Letter from Governor Vilsack in response to Sierra Club's Eddyville Dunes postcard: December 7, 1999 On November 19, 1999, representatives of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club presented my office with a number of postcards pertaining to the Eddyville Bypass. Your name was among those included on the postcards. The Eddyville bypass is a key link in the four-lane Burlington-to-Des Moines highway corridor. This southeast Iowa corridor is a high priority transportation facility intended to stimulate and support commercial and industrial development and, accordingly, regional and state economic growth. The state of Iowa, which includes the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), is committed to finding ways to balance Iowa's need for continued economic growth with the need to preserve and protect the environment. Regarding the Eddyville bypass, measures have been taken to preserve adjacent resources and mitigate unavoidable losses so that the most critical elements of the sand dunes and wetland resources at Eddyville are protected. The route selected ensures protection and preservation of the ornate box turtles and pale green orchids, along with other important plants and animals in the area. The Eddyville bypass segment of U.S. 63 has been under development since 1989. Since then, a considerable amount of time has been spent conducting the environmental impact assessments and studies of the flora and fauna in the area. The environmental impact assessment process and subsequent statement, has objectively evaluated numerous alternatives as required by law. Several possible route locations were considered for this project. In fact, five possible route alternatives were included in the location public hearings. Those routes included a no-build alternative, as well as a west, far east, near east and revised near east bypass of Eddyville. Each of these alternatives was thoroughly and objectively evaluated. The "revised near east alternative" was selected as the preferred alternative. This alignment was accepted by the Corps of Engineers, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and area county conservation boards. In July 1998, the Iowa Transportation Commission approved the revised near east route as the location for the Eddyville bypass. In rendering their decision, the Transportation Commission balanced a wide variety of input, reviewed the impact assessments and considered overall public interest. They considered the impacts to historical properties, archaelogical sites threatened and endangered species, farmland, property, public safety, noise, corridor continuity, and economic development. The state of Iowa shares your concerns for conservation of our state's natural areas and believes that the revised near east route for the Eddyville bypass remains the best alternative to address those concerns. Best Regards, Thomas J. Vilsack Governor Sally J. Pederson Lieutenant Governor State Capitol Des Moines, IA 50319 515-281-5211 FAX 515-281-6611 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]