Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 1-23-09

FEATURED STORIES

Shortsightedness could end Florida Forever
By Eugene M. Kelly
St. Pete Times
The Florida Native Plant Society recognizes the difficult decisions now facing our state as a result of severe budget shortfalls.

Click the Florida Forever logo to take urgent action now:


Panthers running out of range (includes video)
WBBH NBC News
Ft. Myers
Just hours into President Obama's time in office some local environmentalists are already reaching out for change.

Cranes touch down in St. Marks
By Nic Corbett
Tallahassee Democrat
Seven endangered whooping cranes guided by ultralight planes arrived Saturday morning at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, where they will spend the rest of the winter.

Tallahassee NAACP asks Gov. Crist to open probe into biomass deal
By Stephen D. Price
Tallahassee Democrat
The Tallahassee branch of the NAACP asked Gov. Charlie Crist to open an investigation of the proposed biomass plant, and of several players involved, including Florida State University President T.K. Wetherell.

Feds Intervene to Set Florida Water Quality Standards
Press Release
Common Dreams
In one of the final acts of the Bush administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would set "water quality standards for nutrients" for all Florida surface waters.



MORE GREEN NEWS

Everglades restoration could benefit from federal economic stimulus
By Eric Staats
Naples News
Everglades restoration planners are eyeing money from the federal economic stimulus to revive a sputtering rescue of the River of the Grass.

Firm: FPL hampers renewable-energy goals
By Eve Samples
Palm Beach Post
A subsidiary of one of the nation's largest garbage haulers claims Florida Power & Light Co. is thwarting lawmakers' efforts to encourage the use of renewable energy in Florida.

Dueling constitutional amendments: Developers versus voters for say in Florida's growth
Lauren Ritchie
Orlando Sentinel
Let's say Lake County commissioners lose their collective minds and approve a pig farm next door to your subdivision.

Crist in Favor of Bill Aimed at Protecting Springs
By Bruce Ritchie
The News Service of Florida
Gov. Charlie Crist is backing legislation intended to protect Florida's springs, saying they're an important part of the state's tourism economy.

EPA planning new cap on Florida river pollution
By Steve Patterson
Florida Times-Union
Saying Florida’s rivers and lakes are threatened by its growth, the federal government plans to set new limits on nitrogen and phosphorous allowed in waterways.

Manatee deaths in South Florida baffling
By David Fleshler
Palm Beach Post
Six manatees were killed by watercraft in Palm Beach County in 2008, a figure that ties the county record and mystifies conservation officials who had put more police on the water to protect the endangered mammals.

FPL presents solar farm proposal to commission
By Carl Mario Nudi
Bradenton Herald
Manatee County commissioners were very receptive Tuesday of Florida Power & Light’s proposed plans for a solar thermal farm next to its Parrish power plant.

Florida considering options for renewable energy targets
By Julie Patel
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Florida Public Service Commission recommended last week that one-fifth of Florida's energy supply come from solar and wind power and other renewable power sources by 2020.

Click the logo above to visit the International Crane Foundation.

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 1-16-09

FEATURED STORIES

Florida Forever's future cut short
Editorial
Miami Herald
Gov. Charlie Crist has some tough choices to make on the $1.2 billion in spending cuts approved by the Legislature Wednesday.

Is Florida Just One New Development Away From Environmental Ruin?
By Stan Cox
AlterNet
A thousand people a day move to Florida, but with development gone wild, the state's natural systems have passed the brink of sustainability.

New Navy sonar poses threat to right whales
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
Navy subs could one day play war games about 60 miles off Jacksonville, with sonic pings that environmental groups fear might ring a death knell for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Biomass Plant Opposition Mounts (includes video)
Reported by Julie Montanaro
WCTV News Tallahassee
Opposition to a proposed Biomass Plant in Tallahassee is mounting as neighborhoods, ministers and the NAACP add their names to the list.

Landowner says he'll sell rather than wait on state
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Environmental News
A Leon County landowner says he likely won't sell to the state now that the Legislature has cut its conservation land-buying program.




MORE GREEN NEWS

Gov. Crist addresses first climate change meeting
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Environmental News
Gov. Charlie Crist today told the inaugural meeting of the state Energy and Climate Commission that Florida has embarked on a "great path and challenge" in developing renewable energy and diversifying its fuel resources.

Florida's first commercial ethanol plant announced
Associated Press
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A Massachusetts biofuel company is teaming up with a Florida business to build the state's first commercial-scale ethanol plant, and says it should be up and running by 2011.

Report calls for ban on coal-waste storage in mines
By Renee Schoof
Miami Herald
A day after the nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency promised to look into the problem of coal ash storage in ponds such as the one that burst in Tennessee last month, a new report says another disposal strategy is just as dangerous: using the coal waste to fill in active or abandoned mines.

County reverses course on mining proposal
By Duane Marsteller
Bradenton Herald
County commissioners reversed course on a controversial mining proposal Thursday, giving Mosaic Co. the first set of county approvals it needs to unearth phosphate ore from the Altman Tract.

Preserve 'Florida Forever'
Editorial
Florida Today
You won’t find a more ecologically unique area in the nation than the Space Coast.

Legislative panel skeptical about global warming
By Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-Union
Proposals aimed at curbing Florida's greenhouse gas emissions led to skepticism about global warming from a key legislative committee Tuesday, highlighting potential trouble for the most significant environmental legislation expected in this year's regular session.

Senate panel questions nuke plant rate hike
By Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Trying to spur more nuclear power, Florida lawmakers in 2006 agreed to allow utility companies to pass along upfront costs of new nuclear plants to their customers.

Supreme Court ruling is a big win for Florida's water rights
Associated Press
Orlando Sentinel
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will let stand a lower-court ruling that threatens to unravel Georgia's long-term water plans for the Atlanta region, giving Florida and Alabama a pivotal victory in the states' long-running water wars.

State may have to raise taxes or walk away from $1.34 billion U.S. Sugar deal
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A declining economy could leave state officials facing a politically dicey decision in the $1.34 billion deal with U.S. Sugar Corp. - either raise taxes or walk away from the largest public land buy in Florida history.

State environmental regulators give go-ahead for nuclear plant
By Fred Hiers
Ocala Star-Banner
Progress Energy cleared one of its last hurdles Monday when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection gave the utility permission to continue with its plans for a 2,200 megawatt nuclear power plant in Levy County.

The end of forever
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Lawmakers evidently think that when it comes to budget cutting, all bets are off - even if it means ignoring a previous commitment to continue funding the state's highly successful, nationally recognized land-preservation program.

17 protesters arrested at Barley Barber swamp, demand FPL open area to the public
By Daphne Duret
Palm Beach Post
Deputies arrested 17 protesters on trespassing and resisting arrest charges Saturday near the Barley Barber swamp, where members of an activist group have camped out for nearly a week, demanding Florida Power & Light officials open the swamp to the public.

PSC sets targets for Florida renewable energy goals
By Julie Patel
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
About one-fifth of Florida's energy supply would come from renewable resources in about 11 years under a plan recommended Friday by the Florida Public Service Commission.

Progress Energy Rate Hikes Prompt Complaints
WESH News Orlando
Complaints are mounting Friday against one of the state's largest power companies as customers start seeing a new rate hike in their bills.

Congresswoman promises to jump-start Washington's commitment to Everglades restoration
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz pledged to make jump-starting Washington's floundering commitment to restore the Everglades her "personal responsibility" as she takes hold of Congressional purse strings for the second year in a row.

Florida's natural bounty being looted
By Carl Hiaasen
Miami Herald
Every day, hundreds of wild freshwater turtles are snatched from Florida's lakes and rivers, and shipped to Asia where they are butchered for food and folk remedies.

Exposing the Myth of Clean Coal Power
By Bryan Walsh
Time Magazine
If you paid any attention to last year's Presidential campaign, you'll remember ads touting the benefits of "clean coal" power, sponsored by the industry group American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

Obama seen as hope for Glades restoration
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Everglades projects are running years behind, cost estimates have ballooned by billions and political support has deeply eroded.

Fresh Hope for the Everglades
Editorial
New York Times
People who care about the Everglades have had little to cheer about over the last eight years.

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"

Support Florida Forever

Please read the urgent message below from Audubon of Florida and take action.



Senate Budget Cuts Florida Forever and Gopher Tortoise Mitigation

Florida Forever is the state's conservation land-buying program, which supports the acquisition of some of Florida's most important natural areas. It appears that the Senate is poised to suspend Florida Forever spending in the current fiscal year. It is not clear that the House will go along.
A statement released Wednesday night by Ways and Means Policy and Steering Committee Chair Senator JD Alexander read, "This was a difficult decision. I believe that Florida Forever is an excellent program; preserving state land is a worthwhile endeavor. However, we are in a budget crisis of unprecedented proportions. President Atwater charged us to question every state expenditure to determine if it was absolutely critical to the teaching, housing, feeding, transporting, protecting, caring or creating jobs for Floridians. Florida Forever is a good program, but it is not a critical program. In light of the reductions being taken in other areas of our state budget, I believe suspending funding for this fiscal year, is the best course of action. Every dollar saved means less cuts to education, healthcare, and other vital budget areas.”

Long-time Florida Forever friends in key leadership roles including Senator Lee Constantine and Senate President Jeff Atwater suggest that suspending Florida Forever spending will allow agencies to reappraise projects to make sure that the state is not paying too much. The Cabinet's last approved project, Promise Ranch, raised legislators' eyebrows when $7 million was committed for a conservation easement on an ecologically unranked project.

Audubon is working to limit the reach of the cuts to Florida Forever and hopes that legislators will back off cuts that would impact important and long-sought projects in the Florida Keys, the Lake Wales Ridge and other special places. “The savings legislators are seeking can be accomplished without sacrificing any of the good projects on the Florida Forever list,” said Eric Draper, Audubon of Florida’s Deputy Director.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Sign the petition to the Senate and Governor Crist, urging them to hold harmless the good projects on the Florida Forever List.

Among the cuts to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is the sweep of $5 million in gopher tortoise mitigation funds to general revenue. These dollars were the result of take permit fees for the entombment of gopher tortoises as previously permitted by the state. Historically these funds were used to acquire gopher tortoise habitat elsewhere to help mitigate the take of tortoises by land conversion. This is a troubling precedent in the world of mitigation, which only works when the regulated and conservation communities have a degree of trust that mitigation fees are not arbitrary and the funds will be used to replace lost natural resources. Read Audubon's letter on this issue to Governor Crist.

RELATED LINKS
Audubon of Florida
Florida Forever Land Acquisition Program
Gopher Tortoise Council

Wildwood Preservation Society is a member of the Support Florida Forever Coalition.



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"