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5 <br /> SAVE THE WATER ! <br /> We all need clean, safe, and pure water to drink <br /> September 28, 1989 <br /> Mr. James E . Barrington <br /> Secretary <br /> North Carolina Department of Transportation <br /> Post Ofice Box 25201 <br /> Raleigh , North Carolina 27611 <br /> Dear Secretary Barrington: <br /> As you know, your department has proposed two super highway <br /> " outer loops " for north Raleigh and north Durham that run right <br /> up into the heart of the Falls Lake watershed and threaten the key <br /> drinking water rivers and reservoirs for both Triangle cities . The <br /> very serious environmental damage to our precious drinking water <br /> supplies and the exorbitant $ 750 ,000 ,000 cost of• these damaging <br /> super highways are unacceptable to the people and taxpayers of <br /> Raleigh and Durham. <br /> According to the National Environmental Policy Act and the <br /> North Carolina Environmental Policy Act , major multilane super <br /> highway projects such as these proposed " outer loops " require <br /> a full and complete Environmental Impact Statement that is properly <br /> prepared and circulated under state and federal laws and regulations . <br /> As a vital part of the legally required EIS , your department must <br /> include a rigorous and objective analysis and a comparative evaluation <br /> of all reasonable alternatives . Federal regulation 1502 .14 of the <br /> National Environmental Policy Act says " This section is the heart <br /> of the environmental impact statement . Based on the information and <br /> analysis presented in the sections on the Affected Environment <br /> ( 1502 .15 ) and. the Environmental Consequences ( 1502 .16 ) it should <br /> present the environmental impacts of the proposal and the alternatives <br /> in comparative form, thus sharply defining the issues and providing <br /> a clear basis for choice among options by the decisionmakers and the <br /> public . " <br /> We are today officially requesting that the legally required <br /> Environmental Impact Statements on both the Raleigh and Durham <br /> " outer loops " include an objective analysis , " substantial <br /> treatment " and a fair comparison of cost and environmental impact <br /> of our enclosed proposal for the " Triangle Express " as a far <br /> less costly and much more environmentally sound transportation <br /> alternative to the proposed highways in our watershed . <br /> As you know from my comments at the public hearing on the <br /> Draft EIS for the north Raleigh loop on July 19 , 1989, we object <br /> P. O. Box 15795, Durham, North Carolina 27704 <br />