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Show For the addresses of members of Congress or Congressional Committees address your letter as follows: Name of Representative or Committee U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510 To write to a federal agency use the title of the agency and the name of its head if you know it, U.S. Government, Washington, D.C. DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROJECT One of the most effective attacks on projects is to show that the purposes for which the project is being built could be achieved by alternative methods, sometimes at much less cost. Of course, sometimes the purposes themselves should be challenged Here are some alternatives you might consider. Remember that not all will be applicable or feasible in your area. 1. Nonstructural flood control projects-people from Arizona to Massachusetts have defeated projects by developing plans for nonstructural flood control projects of their own. Such projects consist of various combinations of flood plain green-belts and parks, flood-proofing of existing structures, relocations out of the flood plain, and protection of the undeveloped part of a watershed from urban sprawl. Also crucial in halting unwise development in flood plains which inevitably leads to a call for flood control projects is the Flood Insurance Act. For details on this law write the American Rivers Conservation Council. 2. Inclusion of the river in a scenic rivers system--residents of the New River Valley in North Carolina defeated two giant dams by getting the river into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Some states have good state scenic rivers programs which provide some protection against dams. If you wish to pursue this alternative write the American Rivers Conservation Council and ask for the scenic rivers handbook. 3. Institution of water pricing policies and water conservation measures-the National Water Commission recommended getting away from always building reservoirs to solve water supply problems. Instead the Commission said we should look at ways of reducing demand through the use of water saving devices and proper water pricing. Furthermore, ground water reserves are neglected by water development agencies, even though these reserves are often available at one-tenth the cost of surface supplies. Legal Action to Stop Projects. Will legal action stop bad projects? How much reliance should be placed on a lawsuit? The answer is that legal action can sometimes be a useful means of delaying a project until decisionmakers can be properly educated about what's wrong with the project. However, too often citizens have placed all their hope in a lawsuit and have not done the political organizing necessary for victory. When the lawsuit has failed, they are out of luck. Legal action has not stopped the Gathright Dam (Va), the Teton Dam (Idaho), the Duck River Dams (Tenn), or the Gilham Dam (Ark). On the other hand, legal action is presently helping to stop or delay the Cross-Florida Barge Canal and Lock & Dam 26. But even in the case of these two projects it is no substitute for aggressive action to convince local and national politicians to drop the project. |
