bxactiy What Is An EIS?
What is an environmental impact statement (EIS) and when is it neces
sary?
An EIS is an in-depth study that can be required of any project that ex
pends public money, requires action by a state agency such as Issuance of
a permit or lending of credit, and hits the potential for "significant ad
verse environmental impact*"?causing substantial harm or damage to its
surroundings and/or the inhabitants of those surroundings.
According to A Citizen's Guide To Coastal Water Resource
Management, the state bases requirement for an EIS on information con
tained in a preliminary project document called an environmental assess
ment. That document includes maps and a brief discussion of the need for
the proposed activity, reasonable alternatives to it proposed methods of
mitigating (offsetting) or avoiding adverse environmental impacts, and
anticipated effects of the activity and its alternatives.
Once the assessment is prepared, the state agency overseeing the pro
ject, the Division of Environmental Management (DEM) in this instance,
decides if it is complete.
If the agency determines the proposed project has no significant ad
verse environmental impacts, then it submits the assessment and determi
nation to the N.C. State Clearinghouse for review. The clearinghouse cir
culates the documents to state and local officials for comment and pub
lishes a summary in its Environmental Bulletin.
Then the public has 15 days to comment before the clearinghouse de
cides if an impact statement must be completed. Otherwise a "finding of
no significant impact" is issued.
If there is a potential for significant adverse environmental impact
then an EIS must be prepared that looks at the cumulative and secondary
environmental, social and economic effect of the project. The statement
is generated in a process that can take up to several years and includes a
public hearing and a public comment period.
The lead state agency makes its decision on information in the EIS.
Any state or local agency or citizen may request the decision be recon
sidered by the agency's parent department, the N.C. Department of
Environment, Health and Natural Resources.
Gypsy Moth Treatments
Enter Second Round Of
Spraying On Monday
State and federal agriculture ex
perts Monday completed the first
round of treatments in their work to
eradicate pesky Asian gypsy moths
from Brunswick and New Hanover
counties.
"All the acreage has been treated
one time," sold Bill Dickerson. plant
protection administrator with the
N.C. Department of Agriculture,
who is overseeing the project.
"We appreciate the cooperation of
the public and everyone involved,"
he said.
A second round of spraying in the
130,000-acre treatment area was be
gun Monday.
"If the weather cooperates, we
should be finished between Wednes
day and Friday of next week,"
Dickerson said.
Aerial spraying for the moth
Infestation on April 8.
"It's gone well," Dickerson said.
"The weather cooperated and we es
sentially completed it within 10
days, which was our target. "
Most of the infested area, approx
imately I24.(MK) acres of the
130.000-acre treatment area, is be
ing sprayed with Bacillus thuring
iensis. or Hi. a biological insecticide.
Experts have finished applying Gyp
check. another biological insecti
cide, to the remaining b.(XX) acres.
The gypsy moth feeds on the
leaves of trees and shrubbery. The
infestation in Brunswick and New
Hanover counties is the only known
infestation of Asian gypsy moths in
the country.
The moths arrived in North
Carolina when a German munitions
vessel docked at Sunny Point Mili
tary Ocean Terminal last July 4.
Police Search For Woman
Last Seen At Seaside Club
The Brunswick County Sheriff's
Department is seeking help in locat
ing a South
Carolina woman
who left a Sea
side nightclub
and failed to re
turn home early
Saturday morn
ing.
Investigators
are not saying
whether they
MELTON suspect foul
play, but they are calling the disap
pearance "suspicious."
Delores Shipp Melton, 38, of
North Myrtle Beach was with
friends at the High Tide club in
Seaside when she went outside with
her boyfriend at about 12:30 a.m.,
according to a crime report filed by
Deputy Joey Adams.
The boyfriend returned to get his
keys, then went back outside and
found that Melton was gone. A bar
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tender who was taking a break out
side the club told Adams that he saw
Melton get into a vehicle and leave
with another man, the report said.
Melton, who has an 11-year-old
child, did not return home and did
not show up for work at the
McDonalds restaurant on Ocean
Drive in Myrtle Beach the next day.
She has not been seen since, ac
cording to Detective Charlie Miller,
who is investigating the case with
Detective John Ingram. They detec
tives are asking anyone with infor
mation concerning the whereabouts
of Melton to call them at 253-4321
or 1 -800-672-6379.
Melton was described as a white
female about 4 feet 10 inches tall,
with long reddish-blonde hair, blue
eyes and a medium complexion. She
was last seen wearing a blue shirt
over a black Harley-Davidson tank
top, white shorts and white tennis
shoes.
A/la/or Responds To Coll For Impact Study
(( nntinucd From Page 1-A)
Barber says Ihc town hasn't been
given any indication thus far more
will be required.
The authority. a quasi
governmental agency created by the
towns of Sunset Beach and Cala
bash and expected to include Bruns
wick County, plans to build a $35
million sewer system to serve a
large section of southwestern Bruns
wick County.
Sunset Beach residents expressed
strong support for the sewer system
with (he passage on April 5 of a $5
million general obligation bond ref
erendum.
The SBTA has formally opposed
development of a central sewer sys
tem unless the communities in
volved simultaneously address
stormwater runoff management
needs. At the group's April 2 meet
ing. members voted for the board to
explore possible lega! action to
block town participation in any sew
er-only project.
According to Barber, both Sunset
Beach and Brunswick County arc
continuing toward the planning and
funding of a comprehensive storm
water management phase of the
wastewater management program.
Also, his letter states that the
town has made a scries of efforts to
gain the support and cooperation of
the SBTA?representation on the
advisory committee, state legislation
providing that the island-wide 35
foot height cap could only be
changed by public referendum, and
hearing of SBTA leadership's con
cerns and suggestions. "They have
had a significant impact on the di
rection of the overall program," said
Barber.
The sewer project is in line to re
ceive low-interest loans from two
programs administered by DhM and
is under an extremely tight time
schedule to retain its eligibility. A
delay of even a few months, said
Barber, could result in loss of the
loans during this funding period and
the town "going to the back of the
bus" or falling in eligibility in future
distributions.
lie estimates an HIS would "al
most certainly" delay the project at
least 18 months and possibly five
years or more while growth contin
ues without wastewater or stormwa
ter management.
The town would have to pay for
the EilS, he said, at a cost that could
range from $3(X),(XX) upward. Bar
ber calculates a one-time increase in
property taxes of X6 percent to cover
a $3<X),(XX) charge. Based on the
current tax rate and tax base, if the
cost were $1 million, it would re
quire a 276 percent tax increase.
Someone with a $ 1CK).(KK) home
who pays $167 in town taxes would
pay $305 if the study cost $3(X),(X)0,
or $628 if it cost $ I million.
If the sewer system was financed
without the low-interest loans.
Barber said having to pay market
rates for money would require a 10
percent increase in user rates to pay
debt service.
Given the current low in market
rates, a delay of any length could re
sult in interest rates increasing sig
nificantly. "Without the low interest
loans, and if interest rates increased
by only 1.5 percent," wrote Barber,
"debt servicc would increase by
nearly 25 percent, with a compara
ble increase of 25 percent in user
rates required to pay this debt ser
vice.
Despite the SBTA's action. Barber
said he feels very confident that the
project will go forward as planned.
School Board Hears Racial Hiring Bias Charqe
d ununited l-rom Page 1-A)
reminded the former school board
member that the state sets princi
pals' salaries, not the school board.
The board sets the local supplemen
tal salary scale only.
"You can do something about
that, then," suggested Randolph.
The state sets salary based on
length of experience, level of certifi
cation/education, and the size of the
school a principal leads.
There may be system administra
tors who earn more than their as
signment warrants. If so, Johnston
said, it is because they were trans
ferred in the past and their salary
"red-lined" or held at the same level.
Otherwise their transfer could have
been considered a demotion. "It's an
inequity that nas happened in the
past," he said.
"Many of the problems in the dis
trict were not 22 months in the mak
ing," Johnston continued, referring
to his tenure with the system. "Some
were in the making 20 to 30 years
and can't be fixed in 22 months."
"My two years in Brunswick
County have been like 20 some
where else," Johnston told Rand
olph. "I've had some stuff thrown at
me."
He and the school board are
working to correct past inequities in
the system, he said, starting with
changes in personnel and other poli
Few April
Showers
Expected
Near-normal weather is in the
forecast for the next few days?
warm and a bit dry.
Shallotte Point meteorologist
Jackson Canady said Tuesday he ex
pects temperatures to average from
the mid-50s at night into the mid
70s during the daytime, with less
than a half-inch of rainfall.
For the period of April 12-18,
Canady recorded a high of 83 de
grees on April 14 and a low of 45
degrees on April 17.
A daily average high of 79 de
grees and a nightly average low of
57 degrees combined for a daily av
erage temperature of 68 degrees.
That's about 5 degrees above aver
age, he said.
Canady measured twenty-eight
hundredths of an inch of rainfall.
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cies and in hiring procedures.
The system is also seeking funds
to more effectively attracting black
job candidates, as recommended by
the system's minority recruitment
task force appointed last fall. State
wide, minorities constitute only 16
percent of the pool of certified can
didates, Johnston said, and school
systems are competing to hire them.
When Russ pointed out the board
doesn't know the race of the job ap
plicants recommended to it and isn't
supposed to know.
Randolph questioned that, saying
the board could and should know
someone's race before they are
hired.
"You have to know that to correct
the inequities," agreed Gore, "and
we need more black role models."
Earlier Gore warned, "You better
watch those racial groups. They'll
meet behind a tree and throw you
out before you know it.
"If you're new here you had bet
ter check to see how far you can go
before you step on the wrong toes."
Gore prefaced his demands of the
board with thanks using its influence
to help convince the N.C.
Department of Transportation to
take over maintenance of Shin
gletree Acres' main road and Jen
rette Road near Sunset Beach last
year. Parents in the subdivision
threatened to keep their children
home from school if the poor roads
weren't fixed.
Russ said later that she considered
Randolph's remarks to her "rude and
crude."
Vice Chairman Yvonne Bright
presided at Monday's meeting in the
absence of Chairman Donna Baxter,
who was ill.
The meeting opened with a mo
ment of silent prayer in memory of a
West Brunswick High School fresh
man who committed suicide last
week.
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