the timing of the pipeline construction.

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