Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 11-6-09

FEATURED STORIES

Plan re-emerges to shift water resources across Florida
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Take action now: Sign on to the letter to the legislature via Progress Florida
Six years ago, Florida's business leaders came up with a plan to create a state water commission that could route water from sleepy North Florida to supply the booming development in South Florida.

Miami-Dade commissioners consider cashing in on old Glades jetport
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Related editorial: Don't go drill crazy in the Everglades
Take action now: Sign the petition via Democracy in Action
Faced with a looming half-billion-dollar deficit from the expansion of Miami International Airport, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department wants to cash in on an Everglades jetport it was forced to abandon decades ago.

Bob Graham, Jeb Bush join campaign to restore Florida land-buying funds
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Related: Press release from Florida Forever Coalition
With shrinking revenues and widening deficits, state lawmakers will be sharpening their budget axes when the Legislature meets in March.

Endangered status sought for loggerhead sea turtles
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Loggerhead sea turtles are in a ``dire state,'' with a 40 percent decline in the number of nests counted over the past decade, experts say.

Next Halloween without Bats in FL? (includes audio)
By Gina Presson
Public News Service Florida
Related: Florida Bat Conservancy website
Halloween with its jack-o'-lanterns, black cats and bats has come and gone, but experts warn many bats may be gone for good.


The critically endangered Florida panther faces a new threat: drilling for oil within their limited remaining habitat. Take action now via the link above.

THE BIG OIL ROUNDUP

Debunking the Drilling Propaganda: The Top Five Myths About Gulf Oil Drilling
Civic Concern
Note: also see Take Action section below.
Let's take a look at the top five claims the "Drill Baby Drill" folks have been perpetuating in the media and legislature and see how they stand up to scrutiny.

Offshore fictions: Claims of oil riches for Florida warrant skeptical review
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Advocates of drilling for oil in Florida's coastal waters make two claims that have caught the attention of lawmakers and heightened momentum to end the ban on drilling offshore.

Huge Australian Oil Spill Raises Questions (includes video)
CBS News
Related ABC News story: Oil leak impact may last 7 years
An oil spill disaster that could rival the impact of the Exxon Valdez is playing out tonight off the coast of Australia.

Ten weeks, and counting
Editorial
Pensacola News Journal
There was more bad news for proponents of offshore drilling near the Florida coast this weekend.


The state of the art West Atlas oil rig smoldering in the Timor Sea following catastrophic spill covering an estimated 9,000 miles of ocean.

Issues Surrounding Drilling Off Florida's Coast
By John Rogers
WCTV CBS News Tallahassee
There are many questions surrounding this topic and experts in the subject warn, it's something we should not rush into.

Florida Forum: Energy Exploration
Don’t Drill Florida
Last night was the FSU/GANNETT Florida Forum on nearshore oil drilling featuring panels of both drilling proponents and opponents. Also included outside the panels were Rep. Dean Cannon(R) and Sen. Mike Haridopolos (R). The forum was billed as an evening discussion of the facts associated with nearshore drilling. Rep. Cannon and Sen. Haridopolos were treated as if they were neutral in the debate and were present to learn more about the issue, but this could not be farther from the truth.

Off-shore drilling pros, cons explored
By Catherine Dolinski
Tampa Tribune
Only one in a hundred offshore drilling leases may produce oil, and there's no guarantee that near-shore drilling will bring big bucks to Florida.

To drill or not to drill. . . is that really the question?
By Paul Flemming
Ft. Myers News-Press
It's a passionate debate, one that's been going on in Florida for decades with an environmentalist ebb and an oil flow.

Crist says he and LeMieux discussed drilling
By Lloyd Dunkelberger and Gary Fineout
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
While U.S. Sen. George LeMieux isn't talking about his recent stint in the private sector, his former boss talked a little bit about it last week.

Opinions Split On Offshore Oil Drilling
Staff Report
Central Florida News 13
Opinions on drilling for oil off Florida’s coast are split, according to an exclusive poll conducted by News 13’s Bright House Networks affiliate, Bay News 9, along with the St. Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald.

Thrasher, Negron Split on Offshore Drilling
By News Service of Florida
Jacksonville Observer
With the fate of offshore drilling expected to be determined in the Florida Senate next session, the chamber’s newest members are split on whether it makes sense to explore for oil and gas in state waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Energy Expert Ballentine: Promise of Florida’s Offshore Oil is Exaggerated
Staff Report
HeatingOil.com
For years, the US oil industry has touted domestic offshore drilling as a pivotal component of any solution to this country’s energy issues.

USF program to track oil spills falters
By Catherine Dolinski
Tampa Tribune
For years, Texas has relied on scientists and technology at Texas A&M University to track oil spills, forecast where they are headed and minimize the damage they cause.

FSU acts as 'broker' for drilling symposium
By David Cartes
Tallahassee Democrat
The energy needs of the United States and the financial condition of the state of Florida have prompted a renewed consideration of oil and gas activity off the Florida coast.

Judah gets fired up over offshore drilling
By Betty Parker
Ft. Myers News-Press
Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah was fired up for his appearance at BUPAC (Businesspeople United for Political Action Committee) this week.

Offshore Oil Drilling, Damage
By Amanda Casares
Lakeland Ledger
Since the offshore-drilling debate has been opened again, I must voice my opinion on the subject.

Don't let oil drilling ruin Florida
Letters to the editor
St. Petersburg Times
It was with a sinking sense of dread that I read your article on the polls showing voters favoring offshore oil drilling.

Drilling for answers
Editorial
Panama City News Herald
The ongoing debate about whether to allow drilling for oil off Florida’s coast is a classic example of assessing risk vs. reward.


Welcome to, er, beautiful and sunny Florida?

TAKE ACTION NOW

Click the picture above to urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose state legislative efforts that would allow offshore oil drilling off Florida’s coast.

LATEST ONLINE ACTIONS
Let us decide! Petition to Governor Charlie Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater, and House Speaker Larry Cretul, via Civic Concern.
Contact Your Officials About New Drilling Off Florida's Coasts, via Civic Concern.
Ask your state legislators to keep the rigs out, via Save the Manatee Club.

MORE ONLINE ACTIONS
Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida.
Write your state legislators, via Audubon of Florida.
Tell Sen. Atwater Not To Allow Oil Drilling In Special Session, via Audubon of Florida.
Sign the petition against oil drilling, via Protect Florida’s Beaches.
Tell Salazar: No drilling off Florida's Coast, via Environment Florida.
Tell new Senator LeMieux to Repower America, via Environment Florida.
Tell Your Senator No More Offshore Drilling, via Oceana.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE
Protect Florida’s Beaches, recently launched coalition website.
Protect Florida’s Beaches on Facebook.
Think, Baby, Think blog via Protect Florida’s Beaches.
Don’t Drill Florida website.
Don’t Drill Florida Facebook page.
Hands Across The Sand website.
Environment Florida offshore drilling page.
Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info.
Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation.
EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here.

MORE GREEN NEWS

South Florida hunt for Burmese pythons ends
The Associated Press
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A pilot program aimed at helping eradicate giant, nonnative Burmese pythons from South Florida has ended with 37 of the invasive constrictors being killed, wildlife officials said today.

Another species of python is raising concern in region
By Kate Spinner
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
If thousands of Burmese pythons slithering through the Everglades are not worrisome enough, wildlife experts are now warning of another invasive reptile found as close as east Sarasota.

House members vent against EPA water standards
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Members of a Florida House panel complained today about the potential cost of water quality standards that could be proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in January, agreeing with industry representatives who said businesses and households will be affected.

Time Magazine writer discusses Everglades pollution, restoration
By Curt Devine
Gainesville Sun
"This is the story of America's last frontier," said Michael Grunwald, senior correspondent of Time Magazine.

Effects of "Dead Zone" on Gulf shrimping studied
By Florida State University and FloridaEnvironments.com
FloridaEnvironments.com
A team of researchers from Florida State University, Duke University and the National Marine Fisheries Service will study the environmental and economic impacts of the vast “dead zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico on shrimping in the region.

Florida will pay steep price for policies on development
By Ron Littlepage
Florida Times-Union
With 300,000 homes and condos sitting vacant, and with population growth nil, government and business leaders are pushing ways to make it easier to build more homes and condos.

Florida land-buying program absorbs more revenue
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
With the downturn in the state's economy, Florida's conservation land-buying program is sucking up an increasingly larger share of tax revenue from real estate transactions, a state finance official told House members today.

Public Input Sought on St. Marks Refuge Expansion
Wakulla.com
In October 2009, the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge received approval to request public input on a proposal to add an additional 35, 295 acres to the refuge.

LeMieux's time to act
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Warnings about how climate change could threaten the security of the U.S. and nations throughout the world will be sounded today at a conference at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Regional summit highlighted problems associated with climate change
Editorial
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The session had all the jargon that you'd expect at a "green" convention.

Sunshine amid the clouds
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
As the days grow shorter, Florida's prospects for producing clean, renewable energy grow brighter.

PSC must set meaningful efficiency standards
Editorial
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Public Service Commission can show its "new management" mettle by establishing new energy efficiency standards.


A Seminole bat ‘hanging out’.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 10-16-09

FEATURED STORIES

Florida Forever defenders step up
By Yvette C. Hammett
Tampa Tribune
Related: Read the Florida Forever Coalition press release here.
It's been an easy concept from the start. Get developers to pay for growth by preserving vast stretches of natural Florida.

County won't appeal ruling on Summerfield
By TaMaryn Waters
Tallahassee Democrat
Leon County commissioners decided Tuesday they didn't want to appeal a court ruling regarding the Summerfield development.

Land grabs fuel Hometown Amendment drive
By Lauren Ritchie
Orlando Sentinel
The city of Wildwood, west of Leesburg at the junction of Interstate 75 and Florida's Turnpike, has annexed empty land that has approval for up to 87,000 new homes.

Economic hammer pounds developers
By Michael Sasso
Tampa Tribune
Long vilified as greedy power brokers, many of the people in the business of turning open spaces into malls and subdivisions are reeling from liens, foreclosure lawsuits and bankruptcies.

Florida wants to bag the plastic
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Florida environmental officials want to make the state the first in the nation to prohibit throwaway plastic and paper bags.

PSC showdown Friday: Can Progress Energy charge customers upfront for nuke plant costs?
By Robert Trigaux
St. Petersburg Times
What once seemed a slam dunk deal for Progress Energy -- building a new nuclear power plant complex in rural Levy County north of Tampa Bay -- is now very much up in the air.

Nuclear reactor design has safety flaw
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
The nuclear reactor design that Florida Power & Light has chosen for its expansion at Turkey Point has safety flaws, federal regulators said Thursday.

Feds need to close red snapper fishing areas
Editorial
Florida Today
Space Coast anglers -- and anyone who enjoys a seafood meal -- know why red snapper is a prized catch.


The red snapper is being fished unsustainably.

THE BIG OIL ROUNDUP

The Big Oil roundup: news and information about Big Oil’s push to rig Florida’s coastline for the week ending 10-16-09:

Federal scientists: Limit offshore drilling plans
By Jim Tankersley and Josh Meyer
Los Angeles Times
The federal government's top ocean scientists are urging the Interior Department to drastically reduce plans to open the coast to offshore oil and gas drilling, citing threats to marine life and potentially devastating effects of oil spills in Arctic waters.

NOAA urges caution in expanded offshore drilling
By Sue Sturgis
Facing South
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has called on the Interior Department to proceed cautiously with plans to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, pointing to the need to protect fisheries, marine habitat and coastal communities.

Solar group's endorsement of offshore drilling causes controversy
By Catherine Dolinski
Tampa Tribune
An association of solar energy businesses in Florida stunned environmentalists last month by declaring its support for offshore oil drilling.

What's the tie between lobbyists, oil drilling and solar power?
By Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald
From Progress Florida: On behalf of the tens of thousands of our members across Florida who strongly support moving our state and nation toward a clean, renewable energy future and growing a green economy here in the “Sunshine State,” we were extremely disappointed to learn about your association’s support for opening Florida’s near shore waters to oil drilling.

Solar Energy's Stockholm Syndrome
Don’t Drill Florida
Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed.

Solar Group’s Drilling Stance Spurs Backlash
By Kate Galbraith
New York Times
A Florida solar group’s support for offshore oil and gas drilling as a means of generating revenue for renewables has spurred a backlash.

Drilling backers, foes prepare for big fight
By Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times
From an office near the state Capitol, David Rancourt oversees a growth industry: the lobbying and public-relations operation seeking to lift the long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas exploration off Florida.

Australian oil spill fuels Alex Sink's drilling skepticism
By Adam Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Could a ruptured rig off western Australia(left) be the death nell to state officials trying to open up Florida to offshore drilling as close as three miles to the coast?

Strike two: oil leak plugging attempt fails
ABC News
Related: Failure to plug oil leak 'unacceptable'
The West Atlas oil rig in the Timor Sea has been leaking oil into the ocean for more than seven weeks.

Oil drilling threatens tourism
By Will Graves
Orlando Sentinel
The one-dimensional thinking championed by state Rep. Dean Cannon is exactly what National Geographic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Orlando Sentinel and other publications have decried as a death knell for Florida.

Florida Republicans: drill, baby, drill (includes video)
By Steve Nichols
Fox 13 News Tampa Bay
Will there be consequences for local lawmakers who oppose offshore drilling legislation?

Bennett wants to delay offshore drilling debate
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, is looking to put the brakes on the state oil drilling debate.

Florida State University to hold offshore-drilling symposium
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
Pledging to be honest brokers in a politically charged debate, Florida State University scientists announced Monday they will conduct an offshore drilling symposium next month.

Save Florida
By Bill Pownall
Hernando Today
I am writing this letter to each and every citizen of the state of Florida for you to contact and press your state legislators from passing a bill this upcoming session or as early as an October special session.

Florida oil drilling supporters, opponents post letters on issue
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Florida oil drilling opponents today called on Gov. Charlie Crist to include more coastal protections to his criteria for allowing offshore drilling.

Green activist advocates taking polite approach to opposition
By Steve Patterson
Florida Times-Union
ProvidedWith Florida politicians and environmentalists squaring off to fight over offshore oil drilling, a visiting activist is sharing some advice: Don't make enemies until you have to.

Rigging offshore drilling
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
An elected official whose spouse gets paid by a group bent on influencing legislation before his committee has no business heading that committee.


Editorial cartoon by Jeff Parker, Florida Today.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Click the picture above to urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose state legislative efforts that would allow offshore oil drilling off Florida’s coast.

MORE ONLINE ACTIONS
Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida.
Write your state legislators, via Audubon of Florida.
Tell Sen. Atwater Not To Allow Oil Drilling In Special Session, via Audubon of Florida.
Sign the petition against oil drilling, via Protect Florida’s Beaches.
Tell Salazar: No drilling off Florida's Coast, via Environment Florida.
Tell new Senator LeMieux to Repower America, via Environment Florida.
Tell Your Senator No More Offshore Drilling, via Oceana.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE
Protect Florida’s Beaches, recently launched coalition website.
Protect Florida’s Beaches on Facebook.
Don’t Drill Florida website.
Don’t Drill Florida Facebook page.
Environment Florida offshore drilling page.
Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info.
Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation.
EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here.

MORE GREEN NEWS

For the loggerhead sea turtle, a worrisome trend
By Kate Spinner
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
For loggerhead sea turtles, 2009 marked a dismal nesting year, extending a decade-long decline that has prompted lawsuits, fishing bans and a push to list the animal as endangered.

Long-stalled project to help Florida Bay, Everglades finally getting started
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A vital Everglades restoration project, intended to fix decades of environmentally destructive draining, got a long-awaited go-ahead from South Florida water managers on Thursday.

Delayed canal overhaul OK'd
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Back in the 1970s, when Mike Collins was a young flats guide in the Keys, old-timers like legendary fly-fishing pioneer Jimmie Albright already knew what was ailing Florida Bay.

FPL agrees to assessment of mysterious saltwater plume near Turkey Point nuclear plant
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Florida Power & Light will spend millions to assess whether the massive cooling canal system at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant is fueling salt contamination of the aquifer in South Miami-Dade County.

Fla. PSC considers nuclear plant rate hikes
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Public Service Commission is considering rate increases to pay for building nuclear power plants that critics say aren't needed.

PSC staff recommends utilities be allowed to drop conservation incentives
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Despite pressure from both Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Legislature, state regulators on Thursday recommended that electric utilities not be required to give customers new incentives for saving energy and reducing electrical consumption.

Volusia approves massive 'city in the woods' project
By Ludmilla Lelis
Orlando Sentinel
A potential city in the woods, with more than 20,000 homes proposed on remote timberland west of Interstate 95, passed a key hurdle Thursday.

State lawmakers battling DCA secretary over growth
By Michael Peltier
Naples News
Civics books often tell you how it’s supposed to work.

Bronson says water lawsuit threatens jobs, prescribed burning
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson today warned other Cabinet members that setting specific pollution standards for nutrients in Florida waters could jeopardize prescribed burning efforts and the state's forest industry.

Group: FEMA Must Consult FWS To Protect Turtles (includes audio)
By Gina Presson
Public News Service Florida
The Florida Wildlife Federation (FWF) has inched closer to filing a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Solar plant set to open, even as shadows loom
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The road to North America's largest photovoltaic solar plant passes cows and orange trees before turning to gravel amid a field of 90,000 black panels.

Stop drift in oceans policy
By Frank Muller-Karger
St. Petersburg Times
In Florida, our beaches and coastal waters attract over 33 million tourists each year. Our marine fishing, boating, tourism, recreation and ocean transport industries bring over $400 billion every year to our state.

Seagrass Recovery Joins the United Nations in Calling Attention to the Need to Restore Critical Seagrass Habitats in the Coastal Zone of the World's Oceans
Press Release
Seagrass Recovery
A report released October 14, 2009 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) stresses the importance of urgent action to maintain and restore marine ecosystems such as seagrass, mangroves and salt marshes (blue carbon sinks) as the key to combating climate change.

Environmental threats observe no borders
By Douglas Rader and Kumar Mahadevan
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Cuban and American scientists recently gathered at Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, D.C., and Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota for a groundbreaking exchange of science and ideas -- the first of its kind in years to highlight the importance of working together on ocean conservation and shared waters.

Giant invasive snakes are here to stay
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
There are a few upbeat findings in a new federal study of the assorted threats posed to the nation by Burmese pythons and eight other large exotic constrictors.

Joint investigation finds no criminal wrongdoing at Public Service Commission
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Leon County State Attorney Willie Meggs said Monday that a joint investigation between his office and state police into the state's public utilities regulator has not turned up any criminal wrongdoing.

PSC troubles prompt widespread calls for reform
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Related Carl Hiaasen column: Man bites dog: PSC rejects FPL rate hike
Faced with an edict from Gov. Charlie Crist to ``clean house'' at the troubled Public Service Commission, Senate President Jeff Atwater says he'll hold hearings during the next two months to change the way the utility regulator does business.

Ballot issue on growth a hot topic
By Grace Gagliano
Bradenton Herald
A November 2010 ballot issue is already stirring heated local discussions.

Suit over law that favors builders
By Dale White
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The new state law that critics blasted as a massive assault on Florida's growth regulations has been blocked by the agency that is supposed to enforce it, and attacked in court by a growing number of cities and counties that want it struck down.

Bio-energy, ethanol projects proposed across Florida
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Nine bio-energy or ethanol projects are being proposed in Florida and at least five others are under discussion, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Enviros support new lands ranking process
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
In a move that environmentalists said resolves their concerns, a state panel on Friday adopted a rule that would establish a new rankings process for determining which conservation lands should be bought.

Environmental agency rejects Florida Crystals land as inland port site
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Politically powerful Florida Crystals Corp. was dealt a blow Friday by state environmental regulators, who said a transportation, warehousing and distribution complex the sugar company wants built on its land south of Lake Okeechobee would interfere with Everglades restoration.

Manatee habitat poorly defined
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
In the next few months, manatees will start heading for their traditional wintering grounds in Florida -- mostly springs (such as Blue Spring State Park in Orange City) and power-plant outfalls.

Needed review
Editorial
Florida Today
Florida residents — and those along the Space Coast in particular — have long had a special responsibility to help the manatee survive.


Threatened loggerhead sea turtle.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 8-21-09

`
FEATURED STORIES

Fla. could run out of land-buying money by Oct. 1
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Related: Ranking system urged to save nation's largest land-buying program
Florida could be out of money for buying conservation lands by Oct. 1 unless new bonds are issued to allow purchases.

Fla. Governor's Moves Scrutinized for Clues to U.S. Climate Debate
By Alex Kaplun
New York Times
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) is getting intense heat from his party's right wing over his support of climate legislation, fueling speculation that the popular politician may move away from "pro-green" positions that have been praised by top Democrats and environmentalists.

Activists criticize pro-oil rallies (includes audio)
By Mitch E. Perry
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Next Thursday in Ybor City, a rally is being organized by Energy Citizens, a pro-oil, anti-cap-and-trade group.

Forget Russians; fear Texas oilmen
By Eric Draper
TC Palm
In the 1960s comedy “The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming,” coastal villagers and hapless sailors almost start a war as their imaginations get the best of them.

FWC invites public comments on endangered and threatened species listing changes
Staff Report
Foster Folly News
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold a meeting for the public to comment on draft rules for the state’s imperiled species listing process.

Florida's utilities want to build, not conserve
By Stephen Smith
Tallahassee Democrat
Last week was a big one for Florida utilities in Tallahassee.

Sea turtle hatchlings get running start to a life full of peril
By Terry Tomalin
St. Petersburg Times
This evening, shortly after sunset, Jim Wilson plans to dig a hole in the sand and look for stragglers in nest No. 22.

So long, Gov. Green, vanishing in political smog
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Two years ago, Gov. Charlie Crist looked more green than tanned. In a single day, he signed three executive orders that set Florida on an environmental course as progressive as California's.


Sea turtle hatchling looking to beat the odds.

MORE GREEN NEWS

Ruling on Longline Fishing Aids Turtles
By Cornelia Dean
New York Times
When a federal panel that regulates fishing in the Gulf of Mexico voted last week to limit the use of longlines to catch grouper because the lines can snag and drown threatened loggerhead sea turtles, no one was completely satisfied with the decision.

One Person’s Boondoggle, Another’s Necessity
By Michael Cooper
New York Times
The $14.7 million for a new airport on an Alaskan island that averages only 42 flights a month.

Land swap helps St. Johns River stay wild
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Authorities are on the verge of finally assembling a vast sanctuary along a Central Florida stretch of the biggest and most beleaguered river within the state.

We can protect turtles and fishermen
By Sen. Bill Nelson
Tallahassee Democrat
One of the things I've tried to do in the U.S Senate is to protect Florida's marine resources, upon which many livelihoods depend.

Lobbyist hisses: Give snakes fair shake
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
For Andrew Wyatt, a fascination with snakes began when he was the son of an American serviceman stationed in India.

Crist checks out beach erosion in Destin
By Tom McLaughlin
Northwest Florida Daily News
Gov. Charlie Crist traveled to Destin Monday to survey damage done by Tropical Storm Claudette.

Gator hunters taunt protesters as season starts
By Jerome Burdi
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Gator meat tastes like chicken," and "Going to get a few of them right now" are some of the jeers tossed at a handful of alligator-hunt protesters holding signs that read: "If you respect them, protect them" and "Ban gator hunt."

Crist considers meeting with Ala., Ga. in water dispute
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida via FloridaEnvironments.com
Gov. Charlie Crist is mulling over dates to meet with his counterparts from Alabama and Georgia as leaders of the three neighboring states try to resolve a longstanding feud over how to divvy up water coming from Lake Lanier.

Regulators: FPL must reveal executives' salaries
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
State regulators on Tuesday unanimously voted to force Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy to disclose how much they pay their top executives. FPL's response: We'll see you in court.

FPL says bills will go down
Staff Report
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida Power and Light -- under attack for a proposed rate increase and with questions being raised about its executive compensation -- said that it expects its overall customer rates to drop about 8.3 percent in 2010.

Mercury In Fish Widespread (audio story)
By Trimmel Gomes
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
A federal study out Wednesday shows that mercury in fish is widespread across the country, and some of the highest levels of contamination are found right here in Florida.

Polluted policy
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Taxpayers in Florida and across the nation are spending billions of dollars to restore the Everglades.

Back on Everglades track
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
When it comes to restoring the Everglades, an agreement on science may be only as good as an agreement on finances.


Endangered wood storks and others in Everglades National Park.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 8-14-09

FEATURED STORIES

Scientists: Development draining St. Johns springs
By Steve Patterson
Florida Times-Union
Some springs that feed the St. Johns River are producing less water, likely because of spreading development around them, a team of federal scientists has found.

Third proposal surfaces for pumping water for public use from St. Johns River
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County and a half-dozen Central Florida cities are getting ready to spend $5 million to draw up what could become another controversial plan to pump water from the St. Johns River.


By Dana Summers, Orlando Sentinel.

U.S., Florida reach Everglades restoration deal
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Water managers and the White House signed a crucial contract Thursday that promises a much-needed infusion of federal dollars for the Everglades.

Crist, Cabinet okay Progress Energy's nuclear power plant in Levy County
By Shannon Colavecchio
St. Petersburg Times
The governor and Cabinet on Tuesday approved Progress Energy's controversial proposal to build a nuclear plant in Levy County, the first such plant approved in Florida in 33 years.

Crist averts GOP heat, tables climate summit
By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Charlie Crist's plans for a third high-profile climate summit have been indefinitely postponed as the Republican weighs the political cost of the event's expensive price tag.

Lehigh Acres: Florida's lesson in unregulated growth
By Kris Hundley
St. Petersburg Times
Hoping to jump start the economy, Florida lawmakers have eased the rules on developers.

Commercial sustainability in North Florida requires collaborative effort
By Will Brown
Tallahassee Democrat
There may be an “I” in sustainability, but the term is certainly not something that can be done by individuals alone or on an isolated basis.


St. Johns River near Blue Spring State Park.

MORE GREEN NEWS

Florida to unveil rules for listing imperiled species
Staff Report
Tampa Tribune
The state will unveil draft rules Monday night for listing imperiled species.

The Future of Florida Bay
By Alan Farago
Counterpunch
Can Florida Bay be restored? Yes.

Florida, federal government declare truce in Everglades money war
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
After eight years of wrangling, the state and federal government have come to terms on how to split the multibillion-dollar cost of restoring the Everglades, clearing the way for the money that President Obama has pledged to the effort.

Gov. Crist still upbeat on Everglades deal
By Michael Peltier
Naples News
Despite legal challenges that may stall the project, Gov. Charlie Crist continues to support the $536 million plan with U.S. Sugar Corp. to buy 73,000 acres in the Everglades.

Environmentalists call for more green jobs in Florida (includes audio)
By Mitch E. Perry
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Although health care is the raging issue in Washington and across the country, U.S. Senators are also likely to take up climate change when they return from the August recess next month.

Nuclear Plant Protest
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
For the first time in 33 years, the state cabinet approved plans to build a nuclear power plant.

Off-Shore Drilling: Opportunity or Mistake?
By Heather Biance
WCTV CBS News Tallahassee
Floridians guzzle 10.4 billion gallons of gas and diesel each year, making the Sunshine State the third largest consumer in the nation.

Enviros, utility reps clash over RIM test
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Representatives of utilities and environmental groups disagreed today on whether the Florida Public Service Commission now is required to use a new test to analyze utility conservation programs.

Florida lawmakers could force ban of Burmese pythons
By Catherine Dolinski
Tampa Tribune
Lawmakers may force the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to ban sales of Burmese pythons and other dangerous reptiles if the agency fails to act on its own.

U.S. regulators cut longline grouper fleet by 50%
By Stephen Nohlgren
St. Petersburg Times
Federal regulators decided Thursday to cut Florida's longline grouper fleet in half to protect loggerhead turtles.

Cockaded woodpeckers need your help
By Terry Pelican
Pensacola News Journal
Liz Langston is looking out for a few of our feathered friends.

Nesting numbers continue to decline for loggerhead sea turtle
By Whitney Bryen
Naples News
At 6:30 a.m., the sand on Vanderbilt Beach is void of yesterday’s footprints and sand castles as the sun rises over downtown Naples to the south.

Sea Turtle Workshop (includes video)
Georgia is preparing to step up its offensive in the long-running battle with its neighbors over federal water rights by focusing on Florida's environmental record and dredging up a 150-year-old ruling that could give Alabama less control of a key river, Gov. Sonny Perdue said last week.


Limpkin on the St. Johns River near Blue Spring State Park.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 7-17-09

FEATURED STORIES

New Airport Impact: A closer Look Pt. 1 (video)
Reported by Mark Vaughn
WJHG NBC 7
Follow-up report: New Airport Impact: A closer Look Pt. 2
The initial plan, to extend the current airport's runway into North Bay, was shot down for environmental reasons.

Millions in road fixes, once promised by developers, could be jeopardized by new law
By Michael Van Sickler
St. Petersburg Times
Related column: Crist signs bad growth law, is 'punished' with $4.3 million in campaign contributions
As mammoth subdivisions got approved amid worsening traffic congestion during the housing boom, residents were continually assured by local officials that future road improvements were covered by developers.

State of the Everglades Report
Audubon Everglades Team
Audubon of Florida
This report recaps Audubon of Florida's progress on Everglades restoration over the past six months.

Wood storks have their best nesting season since the 1930s
By Eric Staats
Naples Daily News
Related Ft. Myers News-Press story: Wood storks breeding season finally a success
A frenzy of wood stork nesting in the Everglades this year has been one for the books.

NW development moves forward
By Will Brown
Tallahassee Democrat
Leon County commissioners unanimously moved to consider plans for the first phase of the Summerfield property in compliance with the county's comprehensive code Tuesday night.

City, county continue discussion on merging growth departments
By Will Brown
Tallahassee Democrat
The nuances of moving forward with the consolidation of the Growth and Environmental Management Department was the crux of Wednesday's conversation between Tallahassee Mayor John Marks and Leon County Commission chairman Bryan Desloge.


Endangered Florida Panther.

MORE GREEN NEWS

Attack Survivors Stand Up for Saving Shark Species (includes audio)
By Gina Presson
Public News Service of Florida
The shark literally bit the hand that fed it - or at least the leg - but now its victim, Miami Beach dive boat owner Michael Beach, is working to conserve and protect sharks like the one that bit him.

Advocate on challenge to proposed nuclear plant (audio interview)
By Mitch E. Perry
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Progress Energy’s plans for a nuclear power plant in Levy County became a little bumpier this week.

Power Giants Seek Big Rate Hikes
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Florida’s two biggest power companies want to dig deeper into your pocket.

Hunters get go-ahead to kill pythons in Big Cypress
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
The federal government on Thursday said it would open up Big Cypress National Wildlife Refuge, which borders Everglades National Park, to a pilot program allowing licensed hunters to ''terminate'' any python they encounter.

Humane Society urges state agency to reconsider python decision
Staff Report
Naples Daily News
The Humane Society of the United States is urging the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to reconsider its decision to allow python hunting in Florida.

Delays, price hikes make a muck of $800 million Everglades project
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Deep in the cane fields south of Lake Okeechobee, a massive construction site sits abandoned along U.S. 27, its dreams for the Everglades unfulfilled.

Everglades land swap may be key to FPL plans to expand in West Miami-Dade
By Tania Valdemoro and Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Florida Power & Light bought a ribbon of Everglades marl prairie 40 years ago, envisioning it as an isolated place to some day run power lines.

Sides argue pros and cons of U.S. Sugar deal
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Opponents to an Everglades land deal have stepped up their attacks on a plan they say costs taxpayers too much and threatens to set back environmental restoration.

Outlaw swimming with manatees, environmental group demands
By Barbara Behrendt
St. Petersburg Times
A national environmental organization has asked the federal government to prohibit all swimming with manatees, citing increasing harassment of the endangered species.

Rare ghost orchid blooms again near Naples
By Penny Carnathan
Tampa Tribune
Corkscrew Swamp is happy to be haunted for an unusual three years in a row: Its rare ghost orchid is in bloom again, and again drawing visitors from around the country to the sanctuary northeast of Naples.

Water managers shaking up staff, reducing number of senior employees
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
South Florida's largest and most powerful environmental agency is thinning its management ranks in its largest staff shake-up in years.

Halting wildlife trade
By Jennifer Hobgood
Miami Herald
The 2-year-old Sumter County girl killed last week by an eight-foot pet Burmese python underscores the threat posed when wild animals are kept as pets.

Plan would open Big Cypress to hunting, vehicles
By David Fleshler
South Florida Sun Sentinel
A federal proposal would open up a vast sweep of forest and swamp on both sides of Alligator Alley to hunting and off-road vehicles, ending a 20-year stretch in which the only serious predator on the local deer and hogs was the Florida panther.

Turtle harvest ban takes effect July 20
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
A ban on commercial harvesting of Florida's freshwater turtles takes effect July 20.

FWC Requests Comments on First Draft of Imperiled Species Listing Changes
FWC Press Release
Wakulla.com
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) seeks public input on the first draft of rules to revise Florida’s imperiled species listing process.

Supporters say Amendment 4 won't kill jobs
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Letting voters decide on changes in comprehensive land-use plans will not kill jobs or force a referendum on every new growth opportunity, supporters of a "hometown democracy" amendment said Wednesday.

Amendment 4 corrects power failure
By John Hedrick
Daytona Beach News-Journal
The News-Journal editorial Sunday conceded that the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment would give voters direct veto power over every major land use change approved by local governments.

Vote 'yes' on Amendment 4 to improve your community
By Pedro Monteiro
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Amendment 4, Florida Hometown Democracy, gives the people of a community the right to vote on whether to approve amendments to their local land use plans.

Amendment would please Jefferson
By Rebecca Eagan
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Thomas Jefferson sold me on Florida Hometown Democracy.

SB 360 must be nullified
Editorial
Ft. Myers News-Press
Kudos to Lee County for joining the lawsuit against the state of Florida over a new growth-management law that compromises state and local government's ability to regulate growth and pay for infrastructure.

Move to protect sharks, panthers in South Florida
Editorial
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Two threatened species of predators, panthers and sharks, deserve an assist from South Floridians.


Endangered whale shark.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 5-29-09

FEATURED STORIES

Group wants wood stork's status upgraded to threatened
Staff Report
Ft. Myers News-Press
A California-based watchdog group wants the status of the wood stork to be upgraded from endangered to threatened so that Florida can benefit from more development.

Florida growth-management bill awaits governor's signature
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related Howard Troxler column: Governor Crist should veto bad growth bill
Progress Florida action alert: Tell Gov. Crist: Veto SB 360!
A growth-management bill awaiting Gov. Charlie Crist's signature is being hailed by developers as the coveted key to unlocking hundreds of delayed construction projects across the state.

28 Organizations Call for a Veto on SB 2080
Action Alert
Audubon of Florida
We wrote below on Audubon of Florida calling on Gov. Crist to veto SB 2080 and keep the public’s right to comment on and help influence water resource decisions.

Florida's renewable energy efforts have gone nowhere
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
For a year, while the green movement was at its height, Florida environmentalists, new solar companies, utility lobbyists and state regulators spent thousands of hours trying to determine how much of the state's power supply should come from renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

Conservationist running for state agriculture commissioner
By Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Eric Draper, a conservationist and lobbyist for Audubon of Florida, joined the 2010 race for state agriculture commissioner Thursday, saying he wants to be Florida's ''top environmental steward'' in the Cabinet post.


Endangered wood storks nesting in Fred George Basin, Leon County, Florida

MORE GREEN NEWS

Lawsuit filed to reclassify Florida's loggerhead sea turtles as "endangered"
By Ludi Lelis
Orlando Sentinel
Three environmental groups filed a lawsuit today against the federal government, pressing the question of whether Florida’s loggerhead sea turtles should be reclassified as endangered.

Interior secretary promises to revitalize Everglades
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Related: State wants bounty hunters to control pythons in Everglades
Saying the federal government had ''not kept its end of the bargain,'' the Obama administration on Thursday promised to pay its fair share of an Everglades restoration effort now estimated to reach $22.5 billion and to make long-stalled projects a top priority.

Feds Won't Intervene in Three-State Water Battle
Staff Report
Lakeland Ledger
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday the federal government won't try to broker a solution to a bitter three-state battle over water rights, but he urged Georgia, Alabama and Florida to seek a compromise outside of the courtroom.

Corps may release more water to Florida's Apalachicola River
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the agency probably will begin releasing more water in June from its dams upstream from Florida along the Chattahoochee River.

Why does Florida Fish and Wildlife refuse to protect eagles and tortoises?
By Chris Hrabovsky
Creative Loafing
Perhaps FFWCC has become another permit dispensing agency, the same way Army Corps of Engineers and Southwest Florida Water Management District have.

Fee increases for parks, fishing in new state budget
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Some anglers and state park visitors are among those who will pay more to enjoy the outdoors under the 2008-09 state budget signed into law today by Gov. Charlie Crist.

More Florida drivers choosing gas sippers over motorized behemoths
By Angel Streeter
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In car-obsessed South Florida, size matters. Big SUVs, big pickup trucks, minivans and four-door sedans dominate.

Bad times make state less green
By Mark Lane
Daytona Beach News-Journal
There are only two parts of the business cycle when the Florida environment is in danger -- good times and bad times.

Rains boost water supplies, watering restrictions remain
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
What a difference a week of steady rain has made for once-parched South Florida.

Crist's energy goals get a push
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
One of the first things Gov. Charlie Crist did when he moved into the governor's mansion was put solar panels on the roof.

Bill would gut growth management in Florida, hurt recovery
By Ray Judah
Ft. Myers News-Press
In response to Sen. Bennett’s recent commentary concerning Senate Bill 360 (“New bill reforms road mandates, discourages sprawl,” May 22) let us look at the record.

Veto growth bill
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
Just exactly what will state Sen. Mike Bennett’s Community Renewal Act accomplish if signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist? Several negative impacts trump the positive components.


Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 4-24-09

FEATURED STORIES

Legislators back lifting ban on oil drilling off Florida coast
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related editorial: Shameful oil drilling ploy
In a full-barreled appeal to the House Policy Council, the oil and gas industry persuaded lawmakers to vote, 17-6, along party lines Tuesday for a bill that opens state waters to exploration and taps into new revenues for the state's ailing budget.

On Earth Day, Crist says he's open-minded to drilling
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Celebrating Earth Day outside the Capitol on Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Crist said he is open minded to HB 1219, which would allow oil drilling off the Florida coast.

Florida House moves to assist developers
By Jim Ash
Ft. Myers News-Press
In the name of economic development, and over the heated objections of environmental groups, the House on Thursday gave preliminary approval to an overhaul of growth-management laws designed to help recession-weary developers.

Developers still salivating over Florida land
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
Despite a rapidly deteriorating housing market and plunging real estate values, Florida is experiencing an unprecedented number of requests to build new homes and develop commercial property.

Develop, bulldoze, fill, pave; repeat
By Diane Roberts
St. Petersburg Times
Related editorial: Growth 'solution' still a problem
It's not Wall Street greed or the housing bubble. It's not our regressive tax structure, the big breaks we gave to the rich in the 1990s, or the way we bet our futures on other people's Magic Kingdom fantasies.

Renewable energy projects in jeopardy
By Russell Ray
Tampa Tribune
Several renewable energy projects in Florida may be scuttled or delayed if lawmakers fail to pass legislation requiring utilities to get 20 percent of their power from renewable or clean energy sources by 2020.


Progress?

MORE GREEN NEWS

USGS: What happened to the Everglades?
By Russell McLendon
Morther Nature Network
The Everglades first emerged in South Florida about 5,000 years ago, after the last ice age ended.

Surprise departure from water board could shift voting margin for Crist's U.S. Sugar deal
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Charlie Crist's proposed half-billion-dollar land purchase from U.S. Sugar Corp. will not be affected by a recent resignation from the regional water board that must sign off on the deal.

Gainesville at the forefront of the future of energy
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
The future of energy as dreamed about by ardent environmentalists would bring a mini-electric plant to every garage or every rooftop.

NRC hearing focuses on environmental concerns
By Lou Elliott Jones
Chiefland Citizen
A coalition of environmental groups has filed a petition with the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission asking what no one in Levy County has thus far voiced about the proposed two-unit nuclear plant near Inglis.

Benefits of a 'smart' power grid in South Florida debated
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
When Kevin Linn of Coral Springs received a special power meter last October, he was able to check his usage day by day and hour by hour via the Internet. He found spikes in midday when no one was home -- the water heater was churning away.

Slow pace on energy bill could slow Babcock solar array
By Michael Peltier
Naples News
Babcock Ranch developer Syd Kitson said Tuesday that reluctance on the part of state lawmakers may dim the chances that Babcock Ranch's solar array will see the light of day this year.

Environmental, farming groups concerned about tax breaks
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
A House committee on Wednesday passed a bill that would exempt conservation lands from being taxed as approved by voters last November.

Proposal may avoid shut down for longline grouper fishermen
By Stephen Nohlgren
St. Petersburg Times
Commercial longline grouper fishermen, facing a devastating shutdown because of loggerhead turtle deaths, gained a possible reprieve Friday — but only in the long run.

Sea turtles need help now
By Carl Safina
Tallahassee Democrat
Sea turtles will soon start crawling ashore to nest on Florida's shores in a ritual that's millions of years old. But unless we make changes, fewer turtles will reach the beaches.

Florida Legislators Are Not Making the Environment a Priority, According to Audubon of Florida
Press Release
Reuters
According to the Audubon of Florida, state legislators are not acting in the spirit of Earth Day or in the interests of Florida residents as two environmental issues make their way through the legislature.

Nature Conservancy Applauds Legislators for Advancing Creative Solution for Funding Florida Forever
Press Release
Nature Conservancy
Closing corporate tax loophole would generate documentary stamp tax revenue to fund state’s conservation program.

Want to pay $35 million to help T. Rowe Price destroy our wetlands in the middle of a drought?
By Chris Hrabovsky
Creative Loafing
Want to pay $35 million to help T. Rowe Price destroy our wetlands in the middle of a drought?

Riverkeeper pledges continued river protection
By Jimmy Orth
St. Augustine Record
On Monday, April 13, our St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) demonstrated how far it has drifted from its mission when it approved a permit application from Seminole County to begin withdrawing water from the St. Johns River for irrigation purposes.

The Quicksand Economy
By Alan Farago
Counterpunch
When Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner spoke to the Economic Club in Washington yesterday and said the United States bears a substantial share of responsibility for a global economic crisis and its multi-trillion dollar costs, he might have pointedly singled out the epicenter of the housing market crash-- the state of Florida-- where the absence of regulations governing financial derivatives matched laws designed to fail: in particular, regulations protecting the public from the excesses of suburban sprawl.

Gone: Mass Extinction and the Hazards of Earth's Vanishing Biodiversity
By Julia Whitty
Mother Jones
By the end of the century, half of all species on Earth may be extinct due to global warming and other causes. Who will survive the world's dwindling biodiversity, and why?

'Most Wanted' list seeks environmental criminals
Staff Report
Miami Herald
It's not just the FBI that has a Most Wanted list; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has one, too.

Drilling off Florida coast still a bad idea
Editorial
Miami Herald
A bill passed by the House Policy Council on Tuesday was the first crack in the heretofore impenetrable wall against oil and gas drilling off Florida's coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Supporters, however, used a stacked deck to get the job done.

New drilling bill is a preposterous giveaway
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Rep. Dean Cannon's plan to open Florida's coast to oil and gas drilling deserves all the ridicule it's getting, given its sheer preposterousness.


Florida wetlands

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 4-17-09

FEATURED STORIES

State decides to ban freshwater turtle harvesting
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission press release
Humane Society of the United States press release
Center for Biological Diversity press release
The state's wildlife agency voted unanimously today to ban the harvest of freshwater turtles throughout Florida, the strongest such ban in the nation.

Senate includes Florida Forever funding
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Contact your legislators in support of Florida Forever via Progress Florida’s online action
Support the Florida Forever Coalition
Sen. Carey Baker and Sen. Al Lawson have found a way to put money in the budget for the Florida Forever land-buying program and appear to have the blessing of Sen. JD Alexander, the chamber's top budget writer.

Groups sue federal government over sea turtles
By Brian Skoloff
Associated Press
Earthjustice press release
Center for Biological Diversity press release
Palm Beach Post editorial
A half dozen conservation groups sued the federal government on Wednesday, claiming the agency that oversees the Gulf of Mexico fishery is violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect threatened sea turtles.

State rethinking growth laws
By Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
When lawmakers made major changes to Florida's growth-management system in 2005, the state was awash in development.

The state of sunshine
By Asjylyn Loder
St. Petersburg Times
Solar power in the Sunshine State has exploded in the past three years, providing millions of dollars in new projects and hundreds of jobs even as most of Florida's economy withered.

Renewable Power Needed, Not Nuclear
By Michael Dobson
Lakeland Ledger
Florida has a chance to lead, but not today.


Florida soft shell turtle in the Everglades

MORE GREEN NEWS

FWC concludes 2-day meeting in Tallahassee
Press Release
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
Related: Peregrine falcon rules, controversy coming
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wrapped up its two-day session Thursday, April 16, in Tallahassee.


Peregrine falcon

Monkeys in paradise
By Rick Folstad
Tampa Tribune
There's a small monkey staring at us from the trunk of a dead tree.

5 lawmakers ask Pres. Obama to protect panthers
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Five members of Congress have asked President Obama to protect the Florida panther.

Dry skies have water managers running low on options to protect faucets
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
An unprecedented shortage of rain has water and utility managers pondering how to weather what could soon go down as South Florida's worst dry season ever recorded.

This plan helps politicians, does little for River of Grass
By Dexter W. Lehtinen
Orlando Sentinel
After his first and second new "visions" for Everglades restoration collapsed, Gov. Charlie Crist announced a third ill-conceived idea for buying U.S. Sugar Corp. land.

Rundown of Environmental Issues We Are Facing
By Geniusofdespair
Eye On Miami
Here is a quick rundown of what we are facing on the environmental front.

Call on Your Legislator to Pass Clean Car Laws Now
Audubon of Florida News
The Legislature is holding hostage bills that would adopt emissions standards for cars and light trucks to reduce the greenhouse gases.

Solving the energy crisis and ending bailouts- for real!
By Chris Hrabovsky
Creative Loafing
The truth is, “bailouts”, are not just limited to Wall Street thieves. Energy Companies like Progress Energy have been granted a “pre-emptive bailout”, for a boondoggle that hasn’t even been built yet

New Martin growth push is on
By Sally Swartz
Palm Beach Post
The latest push for more development in Martin County started on March 20, a Friday, when an inch-thick packet hit county commissioners' desks.

Alarming number of sea turtles wash ashore
By Caren Burmeister
Florida Times-Union
Dead and sick sea turtles are washing up on beaches at roughly three times the normal rate from Duval to Brevard County, and biologists don't know why.

Digging below the surface
Editorial
TC Palm
Call it the dumbing down of "environmental protection."

Growth 'solution' still a problem
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
As the legislative session heads into its final two weeks, the most egregious efforts to dismantle growth management, wipe out impact fees and kill the state's planning agency may be fading.


Loggerhead sea turtle

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"