Support Citizen Input on Wetland protection at DEP

[YankeyMCC]

The Email I recieved from the Mystic River Watershed conservation and protection group I'm part of pretty much says it all:

===start email===

Dear folks,

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is proposing to eliminate the long-standing right of 10 citizens to appeal a decision by DEP in a wetlands case and get an administrative hearing. This is not just a bureaucratic detail. The ordinary people who live near a wetland or stream are often more knowledgeable about it than state bureaucrats. This proposed regulation would continue to allow developers a full hearing to override a decision by the DEP; only the citizens and most nearby property owners would be denied the chance to object to a DEP decision.

You can take a stand to help maintain citizen involvement in protecting the environment by going to the Deval Patrick website and "voting" in support of an issue entitled "Citizens' Wetlands Appeals."

Thanks, Sue Bass


To cast your vote, go to http://devalpatrick.com/issue.php?issue_id=7640699

When you get to the website, click on the MyIssue button on the left, and then scroll down to "Most Recent Issues" on the right -- click on "Citizens' wetlands appeals". It will prompt you to login in or create an account if you haven't already.

VOTE in support of the statement there. You may need to open an account (and you will have to give the Patrick team your phone number).

Please also add your own comment of one or two lines, perhaps emphasizing your belief that the Governor should act consistently with his oft noted belief in civic participation: he should expand opportunities for citizen involvement in environmental issues rather than reducing them. Or, you may have had experience that shows the value of citizen involvement in wetlands cases.

Here is the statement you will be supporting:

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is proposing to eliminate the long-standing right of 10 townspeople to appeal a decision by DEP in a wetlands case for an administrative hearing.

The regulatory changes will:
· Prevent local residents from challenging bad wetland decisions by DEP
· Let DEP review its own decisions by removing wetland appeals from the independent Division of Administrative Law Appeals (DALA)
· Weaken procedural protections in wetland appeals
· Limit administrative hearings to one day regardless of the case’s complexity
· Make it harder for environmental groups to protect wetlands
Citizen appeals:
· Are not responsible for the current delays in wetland appeals—in 2006 there were only four appeals by resident groups. The answer lies in funding DALA rather than cutting out citizens
· Result in better permits and ensure strong environmental protection
· Promote civic engagement and discourse

The Governor should stop DEP from going in the wrong direction on citizen involvement in wetland cases.

==end email===

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