Still time to stop bad rock mining bill, in Tallahassee... by gimleteye

It's a wealthy industry that can afford, one legislative session after another, to impose its will on Florida: in this case, that would be rock mining.

In Miami Dade County, the rock miners have tried to cap their liability for the cost of new water treatment facilities serving the drinking water needs of 2 million residents, imposing the rest of the cost on taxpayers. Public officials have done nothing but serve the profits of industry and lobbyists, allowing rock mining to get too close to our wellfields.

Now something else is going on in Tallahassee: rock miners want to "pre-empt" decisions by local county commissions on whether, where, and under what conditions to locate new mines. Strange how industries are all for local control (how many times has Natacha Seijas blathered about "local control" from the dais?), until local control threatens to make life more difficult.

For more background:


Many civic and environmental groups are opposed to provisions in SB 2406 which, among other things, would pre-empt local controls, including comprehensive plans, affecting aggregate mining within their jurisdictions (See lines 158-168 for the preemption language.)

There is particular concern for the consequences of such a provision within the Everglades Agricultural Area in Palm Beach County, where Everglades restoration work is so critical, and in the Density Reduction Groundwater Recharge area of Lee County. Contact members of the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee before the next meeting at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, April 17, 2008. Ask that Section 3, which includes the pre-emption provisions, be removed from this bill.

Chair: Senator Burt L. Saunders (R) -- saunders.burt.web@flsenate.gov -- (850) 487-5124
Vice Chair: Senator Nan H. Rich (D) -- rich.nan.web@flsenate.gov -- 850) 487-5103
Senator Paula Dockery (R) -- dockery.paula.web@flsenate.gov -- (850) 487-5040
Senator Don Gaetz (R) -- gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov -- (850) 487-5009
Senator Dennis L. Jones, D.C. (R) -- jones.dennis.web@flsenate.gov-- (850) 487-5065
Senator Charlie Justice (D) -- justice.charlie.web@flsenate.gov-- (850) 487-5075

The bill's proposals are contrary to the Consensus Recommendations adopted by the Strategic Aggregate Review Task Force presented to the Legislature in February 2008.

After six weeks of meetings and presentations the 19 Task Force members, comprising multiple interests that included the industry, found that the facts do not support the claim that there is an aggregate unavailability crisis. FDOT could not identify a projected deficit of the material.

Task force member Richard Grosso wrote: “In short, the facts do not demonstrate that there is any need for the Legislature to intervene and disenfranchise local governments and citizens relative to one of the more intrusive and intensive land uses known to the state of Florida.”