Take Action to Protect the Roadless Rule
The USDA is moving to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, which safeguards nearly 60 million acres of national forests that provide clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities. The public comment period is closing this Friday September 19th, and this may be our only chance to speak up. Use the links below to submit your official comment and contact your representatives. With environmental law, a win is temporary — but a loss is permanent. Make your voice heard today. Submission of a comment takes <5 minutes.

You can submit comments on the Roadless Rule by visiting the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov and searching for docket number FS-2025-0001

View full proposal & public docket: FS-2025 Roadless Rule Docket
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FS-2025-0001

Key Federal Contacts in Tennessee

• Contact Senator Marsha Blackburn (TN) via her email form:
  https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/email-me
• Find your U.S. Senators (TN or any state): Senate.gov contact page
  https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
• Find your U.S. House Representative by ZIP: Congress.gov “Find Your Member”
  https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

*Here is an easy outline for submission

Subject: Keep the Roadless Rule in Place

I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

The Roadless Rule is one of the most successful conservation measures in our nation’s history. It protects nearly 60 million acres of national forests that provide clean drinking water, safeguard wildlife habitat, store carbon, and support billions of dollars in recreation and tourism. These lands are the headwaters of many rivers and are essential to the health of our communities.

The Forest Service already maintains over 380,000 miles of roads—eight times the size of the interstate highway system—with a shrinking budget. Expanding this road network would be fiscally irresponsible and would undermine the agency’s ability to maintain the roads we already have. More roads also mean greater wildfire risk, since the vast majority of wildfires are human-caused.

Contrary to claims made in support of rescission, the Roadless Rule already allows for wildfire management, public safety measures, and other necessary activities. What rescinding the rule would actually do is open the door to expanded logging and mining in some of our most ecologically sensitive and beloved landscapes, for the short-term benefit of private industry at the long-term expense of the American public.

This rule was developed in 2001 after an unprecedented democratic process—600 public meetings and 1.6 million comments. It reflects overwhelming public support for protecting our shared natural heritage. It should not be discarded now through a rushed process heavily influenced by special interests.

I urge the USDA and Forest Service to keep the Roadless Rule in place. Protect our forests, our waters, our climate, and the public interest for generations to come.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City, State]

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com

The Nolichucky River, a cherished resource and lifeline for our community, is under siege. In the rush to rebuild the CSX rail line through the Nolichucky Gorge after Hurricane Helene, ZA Construction’s destructive practices—like dredging the riverbed and demolishing rock formations—are threatening the very ecosystem that gives this river its value. Even more troubling, federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife, and the US Forest Service have either issued permits that violate cornerstone laws like the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act or have failed to enforce their own regulations. Today, we’ll dive into this critical issue with Patrick Hunter, Managing Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center in Asheville, who is representing American Whitewater and American Rivers in a legal battle to hold these agencies accountable and protect the Nolichucky for generations to come.

*Please use the resources below to contact the authorities before it's too late!

US Army Corps of Engineers
US Forest Service
US Fish and Wildlife
Google Doc with a list of contacts

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, we dive into a pressing environmental crisis unfolding right now on the Nolichucky River, as told by Dennis Ashford—a professor of Chemistry @ Tusculum University, kayaker, and tireless advocate for the protection of one of the most iconic rivers in the Southeast. Dennis and I have crossed paths over the years in Johnson City, with a shared passion for the Nolichucky and its surrounding region. But today, we’re talking about something far more urgent: an ongoing disaster that is threatening the river's future—and it’s happening as we speak.

Dennis has been on the front lines of recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene, helping with rescue missions in the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding that devastated western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. But now, he's focusing on a different kind of crisis—one that is largely being ignored, despite its devastating impact on the environment and local communities. The Nolichucky River, a vital natural resource and recreational gem, is being slowly destroyed by preventable practices, and the clock is ticking.

This isn’t just another environmental issue; this is a call to action. The river’s degradation is happening right before our eyes, and it’s not too late to make a difference. Tune in to hear how we can all take a stand before it's too late. Please share this important message and help us spread the word.

Please see the Google Drive Doc below for contact info of officials that can make a difference. Please email me for any thoughts or comments.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oC8kr8WfLe02xjfrDsdxrXMT_OjG9AzfHLdcHW1vdS0/edit?usp=sharing

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/article_id/OzuqNQSj9cK0ootdD4qCs/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568460330466

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode I get the opportunity to talk with local author and public relations professional, Mary Ellen Miller about her new book, "Fill the Dam Thing Up!" As the public relations professional during the 7 year/$400M emergency repair of the Boone Dam, she recounts the project and has great insight into what goes into the public relations role for such a large infrastructure project. She has organized an approach to public relations in her "playbook". Enjoy the dam book and enjoy our dam podcast episode!
Please check out these links below and please reach out after you check out this episode.
https://www.marketingmel.com/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCCJ6FRG?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YIg3Z-xJVo
https://www.tva.com/newsroom/boone-dam-project
https://www.nicholsonconstruction.com/drill-down/the-boone-dam-project

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode I sit down with my friend and guest Brad as we discuss wastewater. Brad knows quite a lot about the regulatory environment related to water quality and wastewater requirements. We discuss how the wastewater treatment process normally works and how it's NOT working as intended in this case as related to the leachate and wastewater being produced by the landfill in Bristol VA.
SPOILER- it's a very bad situation that will affect people even if they can't smell the landfill gasses. 500,000 gal/day of toxic liquids are coming out of the landfill everyday.
Some links here for reference:
What is an NPDES permit? https://www.epa.gov/npdes/npdes-permit-basics
What is pretreatment?
https://www.tn.gov/environment/permit-permits/water-permits1/npdes-permits1/npdes-pretreatment-program.html
Discharge permit to Bristol TN from BVU
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P91uEpRDcFK2d49hEYgSI-i3Qx9h5RNd/view
Bristol wastewater treatment center permit
https://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/dataviewers/f?p=2005:34051:2695843727769:::34051:P34051_PERMIT_NUMBER:TN0023531
VADEQ freedom of info records request page:
https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/about-deq/freedom-of-information-act/online-records
Hope for Bristol Community Meeting 1/6/23 w Lois Gibbs & Stephen Lester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5u-x_hAp-U

https://hopeforbristol.org/ <-- with more documents posted here in the future

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode we're hosted by Pastor Sam Weddington @ the First Presbyterian Church in Bristol. You may remember Sam from helping me kick off episode #1. We're also joined by Don Evans- professional engineer. We address how the recommendations outlined in the expert panel report from last year are coming along. My guests make some great points I hadn't even considered and really re-frame the whole discussion with a fresh perspective. Also mentioned is the urgent need for more data about what the community is being exposed to. Please consider getting involved if you can help in some way.

https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/topics-of-interest/bristol-landfill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wruZCBXsYS8

https://heraldcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/citizens-group-seeks-air-monitoring-for-landfill/article_89b366da-8c65-11ed-a278-e73d663ab2dc.html

https://hopeforbristol.org/give/
https://bristolministers.org/

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode I am able to talk with Becky Evenden about the symptom survey HOPE for Bristol has put together as well as talk with local Mike Givney about what it's like to live with this. I try to briefly describe a few of the government agencies relative to environmental issues. I mention a few of the chemicals often encountered in landfill exposures and the toxic results. Update on an upcoming event at the train station as well as provide some useful links. Sorry for the delay in getting episode 3 out! Hope you find it interesting.

https://hopeforbristol.org/
https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/topics-of-interest/bristol-landfill
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
https://www.bristoltn.org/1477/Bristol-VA-Landfill

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode I get to sit down and talk with Becky Evenden a local resident with a background in chemical engineering. She is a board member of HOPE for Bristol, a non-profit organization focused on community relief and finding real solutions to the landfill disaster in Bristol. In this episode Becky breaks down the structural challenges of the landfill and some of the chemicals that residents are regularly exposed to. You can check out HOPE for Bristol @ https://hopeforbristol.org/

unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com