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Ichetucknee Mobilazation News
DOCUMENTARY The Florida Film Institute from the University of Florida is
creating a documentary based on the Ichetucknee Cement Kiln Deal. This
will be shown at the Florida Film Festival in June of 2002. Then they will
apply to have it shown on other TV stations, possibly nationally.
FUNDRAISERS/BENEFITS Ichetucknee Mobilizations still needs to raise our
funds. We want to make Jeb Bush wanted t-shirts. If you have any leads on
how we can get shirts printed at a low price please contact us. We also
encourage any benefit and fundraisers that you may want to conduct in your
hometown. We can send information and merchandise that can be handed out
if you'd like to conduct a benefit. We may be able to come and assist if
notified. Remember that all donations are tax deductible.
OPPOSING RESIDENTS CASE On October 17th, 2001 the third court case
regarding the opposing residents of the proposed cement kiln site took
place. Opponents of the cement kiln were in court bringing attention to
the close relationship that the Dep, State Environmental Officials have
with Suwannee American Cement Company. The First District Court of Appeals
stuck to a very regiment hearing that lasted 30 minutes. They even cut off
the attorney for the residents in mid sentence. This court case did not
result in stopping the cement kiln. However Ichetucknee Mobilization is
supportive of the attention it continues to bring to the corrupt cement
kiln scandal. The court did rule in favor of the DEP. This however does
not discourage us. We have lots of hope. Our efforts continue to bring the
truth to the surface. Ichetucknee Mobilization will not be discouraged by
the courts favor. We will continue to follow the entire cement kiln
scandal closely. Anything that we can do may stop the reckless cement kiln
and set a precedent for any other reckless cement kilns in the future.
Ichetucknee Mobilization is also wanting to implement a heavy watchful eye
on the actions of the DEP and to see if they are monitoring properly. As
always if you have any ideas or leads do not hesitate to contact us at ichmobile@hotmail.com
.
THE ETHICS INVESTIGATION The Florida Commission on Ethics is investigating
Anderson Columbia, David Struhs(Secretary of the DEP), and Steve MacNamara
(former chief of staff to then speaker of the house JOhn Thraher). While
Steve MacNamara was still acting as the chief of staff, he was hired as an
attorney for Anderson Columbia to negotiate with the DEP. In April 2001,
the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause that MacNamara broke
two laws in the cement kiln deal- using his public position for private
gain and lobbying without being registered. None of the parties stories
are matching up. Ichetucknee Mobilization remains hopeful that this
investigation will shed light on the corruption involved with this cement
kiln deal. Ichetucknee Mobilization hopes the permits are revoked due to
the illegalities. We are proud that this information is being revealed and
the public has the opportunity to become aware. For more information read
the Tampa Tribune article titled Cement Deal Set Pr Game In Motion.
THE MERCURY CASE The First District Court of Appeals threw out the
appealed Mercury Case back in September 2001. However this has led the way
for the appeal to be filed with the Florida Supreme Court. Ichetucknee
Mobilization feels this is a good move for the FL Supreme Court may give
this case the proper attention that it deserves.
SMOKESTACK JEB! RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION Yes folks with Smokestack Jeb!
running for re-election, Ichetucknee Mobilization will have numerous
opportunities to bring attention to the poor decision Jeb! made when he
approved the cement kiln site. He alreay lost many of his voters when he
approved the cement kiln. Now Ichetucknee Mobilization will have the
opportunity to share the corruption involved with ths deal. If you hear of
Jeb! coming to your town for any campaign rallies please do not hesitate
to inform us. We can be reached at web address ichmobile@hotmail.com
and 352-381-8177.
DEP REPORTINGS As mentioned above Ichetucknee Mobilzation will be keeping
a close eye on the decisions and action of the DEP. The DEP had filed
suite on A/C for putting a quarter million cubic feet of mud in Lake
Locklin, Febuary 2000-January 2000.Ê We haven't seen much coverage of
this. Where did this case go.Ê Such things like this occur and then are
dismissed. We want to transform these dismissed environmental violations
into effective clean operations. If you have any information contact us.
SOLIDARITY Ichetucknee Mobilization would like to seek out solidarity with
the other folks that are opposing other cement kilns that Frank Dirabi has
designed.Ê Dirabi designed the cement kiln in Newberry,FL, the
Ichetucknee Cement Kiln, a proposed kiln in Pueblo,Co, and a kiln in
Albany,NY. Dirabi designed a land fill in Suwannee County that became
contaminated and had to be closed down due to its improper design. We
don't want Dirabi's incompetent cement kilns. We demand that cement kilns
be designed properly and emit miniscle pollution. If you know how to
contact any of these people please arrange for us to communiacte with
them. If your local has lost touch with this campaign and not been
supporting it, for gosh sakes, get in touch with them and do so. This is
an important issue for all of florida and an organization that WE, the
Green Party of Florida gave our word through the adoption of a proposal to
the first state meeting after the 2000 election, to support! They are
doing much, as you can see, but do need all the help they can get. This is
a WINNABLE campaign (dispite what anyone says) and our involvement in
meaningfull ways can both help them, the whole of Florida's eco-system,
and our party! Please do not blow this important and worthwhile
opportunity off.
Write to Jeb Bush and your state legislators. The decision is in their
hands. Jeb's address is: Hon. Jeb Bush Governor, The Capitol, Tallahassee,
FL 32399-0001
Come to events and meetings. You can check for the calander on the web
site or join our listserv by emailing us at ichmobile@hotmail.com
John Howes
PS: Please get in touch with them and ask how you can help.
DEP has filed suit against Anderson Columbia for putting a quarter
million cubic feet of mud into Locklin Lake, Feburary 2000-January
2001 when the permit/amnesty/crime was issued/given/committed. I
haven't seen any coverage of this.
Here's an article from the Tampa Tribune with an update about the
weaselfest. .... posted 6/28
Cement deal set PR game in motion
With
construction beginning on a controversial cement plant near the
Ichetucknee River, details about the deal-making between the state
and road-paving giant Anderson Columbia are coming to light.
Most
legal battles surrounding the plant's construction have been
settled. But one continues - hearings into alleged ethics violations
of Steve MacNamara, an attorney hired by Anderson Columbia who, at
the time, also was acting as chief of staff to then-House Speaker
John Thrasher, R-Orange Park.
Legal
wrangling has delayed the hearings, which were to begin earlier this
month. But the investigation has triggered hundreds of pages of
depositions that shine light on how the cement plant approval came
about. They reveal a process that hinged as much on public relations
as environmental concerns.
Anderson
Columbia attorneys claim Department of Environmental Management
Secretary David Struhs conducted secret meetings with the company
and placed a premium on public relations as he cut a deal to allow
the plant to be built.
Struhs denied any secret negotiations and said this month that, instead of being criticized for allowing the plant to be built, the state should be applauded for gaining environmentally sensitive land in the deal. The controversy began in June 1999 when Gov. Jeb Bush and Struhs took a canoe trip down the Ichetucknee River. The political message the Republican tandem intended to send: They were not supporting any plans for a cement plant near the river. ``[The governor] understands,'' his press secretary said at the time, ``if this [environmental] permit were to go forward and environmental damage were to happen, you cannot repair it. It's too big a roll of the dice.'' A few weeks later, Struhs announced the state would not allow Suwannee American Cement Co. - a spinoff formed by the family that owns Anderson Columbia paving company - to begin construction of a cement plant nearly four miles away from the river. It was the first time the state had denied such a request. THE DECISION was intended to be a wake-up call for Anderson Columbia, a company with a history of tangling with the state over environmental violations for years. ``This decision should place the regulated community on notice,'' Struhs said. Less than five months later, his agency gave the cement plant the go-ahead, shocking environmentalists who thought it was dead. The $130 million plant is under construction but must stick to stricter emission standards than other plants. The state also received and purchased property from Anderson Columbia in exchange for more than $40,000 in fines unrelated to the cement plant. And Anderson Columbia contributed $1 million to a trust fund to preserve the area near the river. In April, the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause that MacNamara broke two laws in the cement plant deal - using his public position for private gain and lobbying without being registered. MacNAMARA CONTENDS that while he was doing some work for Thrasher while he represented Suwannee American, he did not violate any laws because he was not being paid by the House during that time. The depositions show MacNamara was at the center of the deal- making that began shortly after the permit was denied. On July 19, 1999, Struhs met with Anderson Columbia attorney Jim Eaton and MacNamara. Eaton said, as that meeting concluded, Struhs asked the two to keep word of their meeting strictly confidential, specifically from the agency's attorneys. ``We didn't ask why and we didn't argue,'' Eaton said. Struhs said he has no memory of that particular meeting, but added he never advocated secret negotiations. Environmental groups have blasted the state for negotiating with Anderson Columbia out of public sight and without input not only from environmental groups, but also agency attorneys with many years of experience dealing with Anderson Columbia. ``[The agency's lawyers] were left completely out of the loop,'' said Linda Young, southeast regional coordinator for the Clean Water Network. ``They were still trying to fight things while [Struhs] was doing his own thing.'' Struhs, in his deposition, said he doesn't recall the meeting's particulars. But, in a point important to MacNamara's ethics case, he said the meeting occurred in the House speaker's office and was called by MacNamara. Struhs also said he wasn't sure if MacNamara was representing Thrasher or the cement company at that point. But Eaton and MacNamara have different recollections, saying the meeting occurred in Struhs's offices. They also claim Struhs presented them with a poster showing the geological composition of the Ichetucknee River at the meeting as a ``goodwill gesture gift to be given to Mr. Anderson,'' MacNamara recalled. Eaton, MacNamara and others arguing for the cement plant said Struhs quickly found he had no legal grounds to deny Suwannee American's permit. What ensued was, they claim, a battle to give the company the permit quickly while allowing the state some face-saving concessions. But Struhs angrily denounced such an interpretation. ``There was no flip-flop. We didn't change our minds,'' he said. ``When we said `no,' we didn't mean `no, forever.' '' Struhs said that, instead of being criticized, the state should ``receive a plaque'' for forcing Anderson Columbia to make restitution for past fines by giving or selling land to the state. He also said that, because of the delay, Suwannee American agreed to more stringent air standards. Struhs extracted concessions until the last minute, forcing the transfer of an Anderson Columbia mine in the Panhandle to the state in addition to the purchase of an existing mine near the Ichetucknee River. The last-minute demand, according to Eaton's deposition, ``came close to blowing up the whole transaction.'' Yet, he understood Struhs' position and credits MacNamara with explaining the politics of the deal. ``[MacNamara] was instrumental in making our side understand that Bush and Struhs were going to have to do a 180-degree change on a very sensitive issue that could be used against him in a campaign,'' Eaton said. In depositions and interviews, Eaton and Joe Anderson - the founder of the Anderson Columbia family of companies - claim Struhs revised and reviewed Anderson Columbia's media release to ensure positive spin for the agreement's announcement. Asked if that were true, Struhs laughed and said he never even looked at the release. THE ROLE of MacNamara in the granting of the permit has been much debated by environmentalists and attorneys. Environmentalists have no doubt the state would not have granted the permit without MacNamara's influence within the speaker's office. ``Absolutely not,'' said Young of the Clean Water Network. ``We know who he is and what he does. It's obvious he was hired only because they couldn't hire the speaker himself.'' Most agency officials, except for Struhs, say they had no idea MacNamara worked for the speaker's office before, during and after his work for Suwannee American. No one denies that MacNamara's knowledge of Tallahassee's roiling political landscape helped. It was a hire, Eaton said, that paid off for Anderson Columbia. ``Steve is a Republican. He's a former agency head [the Department of Business and Professional Regulation],'' he said. ``I think we would've got this done without Steve,'' Eaton said, ``but probably not as fast.'' Joe Follick can be reached at jfollick@tampatrib.comor at (850) 222-8382.
To
get on the Ichetucknee Mobilization list, email
Suzanne at:
To sign the Stop the
Ichetucknee Cement Kiln Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/sick/petition.html
For the Love of the
Ichetucknee David Struhs then exited the room, followed by media and Ichetucknee Mobilization. He then had an impromptu press conference in the hallway, taking questions from the media. We had a good question for him. We wanted to know why DEP has never released the mercury study it used as a basis for issuing the cement kiln permit. That study, paid for by the Suwannee American Cement Company, was conducted by Dr Christopher Teaf and predicted there would be no mercury problem in the rivers from the kiln. Recently Teaf , in a study he did on behalf of the pressure-treated wood industry, was found to have underestimated the arsenic exposure children would receive from that wood by a factor of a thousand. We wanted the DEP secretary to explain how the mercury model could still be trusted, since it had never been made public for peer review. Struhs refused to answer and abruptly decided to end the press conference. Later on as we were leaving the capitol we spotted Struhs shmoozing in the lobby. How spectacular, we were given a second chance to confront the DEP secretary. And this time we had a surprise for him. We had long suspected that Struhs was a robot controlled by Jeb Bush. So we created the dancing mini-me of David Struhbot . We took an enlarged photograph of David Struhs' face and added it to a dancing alien robot toy that sings the old song "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang. We now had our opportunity to present Struhs with the mini Struhbot. We approached the Big DEP Secretary and turned on the mini DEP Secretary and said "Look, David, it's you!" Poor Struhs didn't know how to react (Apparently they didn't teach him how to react to this kind of situation at Harvard Law School). Well we had our fun even though he declined the offer to take mini Struhbot with him on his Big Struhbot adventures. Struhs nervously laughed and tried to ignore us, thinking that we'd actually go away. We set the mini Struhbot on the ground next to him, as Struhs tried to keep his cool, continuing his conversation and nervously fidgeting with his tie. The fellow he was speaking with couldn't wipe his grin off his face. Yes, folks, this cement kiln is Not A Done Deal! The Governor and the company want us to believe the deal is set in cement. Indication abound that our protests are having an effect. At the last Suwannee County Public Hearing a company official admitted that the protests and legal court cases have delayed "the project" a year and put it $50 million dollars over budget. "Any other company would have pulled out by now," he said. Also, the fact that the Governor is willing to spend $2.5 million dollars on a PR campaign shows that he is feeling the heat from our protest too. Let's all join together to keep up the pressure and stop this cement kiln right now. It doesn't take an environmentalist to not want the cement kiln, it does take people actively protesting to stop the cement kiln. For more information on this issue we can be contacted at ichmobile@hotmail.com and 381-8177. We are staying informed about the postponement date for the Governor's Florida Springs Initiative. Come with us and join the fun. info: email info@whoseflorida.com
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