News clips: (see also news clip archives)

(news clips have not been kept updated - check archives)

Judge rules state doesn't owe Coastal for denying Gulf drilling
TALLAHASSEE — Florida officials are not required to compensate Coastal Petroleum Co. for preventing it from exercising an oil and gas lease held for almost 60 years on more than 400,000 acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, a Florida state circuit judge ruled Tuesday. Circuit Judge J. Ralph Smith stated Florida's 1998 rejection of a Coastal drilling permit does not require state officials now to pay the company for potential earnings from the region. 10/9/02

Whooping cranes set to return to Florida
CHASSAHOWITZKA — Seventeen whooping cranes will begin a more than 1,200-mile journey this week from Wisconsin to Florida, marking the second year of a human-led migration. The young birds have been trained to follow ultralight aircraft, which they identify as surrogate parents. 10/9/02

Enron revives controversial Broward pipeline project with proposed sale-- Enron Corp. has agreed to sell its Bahamas-to-Broward County natural gas pipeline project to a French utility company, reviving a controversial proposal that many thought had died with the Houston company’s bankruptcy. 9/25/02

State will miss 'Glades water quality deadline by years
MIAMI — A former chief of federal Everglades engineering testified Monday that he believes Florida won't meet a 2006 deadline for the quality of water flowing into protected areas until 2013 or 2014. Testimony by Terry Rice, former district director of the Army Corps of Engineers, was offered by Miccosukee Indians to support their claim that the state is violating a court order intended to protect the shallow marsh. Attorneys for the state and water managers say the claim is premature. 9/16/02

Birds fall prey to signal towers
Millions die every year, leading groups to petition the FCC for a moratorium on new structures along the Gulf Coast. 9/15

Editorial: Black water
Analysts who are delving into the cause of black water deposits in Southwest Florida's gulf say there is little cause for alarm.-- 
We disagree. The outbreaks of black water — not to be confused with acute bacterial outbreaks at area beaches — will be alarming until we know what's going on. 9/8/02

Mining, recovery collide in Everglades -- FORT LAUDERDALE -- Armed with bulldozers, explosives and political clout, the limestone industry has embarked on a 50-year mining project that will tear up the eastern edge of the Everglades.
This year, the miners won permission from the Army Corps of Engineers to destroy 5,409 acres of Everglades wetlands in the first phase of their expansion in western Miami-Dade County. It was the latest in a series of victories for Tarmac America Inc., Rinker Materials Corp. and eight other companies that haul limestone out of the ground for use in housing developments, roads and other projects.
The mining will destroy wildlife habitat up to the edge of Everglades National Park, just as the state and federal governments spend $8 billion to restore the Everglades ... 8/4/02

Authorities getting tough on sea turtle poachers
WEST PALM BEACH — Sea turtle eggs, an illegal delicacy some crave for its supposed aphrodisiac potential, are becoming harder to buy in South Florida. After a decade reprieve, law enforcement officials are renewing their focus on the sea turtle market, investigating poachers and those who dig up the nests of the endangered reptiles. 8/2/02

Turtle Egg Dealers Lurk In Shadows -- NORTH PALM BEACH - They work under cover of night, selling their goods from car trunks and the backrooms of bars to customers needing a fix. Rather than cocaine or ecstasy, however, these dealers are selling sea turtle eggs, snatched from the nests of endangered species and marketed to people who consider them a delicacy or swear by them as an aphrodisiac. 8/2/02

Decision could slow Everglades project
WASHINGTON -- A Utah congressman who blocked legislation that would have allowed as many as 102 houses to be condemned as part of the Everglades restoration project received $26,700 in campaign contributions from South Florida residents two years ago.... The battle over the 8 1/2 Square Mile Area illustrates how money, politics and conflicting priorities are inextricably intertwined in the complex restoration effort. And that, in turn, demonstrates how hard it is move all the pieces of the huge project forward. 8/2/02

Environmental group sues over discharges into Lake Okeechobee
FORT MYERS — A nonprofit environmental law firm sued the South Florida Water Management District on Tuesday, alleging it has done little to prevent Lake Okeechobee from being regularly polluted with pesticides, oil, grease and other contaminants. Earthjustice said the South Florida Water Management District was given more than 60 days notice about violations to the Clean Water Act but made no changes. 7/31/02

Wildlife Federation sues agency for pumping polluted water into Lake Okeechobee - The Florida Wildlife Federation accused the district of violating the federal Clean Water Act in the operation of its drainage canals along the lake's southern rim. 7/31/02

Proposed rules adding up to a lot of 'buts' for the state
In its proposed blueprint for how the Everglades should be restored, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers speaks broadly about setting goals, monitoring progress, planning projects, and the role of each agency. But, there are a lot of buts. The Corps of Engineers last week released its proposed regulations for the $7.8 billion replumbing of the Florida Everglades. The proposed rules will be subject to two months of public comment before the Corps of Engineers makes a final decision. 7/29/02

Everglades restoration: Don't switch priorities
Proposed rules are too vague on commitment.-- Even before work has begun on the first project of the $8.4 billion state-federal effort to restore what remains of the Everglades, the restoration is under assault. -- Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will build the structures to retain, redirect and store water, released the final draft of its blueprint for repairing the Everglades. The rules are supposed to specify details of the most ambitious environmental restoration in the country's history, but they still are too vague. They don't require that 80 percent of "new" water supplied through restoration be sent to the Everglades, with 20 percent reserved for public utilities and farms. That percentage has been the objective since work on the plan began. The rules don't list interim goals, to make sure the plan is working, and they fail to give the Interior Department a strong enough role. The rules lack standards that would make them enforceable. 7/28/02

Feds reveal new plan to fix Glades
Federal officials released a revised blueprint on Tuesday for replumbing the Everglades, saying they'd significantly strengthened an earlier proposal that had drawn harsh criticism from environmental groups. 7/24/02

Bush administration releases rules for Everglades restoration
WEST PALM BEACH — The Bush administration released federal regulations Tuesday governing the 25-year Everglades restoration project, setting out how the natural flow of water will be restored after being drained and rechanneled for decades. The regulations call for creating reservoirs for drinking water, removing canals and levees to restore the water's natural flow and creating wells to capture the huge amounts of groundwater seeping away into the Atlantic Ocean. 7/24/02

Reviews mixed on new Everglades plan
By Jessica Sabbath, Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
Revisions to the Everglades Restoration Plan released Tuesday receive a cool reception from environmentalists. 7/24/02

Environmentalists criticize new rules on restoring the Everglades-- Strike two, environmentalists decided Tuesday after digging into a rewrite of the rules that would guide restoration of the Everglades. -- 
Their criticism of the 80 pages of regulations echoed their complaints about the initial draft seven months ago. And they counter the assertion of the Army Corps of Engineers that the rules they authored do in fact contain "strong assurances for ecological restoration" -- safeguards to prevent it from simply becoming a plan to capture water for urban and agricultural needs. 7/24/02

CUT GREENHOUSE GASES
In a word-association game, a reference to California conjures up images of smog and last summer's energy crisis. Until now. With passage this week of a law requiring cars to meet new emissions standards, California has set a clean example for the nation. The new law will help clear up California's polluted air. It also could force automakers nationwide to develop more energy-efficient, less polluting cars. 7/24/02

Jay Ambrose: California at it again
California has enacted a law aimed at limiting auto emissions, and some politicians, environmentalists and pundits are saying, glory, glory, hallelujah, we are about to put the wicked auto industry in its place and cool the Earth. Excuse me, but may I make a point? The law is a farce. 7/24/02

Whooping cranes catch Lucky break
The first whooping crane to be born in the wild in the United States in recent times is stretching its wings in Central Florida.7/21/02

Florida's catch o' the day not mercury-free
When Mike Thompson found an outdated brochure listing fish with high mercury levels in Florida, the old-time angler became worried about potential dangers of local fish he catches and eats. 7/21/02

Red Tide leaves beaches stinky
Residents hoping to cool off get an olfactory surprise -- dead fish washing up from Pass-a-Grille to Belleair Beach. 7/21/02

New EPA official meets critics -- TARPON SPRINGS -- The usually soft-spoken Heather Malinowksi had a blunt message for the new ombudsman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who was in town Saturday to meet residents near the Stauffer Superfund site.-- "You've stepped into a situation where you don't belong," said Malinowski, secretary of a local watchdog group.-- Mary M. "Peggy" Boyer was named acting ombudsman after Robert Martin resigned the position when his job was transferred to the EPA's office of the inspector general. Martin contended the move was designed to silence him for exposing weaknesses in EPA cleanup plans in Tarpon Springs and other Superfund sites around the country. 7/14/02

Endangered loggerhead's nest plundered for eggs - Biologists with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium welcomed 108 new loggerhead turtles into the world late last week, but said Tuesday that more than 100 eggs were stolen from a second beach nest.-- During a patrol early Monday, aquarium biologist Glenn Harman discovered that someone had moved the stakes protecting a nest on the south end of Indian Rocks Beach. A flag identifying the nest also had been moved, he said. 7/14/02

Corporation offering to help sea turtles
Gainesville - ....But, no matter how unlikely it would be for a sea turtle to be found on NW 13th Street, that's where thousands of people have sent their contributions or financial requests to help save the huge creatures from extinction.- The nonprofit Caribbean Conservation Corp. was formed in 1959, about three years after University of Florida biology professor Archie Carr published his book "The Windward Road." Carr's concern was finding a way to save green sea turtles. Some of the first people to read Carr's book formed a loose organization known as the Brotherhood of the Green Turtle. 7/14/02

Hundreds of stolen sea turtle eggs found in Riviera Beach
An undercover officer’s purchase of a half-dozen sea turtle eggs led investigators to a stash of 341 eggs at a Riviera Beach man’s home, authorities said. James O. McGriff, 43, has been charged with poaching and trying to sell turtle eggs. 7/12/02

Hunters, others argue rules for vehicles in Big Cypress - FORT MYERS -- The battle over off-road vehicles in Big Cypress National Preserve moved to federal court Wednesday, as hunting groups and environmentalists argued over new rules restricting access to the swampy wilderness.7/11/02

Leaking fuel tanks a hazard, say officials
At least 25,000 buried gasoline tanks around the state have leaked, officials say, posing a threat to drinking water. 7/8/02

Groups warn of damage to Big Cypress by buggies
The latest salvo in the war between environmentalists and swamp buggy users over Big Cypress National Preserve trails was fired last week. Several environmental watchdog groups — including National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and The Wilderness Society — banded together Wednesday for a joint warning to federal agencies over park rules that potentially limit trail use by swamp buggies and other off-road vehicles. 7/8/02

Superfund tiff sign of neglect
Riviera Beach might not get federal money to clean up cancer-causing chemicals in the ground. 7/8/02

Plant site part of Superfund debate
The former Solitron site is part of a massive debate on pollution on Capitol Hill. 7/8/02

Idea to dam river pits residents vs. environmentalists

Polluter (doesn't) pay
America's Superfund program is running out of money. That's because President Bush and Congress refuse to renew a tax on corporate polluters that once funded the program. 7/7/02

Scientists evaluating Tortugas fishing restrictions
DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK — After nearly a month at sea, scientists studying the impact of a no-fish zone around the Dry Tortugas estimate 80 percent of the snappers, groupers and grunts are being overfished in the Florida Keys. Their study comes one year after federal officials declared 151 square miles of waters around the Dry Tortugas National Park off-limits to fishing. 6/28/02

Fingerprinting Polluters
TAMPA - A pair of environmental sleuths are slinking around Blackwater Creek, searching out clues that could reveal who is fouling the water. ...6/25/02

Farmworkers push study of chemical links to illness
 Apopka farmworkers met Monday night to try to get some answers, but learned they'll have to start speaking louder when asking tough questions about health concerns in their community. 6/25/02

Farmworker advocates seek answers - APOPKA -- Former farmworkers, health-care workers and advocates are set to meet tonight to discuss whether common ailments shared by former muck-farm laborers are going unnoticed.6/24/02

Florida can't be far behind to suffer from global warming
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida, which came from the sea, is heading back there faster than Nature intended. Global warming is the reason why, and those who still don't believe it belong in the Flat Earth Society. 6/23/02

Passion for wetlands
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does little more than rubber-stamp wetlands permits. In the past four years, the Corps approved something like 8,300 permits in Florida and denied one. 6/15/02

DEP head says Everglades bill won't hamper Floridians' rights 5/24/02

Conservation fund raid will bring a payback
To patch the holes in its Swiss-cheese budget, the Florida Legislature has brazenly plotted to loot $100 million dedicated for the purchase of endangered lands.
For the second year in a row, lawmakers have done what they vowed never to do: raid the popular Preservation 2000 trust and funnel the money elsewhere.
Only Gov. Jeb Bush can stop this scam, part of a slapdash budget deal worked out for the special legislative session. Topping the agenda was a $262 million corporate tax cut, which helps explain the cash hole and the necessity for Enron-style bookkeeping.
You couldn't find a less deserving target than Preservation 2000, one of the state's few bona fide successes in environmental stewardship...

Off-road supporters off base--  Big Cypress rules deserve backing of off-road vehicle enthusiasts 6/15/02

Land buys disrupt Glades project
For four years, South Florida's water managers have been negotiating to buy a sizable hunk of West Miami-Dade County for a key Everglades restoration project.6/15/02

Everglades area in Palm Beach to stay under federal protection - WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - An Everglades wildlife area in southern Palm Beach County will be under federal protection for the next 50 years.-- The South Florida Water Management District voted unanimously Thursday to extend the federal government's lease of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge 6/14/02

Agency sued over wetlands -- DAYTONA BEACH - Two environmentalist groups have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, alleging the agency ignores its guidelines in issuing thousands of permits to fill wetlands.-- Floridians for Environmental Accountability & Reform and Wetlands Alert filed the lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Orlando.-- The suit states that since 1989 the Army Corps has approved more than 27,000 permits with minimal oversight.6/14/02

Natural defense: Army Corps' record on wetlands is pitiful
The numbers pretty much speak for themselves. And they are eloquent.
In the past four years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved 8,300 permits to fill or drain wetlands in Florida. It denied one.-- It is simply impossible to imagine that all but one of those 8,300 permits should have been granted, especially in the light of current scientific research clearly demonstrating the value of wetlands. Wetlands provide habitat for birds, fish and plants. They also filter water that will eventually end up in rivers or streams -- or the state's drinking-water supply. Wetlands provide a crucial anchor for the state's multi-billion dollar ecotourism, hunting and fishing tourism industries.6/14/02

Fewer turtle nests found on beach-- Mark Nicholas sees two disturbing trends with the nesting season for sea turtles. Not enough females are showing up on the beaches to dig their nests, and too many adults have washed up dead on area beaches.-- Those factors are contributing to what could be shaping up as the worst nesting season since 1997 when 22 nests were found. A poor season in 2001 yielded just 23 nests, down from 58 in 2000. 6/11/02

Nuclear waste routes could go through Florida cities
TALLAHASSEE — A plan to bury radioactive waste from the nation's nuclear plants in a Nevada mountain would bring potentially dangerous cargo close to more than 2 million Floridians, an environmental group says. The Environmental Working Group said in a report to be released Tuesday that if the plan to ship waste to Yucca Mountain is approved by the U.S. Senate, potential truck or train routes could take radioactive waste along heavily traveled interstate highways such as I-95 and on railroads through densely populated cities.6/11/02

Environmentalist groups sue Corps of Engineers over wetlands
Two environmentalist groups have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, alleging the agency ignores its guidelines in issuing thousands of permits to fill wetlands. Floridians for Environmental Accountability & Reform and Wetlands Alert filed the lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Orlando. 6/10/02

Scientists want to develop plan to keep invasive plants out of S. Florida - With its swamps-turned-forests of melaleuca, shorelines shaded by Australian pines and lakes matted with hydrilla, South Florida is awash in runaway exotic plants.-- 
Government and natural-land custodians spend hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars trying to eradicate or arrest the spread of the leafy and tendriled invaders, species that ecologists brand "noxious weeds."6/10/02

Bush rejects bid to halt oil drilling off California coast
SACRAMENTO — President Bush has rejected Gov. Gray Davis' plea to extend the same protections against oil and gas drilling to California that he granted Florida last week. "A major difference between Florida and California is that Florida opposes coastal drilling and California does not," Interior Secretary Gale Norton wrote Davis on Bush's behalf in a letter released Friday.6/8/02

Lake discovery fuels update of cultural safeguards
For 5,000 years, a bunch of wooden canoes crafted by American Indians remained protected by the water and mud bottom of Newnans Lake near Gainesville.5/28/02

We must help farm workers for our sake - In 1985, biologists found a large number of alligator eggs from Lake Apopka either weren't hatching or were producing little mutants.
They traced the problem to residues of DDT. This surprised them because they thought DDT threatened birds, not reptiles.
"It is alarming in that it tells you that you need to check into it -- like running out the door to check for fire when you see smoke," said federal biologist Franklin Percival.
But nobody thought to look for smoke over at the fields where the pesticides came from, the fields where migrant workers picked vegetables. 5/23/02

Objections to environmental permits
It's wrong to inhibit citizen objections to environmental permits. The future of the Everglades is secure, thanks to an $800 million financial commitment that Gov. Jeb Bush just signed into law. The same cannot be said, however, of the rights of ordinary citizens to challenge potentially damaging environmental permits.5/22

Former central Florida farm workers believe chemicals hurt them
Charlie Jackson worked the fields north of Lake Apopka for nearly 30 years until 1991. Daily exposure to pesticides and fertilizers were part of the job. "When all the spray comes down on you, there ain't nothing you can do. You get that stuff in your skin, you'll never be right no more," he said. 5/20

Blowfish poisonings rattle science world
First, they felt a tingling in their lips and tongues. Then it spread to their faces, arms and legs. They were drowsy and nauseated. One of them had to be put on a ventilator for days.5/5/02

Shutting out the public
For 30 years Florida's Environmental Protection Act has given residents the right to contest government decisions that could threaten the environment. Under the law, individuals or organizations can, for example, seek a review of an approved development permit by the Florida Department of Administrative Hearings. 3/5/02

Targeting children: Industry's campaign to redefine environmental education 2/26/02

Wildlife corridor in jeopardy
The creation of a wildlife corridor between the Osceola National Forest and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge could be one of the great acquisitions of the past quarter century if it happens, a spokesman with the National Wildlife Federation says.

Veto reckless conservation trust fund raid
Robbing Peter to pay Paul, Florida lawmakers raided a trust fund earmarked for the purchase of environmentally sensitive lands to help cover their inadequate support for education and social services and underwrite a corporate tax break.

Law could stifle voices aimed at developers
A new law creates funding for Everglades restoration, but environmentalists aren't celebrating. The reason: It includes a controversial amendment that might limit whether citizens can challenge permits for developments, mines and industrial plants.

Florida wants to do weekly testing of coastal waters - DAYTONA BEACH -- Florida has applied for federal funds to begin more frequent and tougher testing for contamination in the state's coastal waters.  ... Under a current state program, the water off certain beaches is checked every two weeks for bacterial contamination that, at high levels, can cause rashes, infections and disease.- 
The new federal program would require Florida's 34 coastal counties to monitor their highest-risk and most-used beaches every week to receive part of the $531,000 allocated by Congress for the state this year.

Graham urged to support bill aimed at power-plant pollution - Environmental groups gathered Thursday morning near the power plant at Port Everglades to pressure U.S. Sen. Bob Graham to support a bill to reduce air pollution from power plants.- 
Known as the Clean Power Act, the bill would force older plants to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and carbon dioxide.- The issue of power plant pollution has become an important battleground between environmentalists and the Bush Administration, which is pushing a competing proposal that would allow greater emissions and use market forces to reduce pollution.

Guest editorial: Whiff of embarrassment 
Washington: The Bush administration has sent conflicting signals about its commitment to a wholesome environment. But one high-ranking federal environmental official believes he's gotten the message loud and clear. Eric Schaeffer, a lawyer and the Environmental Protection Agency's chief of civil enforcement, expressed an understandable mix of anger and disappointment in his recent letter of resignation.

Loxahatchee River lovers fear 830-acre project - ... lovers of the river fear the advent of 1,300 homes, a hotel and 36 holes of golf not far from the cypress-flanked riverbanks.

Thousands decry oil exploration at Big Cypress National Preserve
Thousands of letters poured into the headquarters of Big Cypress National Preserve over the past month to protest a plan for a major oil exploration project at the heart of the preserve.

Scientists studying beaches for sewage pathogens
MIAMI - Scientists have embarked on a two-year study of South Florida's beaches to learn whether warm sand could increase the risk of stomach illnesses, particularly for children playing in the wave-frothed "swash zone."

Audubon's president makes case for 'Glades
Those who hate the environment or don't care about fishing should still support Everglades restoration, Audubon of Florida President and CEO Stuart Strahl said Thursday. South Florida's economy also depends on restoring the Everglades' water flow because it provides freshwater the area needs, Strahl told The Economic Club of Florida at a luncheon meeting in Tallahassee.

Everglades restoration draft skimps on details
WASHINGTON - A Bush administration draft of rules for a $7.8 billion restoration of the Florida Everglades maps out a broad strategy to save water but contains no deadlines or timelines demanded by environmental activists.

Thanks, Friend Of Open Space
Many Floridians rightly cherish the natural places that make this state so wonderful: its forests, prairies, swamps, lakes, other wetlands and many open spaces and green spaces -- unpaved, unspoiled and undeveloped.

Bush touts billion-dollar plan to revive economy
As Gov. Jeb Bush lauded a $1 billion plan to revive Florida's lagging economy, his audience -- Florida's home builders -- hoped Saturday that their piece of the state's economic pie wouldn't be forgotten. -- Bush admitted that some issues, such as growth-management concerns, have become less of a priority. 10/28

Top

Did you notice that our newspapers avoided this article like the plague??

Report: Florida Near Top In Nation For Toxic PollutionGroups Wants National Study Of Chemicals In Air
Posted: 10:54 a.m. EST January 22, 2003
Updated: 4:24 p.m. EST January 22, 2003

A new national report released Wednesday ranked Florida in the top five states when it comes to toxic chemical releases, according to Local 6 News. 
The Florida Public Interest Research Group released the study on the amount of toxic chemicals that are released into the air and water.
PIRG officials said that the chemicals can cause cancer, emphysema and other diseases.
The group told Local 6 News that the toxins in the air usually come from electric utilities and other industries.
They want lawmakers in Washington to fund a nationwide system to track chemicals in the air, Local 6 News reported.
"There's no nationally coordinated study that assesses released chemical with disease patterns," PIRG representative Phares Heindl said.
Other states at the top of the list for toxic pollution included Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Georgia.
 http://www.local6.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-192822220030122-150106.html

... Barbara, 2/7/03

Top

Top

Everglades bill won't hamper Floridians' rights

On May 15, Gov. Jeb Bush signed the Everglades funding bill that will fully fund restoration activities through 2010. By that time, the state will have provided its share of the costs to the tune of $1-billion. The partnership with the federal government will remain intact, producing another $1-billion. It is a near certainty that the latter would not occur without the former.

Yet, the editorial writers for the Times continue to market the notion that the governor should have taken the very real risk of shattering that partnership by vetoing this funding bill. Gov. Bush correctly decided that moving ahead with restoration trumped the greatly exaggerated claims from non-Florida corporations (who cannot currently initiate these actions) that citizens would be denied the right to file lawsuits.

The editorial correctly quoted my comments about the lack of understanding of the bill's true contents by opponents. Somehow, the writer forgot to mention the part where I called him and laid out the case that out of more than 26,000 permits handled by the DEP in 2001, only four might have been affected. This is 15 one-thousandths of 1 percent of the permits.

Subsequent research has determined that of those four, only two would have been truly affected. Of the other two cases, one was voluntarily dismissed by the petitioner, and the other is in an administrative hearing process.

We are proud that Gov. Bush stood by his strong supporters at the Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Florida Wildlife Federation, 1,000 Friends of Florida, the Everglades Foundation, Florida Audubon and the Trust for Public Land. We are restoring America's Everglades without hampering the rights of Florida citizens.
-- David B. Struhs, secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee
Letter to the editor in Petersburg Times, 5/24/02

Top

Don't "Rig" Florida's Future

Florida's Gulf Coast environment holds a complex mosaic of sea grasses, wetlands, bays, estuary systems, beaches and dunes. The Panhandle of Florida -- center of the current offshore-drilling battle -- enjoys some of the most beautiful beaches in the country and is home to a rich ocean ecosystem that supports a vibrant economy based on tourism, recreation and fishing. None of this is compatible with offshore oil and gas drilling.

Offshore drilling for oil or gas is an inherently dirty business. Even the newest technology, assuming no illegal discharges and no accidents (two huge assumptions if history is any lesson) would still significantly pollute and forever despoil the only remaining pristine waters left in the Gulf of Mexico.

Routine offshore-drilling operations dump thousands of pounds of drilling muds into surrounding waters. While "mud" may sound like your backyard garden, in reality these specialty compounds contain toxic heavy metals such as lead, chromium and mercury.

A second major polluting discharge is called "produced water," which is the water brought up from a well along with oil and gas. According to the federal Minerals Management Service, hundreds of thousands of gallons of produced waters are discharged per day per platform. This toxic soup contains arsenic, benzene, lead, toluene and varying amounts of radioactive pollutants.

One Chevron exploratory well, off Florida's coast, was estimated to have legally discharged more than 23,000 barrels of drilling muds and other production fluids in less than a year.

Offshore rigs also generate notable air pollution, producing significant amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), the principle component of ozone smog. Pensacola -- already suffering the worst air pollution in Florida -- would find its air even worse.

There are numerous other environmental impacts, including increased litter, refueling spills, increased tanker and barge traffic, onshore development, raised mercury levels in seafood, potentially catastrophic spills and more.

Unfortunately, the ever-opportunistic oil and gas industry has seized upon the tragedy of Sept. 11 and current turmoil in the Middle East, by calling for new drilling in the name of national security. The argument is intellectually dishonest.

As long as our nation wastes oil and refuses to adopt sensible and prudent conservation measures, such as higher mileage standards for cars and trucks, we will always be dependent upon the Middle East and less-than-stable countries such as Venezuela.

The United States holds only 3 percent of the world oil reserves, while Gulf State OPEC members control two-thirds of the world's proven reserves. We could drill every single drop of recoverable oil and gas in every acre of the Gulf of Mexico, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Everglades and under Devil's Millhopper park (if any were ever discovered there), and we would still need to import the vast majority of our oil from other countries. This is not based on politics or ideology, but simply on geology and economics.

Allowing the oil and gas industry to "rig" our coastline would generate millions in profits for the companies themselves, but it would do nothing for Florida except pollute and despoil our marine environment, which is inextricably linked to the health of our economy and our quality of life.

We applaud Governor Bush, Senators Graham and Nelson and Congresswoman Thurman for opposing offshore drilling. However, the true test of their effectiveness in this endeavor will be how President Bush's administration rules on Chevron's pending appeal to build the first ever production drilling operation 25 miles off the panhandle beaches. For obvious reasons, Governor Bush's attention to this looming decision will be critical.

If you have not already done so, go visit the sugar-white sands and emerald-green waters of Florida's Gulf Coast. Then go view the ruined beaches of Texas or Santa Barbara, or the destroyed coastal wetlands of Louisiana.

You will quickly understand why people in these oil-and-gas-drilling areas vacation on Florida's coastline rather than their own. You will understand why Florida's coastline is a recreational destination for people around the world and should remain that way.

Top

  (2001Archive - reports throughout the session)

(Top)

(Top)

Appeal to stop Suwannee Cement plant dismissed

State buys limerock mine near Ichetucknee Springs
The sparkling Ichetucknee River was the subject of both a protest at the Capitol and a state land purchase Tuesday.8/29/01