Your help is still needed to ensure the protection of the sacred Medicine Lake Highlands in northern California!  In addition to sending the following letter to Dirk Kempthorne, Department of Interior Secretary, a similar letter addressed to Mike Johanns, Department of Agriculture Secretary, would be beneficial.  The mailing address for Secretary Johanns is:

Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave., SW

Washington, DC 20250

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

Dear Secretary Kempthorne,

I am writing to strongly urge you to oppose appealing the decision of the 9^th Circuit Court in Pit River v. USFS/BLM.  Two federal courts have already spent a great deal of time and other resources reviewing the case. In a unanimous decision, the Circuit Court ruled that federal agencies neglected their fiduciary responsibilities to the Pit River Nation by violating the NEPA and the NHPA and that the agencies never took the requisite 'hard look' at whether the Medicine Lake Highlands should be developed for energy at all. As a result, the Court rejected the extension of leases that would have allowed Calpine energy corporation to develop a geothermal plant. Another appeal would further drain tax payer dollars and detract agency staff from carrying out their normal functions. The department and its agencies need to abide by the current letter of the law in this case.

Sincerely,

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information contact:

Mark LeBeau 916.801.4422; Radley Davis 530.917.6064; James Hayward 530.604.9478; Morning Star Gali 510.601.6406; Chris Peters 707.825.7640; Jimbo Simmons 415.641.4482; Bradley Angel 415.248.5010; Tom Goldtooth 218.751.4967

XXXX