The U.S. South District Court of Indiana granted a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Forest Service in response to a controlled burn and logging project in Hoosier National Forest. The burn was scheduled to begin on April 1 st.
The plaintiffs argue the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act by ignoring the court’s previous ruling to re-evaluate the effects the project would have on Lake Monroe.
Sherry Mitchell-Bruker, President of Friends of Lake Monroe, said she believes the court will decide in the plaintiff’s favor.
“We are expecting the Forest Service to do an environmental impact statement in which they look at other alternatives,” she said. “And take a hard look at what's going on with this project and take seriously the concerns from the local community about their water supply.”
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In a statement, the Forest Service said, “We are currently reviewing the court’s order in detail and considering next steps.”
They also said “Every action we conduct on the National Forest is performed with water quality protection measures in place that are closely monitored and have been proven effective, including a full suite of Best Management Practices.”
The Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project sought to cut down and burn areas of trees section by section for more than 15,000 acres of forest over the next 10 years, improving overall forest health.
But the project came under fire from groups including the Indiana Forest Alliance and the Monroe County Board of Commissioners over concerns the efforts would pollute the water supply for more than 120,000 people.
“When you take away the vegetation, you increase erosion of the soil, and that soil contains nutrients, which then would go ultimately to the lake, and that would cause algal blooms,” she said. “So that's one of the concerns. And the other one is the risk that the fire goes out of control.”
The project was halted previously in April of 2022 after Court ruled that the Forest Service failed to “fully evaluate the environmental effects to Lake Monroe.”
In response, the Forest Service released a supplemental report outlining and reiterating its plan to use Best Management Practices (BMPs) to prevent pollution to Lake Monroe.
It’s unclear when the court will make its ruling.
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