Well dang, what a mess.  I started wondering just what the heck such a
critter is, that it's worth over $100,000...it's just a bit of paper, after
all.
 
Ohhhhhhhh boy.  The following website has the entire rulebook for doing an
EIR in Ca: ftp://leginfo.public.ca.gov/pub/code/prc/21001-22000/
 
In addition, these two contain all the rules Fish&Game obeys in regards
doing an EIR:
 http://www.dfg.ca.gov/Title/div3_chap4_art1
 http://www.dfg.ca.gov/Title/div3_chap4_art2
 
As Jeanne mentioned, F&G's basis for asking for an EIR is a bit fishy,
pardon the pun.
 
I started chewing through it...it's not all that bad to *write*, that
ain't the problem...it has to be OKed by every gov't agency that can
remotely have anything to do with it.  As I see it, the "possible
problems to be addressed" (and yes, they can all be dealt with) are:
-Ferts chewing on people
-Ferts chewing on wild critters
-Diseases (Rabies should be easy, what else...damn, let's not even *start*
 with ECE or whether it could jump to native Mustelids...yikes...)
-Impact on Animal Control services, shelters, etc.  (Yes, *we* know it's
 low...)
-Did I miss anything?
 
The big hit is gonna be Department of Health Services, those are the jerks
that wrote the fraudulent report at DFG's urging lambasted recently by
PRI...hmmm.  We need to think more on exactly what agencies we're gonna have
to take this to.
 
Things to put in it: Proof they don't eat people; proof they don't
breed/survive in the wild, proof they don't overload shelters, proof they
don't spread rabies, proof there's no major overpopulation problem, and I've
certainly missed something or several somethings.
 
But, we can spread the workload out, give just a small chunk out to
different volunteers, centrally co-ordinate it.  Hell, put in why they
*should* be legal, include the complete Foggy papers as an addendum, the
bastards want paper, give 'em paper that'll blow their tear glands out.
Check it over with a lawyer, then use different volunteers to hit up
different agencies and get sign-offs...it's possible, folks, to do a cheapo
grass-roots Environmental Impact Report, maybe the first in history.
 
Whaddya say?  I'll take a chapter and an agency, hell, I'll take on DHS.
Let's do it!
[Posted in FML issue 1641]