Environmentalists challenge Interstate 99 location

By Fred Cichon
Collegian Staff Writer

In a time when Penn State needs new routes for students and tourists to travel into and out of Centre County, efforts are being made to ensure the new roads are the safest ones built.

Six environmental groups filed suit in federal court in Harrisburg yesterday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The six groups are the Bald Eagle Ridge Protection Association, the National Audubon Society, Pennsylvania Trout (a council of Trout Unlimited), the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, the Pennsylvania Deer Association and the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania.

The suit is intended to challenge and stop the decision to build a stretch of Interstate 99 on Bald Eagle Mountain.

A decision was made to construct the proposed ridge route on the mountain after a study was conducted to determine the best location for the local stretch of the highway.

However, the plaintiffs favor an alternative route for I-99 to be built in adjacent Bald Eagle Valley and through the location of an existing junkyard. The alternative route would result in the loss of 3.75 acres of wetlands, 0.6 miles of streams and 209 acres of interior forest, according to the release.

Plaintiffs argue the ridge route will result in the loss of 17.44 acres of high quality wetlands, 1.6 miles of streams, 2,895 acres of interior forest and 66 acres of game lands, according to the release.

The Bald Eagle Mountain also provides habitat for 33 species of neotropical migratory birds and 26 species of reptiles and amphibians, which would possibly be endangered because of construction, according to the release.

Kelly Hough, president of Penn State Eco-Action, said the construction plan for I-99 has many flaws and the group supports the proposal to reroute I-99 away from the ridge and into the valley.

Hough, who attended BERPA's press conference yesterday, said she had attended town meetings involving the I-99 issue.

"I am trying to be active in voicing out concern to the student population," she said.

Garrett Fitzgerald, Undergraduate Student Government president, said Penn State students should be aware of the suit.

"Mainly, Penn State students will feel safer traveling over the valley and not the ridge," Fitzgerald said. "It (the ridge) is notorious for bad weather."

Other Penn State students also expressed their support for the lawsuit. Bart Kirk (junior-agriculture and biological engineering) said he attended the conference to support the suit because of the importance of protecting the Bald Eagle Forest.

The possibility of wind, fog, snow and ice makes driving on the frequently traveled ridge dangerous, said Kirk, a member of the Penn State Recycling Club.

"I don't see any reason why not, to prevent any possible accidents," he said.

BERPA estimates the proposed route would require PennDOT to make 50 additional calls for de-icing crews each winter, according to a press release.

The excessive use of salt and other ice- and snow-control chemicals also is expected to impact the environment on the ridge.

"The ridge route is environmentally detrimental, less safe and more costly," said Dave Coleman, spokesperson for BERPA.

Amy Sinden, lawyer for the Speakers from Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, said the ridge route, a stretch of I-99 proposed to be built on the Bald Eagle Mountain and into State Game Lands, violates a provision of the federal Clean Water Act.

The act prohibits the issuance of wetlands permits where there is a feasible alternative that would cause less damage to wetlands and streams.

PennDOT would not comment on the case because it is now in litigation. Sinden said the plaintiffs do not oppose the building of I-99, but do oppose construction on the ridge.

"I hope this suit will raise awareness about the current project problems," Hough said.

"It has many flaws."