Signing this petition will help preserve the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, an important coastal restoration project in Southern Louisiana.
Please help us petition the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to request an environmental impact statement, a public interest review, and a public hearing on the proposed RAM Terminals coal export facility in light of its proximity to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion (MBSD).
The application for a Coastal Use Permit by RAM Terminals, LLC states that 191 acres of upland and 31 acres of non-vegetated water bottom could be impacted by their proposed coal export facility. The facility's proposed location is less than a mile from a very important coastal restoration project, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The proximity of the facility could threaten the land-building capability of the sediment diversion at Myrtle Grove, which has been labeled a "near-term critical" restoration priority by the Army Corps of Engineers. This potential reduction of environmental benefits of the diversion by the RAM Terminals coal export facility raises serious concerns.
According to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the applicant for a Coastal Use Permit must show that there is no better alternative to the proposed location of its coal export facility. This has not yet been proven and the environmental impacts of the project are not fully understood. Due to a lack of sufficient analysis, the undersigned request an environmental impact statement, a public interest review, and a public hearing on the matter in order to insure that the potential impacts of the coal facility are taken into consideration.
