An interesting story of “all lands” planning (or not). BP has filed a lawsuit against a large residential development adjacent to its forested property, and also adjacent to a national forest.
“Along two miles of Cainhoy Road, the plantation’s eastern border is shared by the 250,000-acre Francis Marion National Forest, which is home to numerous threatened and endangered species as well as miles of hiking, biking, and canoeing trails. Perhaps the single most important forest management tool that BP and the Forest Service have is prescribed burning.”
“There is still time for everyone – the developers, the city, BP, the Forest Service, and the local community – to agree on an outcome that benefits the region for decades to come.”
The Francis Marion is revising its forest plan by the way. Should it write off ecological integrity in this area?
It will be interesting to see what BP’s arguments are in court. Perhaps the Forest Service will at least submit an amicus brief explaining how its national resources will be affected by this development.
BP probably has plans of its own that would be pre-empted by the “habitat basket” being emptied out by the residential development.
I doubt I’ll live long enough to see the final outcome, but this looks like litigation as a ploy for protecting the bottom line.