Flawed planning

To the Editor:

There are serious flaws with the EIR for Yosemite Under Canvas coming before the Tuolumne County Planning Commission on Wednesday. It needs to be sent back only to return when it is complete. These are problems with the county's planning process:

• Significant comment letters were omitted, later to be added, shortening the review time of more than 1,000 pages. This is unreasonable to ask citizens and agencies to respond well in this short time.

• There are serious discrepancies between YUC and Terra VI Biological Resources impacted. YUC lists a single one and Terra lists more than 20. Does TCPC really believe bugs, bats and birds do not cross Highway 120? There must be some agreement to proceed.

• YUC plans to use USFS 1S09 road. Where is the NEPA study for this federal road?

• The cumulative effect of proposed five projects between Moccasin and YNP will more than double accommodations available.

These are typically low-wage jobs. Where will the employees be found? Where will they live? There is already a serious shortage of hospitality workers and their housing in the South County.

• When one of these projects fails, does TCPC expect locals to live with the results as we have with the dead gas station in Big Oak Flat for more than 30 years? Every traveler and local sees this blight every trip along the highway to Yosemite.

The county must clean up this planning process before proceeding along this flawed path to development.

Bob Asquith Groveland