McCain blocking USDA nominees over Arizona dirty snow on sacred mountain

[Ichingcarpenter]

The former Republican presidential candidate said he will block the confirmation of USDA nominees until the U.S. Forest Service allows an Arizona ski resort to make artificial snow with treated wastewater

McCain and Grand Canyon State colleague Jon Kyl (R) first wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in June asking why the Forest Service had not approved the Arizona Snowbowl's request to use snowmaking equipment on its peaks in the Coconino National Forest


The agency has the legal right to approve the request following years of litigation by several Native American tribes that had fought to block the use of snowmaking equipment on mountains they consider sacred. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the tribes' case in June. Snowbowl officials have said they will not move ahead until they get final clearance from Washington, and they're still waiting.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/11/mccain_blocking_usda_nominees_1.html


The ironies are almost too intense to ponder in this holiday time. A man who once championed action to avert disastrous planetary warning now sticks his neck out in defense of burning fossil fuel to generate fake snow on public land—in defiance of Native Americans.

[lapfog_1]

1. Don't ski on yellow snow. - n/t

[vadawg]

2. rofl, i can see it now, but its an interesting question does the government have to take the advice

of the native americans on these mountains or can they just tell them to pound sand, im pretty sure that the argument could be made that everywhere was once sacred to them so it opens up an interesting question...

[Ichingcarpenter]

3. Is your Food Safe? Why even have the USDA when you can ski!

Wastewater goes downhill just like McCain

[vadawg]

4. you do know that wastewater is already being reclaimed all the time

and reused, its not as if this is something new, now if it was straight urine they wanted to use then i would laugh my ass off and think they were insane... my question was really about does the government have to listen to the native tribes in stuff like this or is it pretty much winners keepers losers weepers...

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. The Snowbowl is privately owned and operated

The water comes from Flagstaff.


The lawsuit filed by the Save the Peaks Coalition and a group of citizens contends the Forest Service failed to consider the human health risks of ingesting snow made with treated wastewater at the Arizona Snowbowl resort outside Flagstaff.

"By approving treated sewage effluent for snow making without adequate analysis, the government essentially turns the ski area into a test facility with our children as the laboratory rats," said Howard Shanker, an attorney for the plaintiffs. "That is unconscionable."

The lawsuit contends that treated sewer water has been found to contain pharmaceuticals, hepatitis, industrial pollutants and drugs that could be harmful to children playing in the snow and to skiers.

The plaintiffs are asking a judge to determine that the environmental analysis is inadequate.


The 777-acre resort wants to spray man-made snow, add a fifth chair lift and clear about 100 acres of forest to extend the ski season on the western flank of the San Francisco Peaks that have spiritual and religious significance to 13 Southwest tribes.


The Snowbowl is privately owned and operated by Arizona Snowbowl Resort Limited Partnership.

http://www.abc15.com/content/news/northernarizona/other/story/Lawsuit-aims-to-stop-expansion-of-Ariz-ski-resort/UTLc8tHzV0y6Qg0Dc5bWZg.cspx


Water is indeed a precious commodity. Arizona recently had a snowmaking squabble over using reclaimed wastewater to make snow at Snowbowl ski resort. Wastewater, blended with fresh water, is used in many ski areas’ snowmaking systems, but Snowbowl’s would be the first to use reclaimed wastewater alone, according to an article in U.S. Water News Online.


The issue is particularly sensitive for Indian tribes that hold the peaks sacred. Various ceremonial sites dot the peaks area, and native healers often gather plants here.

The Hopi believe Kachinas live in the San Francisco Peaks. Kachinas, messengers who take prayers to the Creator, bring rain and snow, said Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office.

"The paradigm is so different. One elder said, 'Are we now playing God?"' said Kuwanwisiwma. "Will the Kachina spirits feel rejected? If they feel that rejection, does it mean they will no longer give us that blessing?"

Tribes and environmental groups have opposed Snowbowl for decades, contending that it desecrates a sacred site and mars a unique environment.

Andy Bessler of the Sierra Club said he's concerned about what the reclaimed water would do to the soil. The group doesn't oppose the use of reclaimed water but believes it should be used for groundwater recharge rather than snowmaking.


http://www.uswaternews.com/archives/arcsupply/5snowplan3.html