If you want to understand just how polluted Florida politics are today, understand this: at the same time the jackasses are lobbying to kill of the federal government's ability to control water pollution in Florida (Marco Rubio), the Florida legislature is moving a bill through whose effect will be to kill off local rules and regulations. What the big polluters-- like Big Sugar-- want, is simple: to determine the point of maximum leverage in government to evade pollution rules. In this case, it is the state legislature but in others, like growth management, it will be where the worst damage is done: local county commissions. Here's how friendly the legislature has been to polluters: when in 2002 Big Sugar decided it had the power to re-write the federal settlement agreement governing its pollution of the Everglades, it hired more lobbyists than Florida senators to paper its trail. Of course, a federal judge rebuked the state, in one of the harshest rulings in US jurisprudence history, but not before the politicians had gotten off scott-free. A decade has passed, and the injury has still not been fixed. Today anything that can be tagged a "job killer" is being used to destroy environmental protection rules. It is a horror show in Tallahassee including the most radical extremist governor in state history.
The group United Waterfowlers is not so blatant. After all, a bunch of hunters and fishermen probably voted for the jackasses. So they take a more benign tone: "For the Angler and Hunter, each trip out to a favorite river or wetland is a lesson in ecology..." This is a fact, and it is why I became involved in environmental issues in Florida almost 40 years ago. Read the entire text of its message, explaining why you should pick up the phone and call this morning: if you care about your water, read the following and make your calls!
The Florida Senate Ag Committee meets TODAY on SB606
Please Contact by noon Monday, March 7, 2011
The Senate Ag committee needs to hear from Sportsmen... It's a simple message... Vote NO on SB606
SB606 would eliminate local government's ability to create ordinaces to address local impaired water issues regarding use of lawn fertilizer. This is NOT an Agricultural issue Local rule is a founding principal Vote NO on SB606
Senate Agriculture Committee phones, emails:
Chair: Senator Gary Sipin (D), 850-487-5190 siplin.gary.web@flsenate.gov,
Vice Chair: Senator Larcenia Bullard (D)850-487-5127 bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator J.D. Alexander, 850-487-5044 alexander.jd.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator Rene Garcia (R), 850-487-5106, garcia.rene.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator Alan Hays (R), 850-487-5014 hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator Bill Montford (D), 850-487-5004 montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov:
Nutrient pollution threatens our surface waters and our groundwater. Wetlands filter nutrients from stormwater. But our remaining wetlands are being taxed with removing more nutrients than they can handle and many of these wetlands are in sad shape.
The FDACS TURF FERTILIZER RULE is too WEAK and FDEP BMPS fall short where impaired waters are present.
TURF FERTILIZER IS NOT AN AG ISSUE. Lobbyists want to make it an agriculture issue...ask yourself why?
25% of fertilizer sold in Florida is non-ag. Most of that is Turf ferilizer. Turf fertilizer is still a HUGE issue.
And because stormwater run-off in many areas flows directly into rivers and lakes, the fertilizer we use on our lawns ends up in our lakes, streams and marshes.
Delicate and vital Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV), among the natural food sources for waterfowl, is disappearing due to turbid, nutrient laden water, lack of dissolved oxygen, and the lack of light for photosynthesis. Excess nutrients spur invasive plant and algal growth in surface water. These invasive plants and algae become dominant in our marshes, choking out native vegetation and often times result in reduced dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Rotting of excess vegetation and algae use up oxygen in the water and create "dead zones". The algae cloud the water and also create biomass (muck) which coats sandy lakebeds and marsh bottoms that game fish need to spawn. Additionally, important food sources in the food web which ducks and other birds and fish rely on are disappearing along with the SAV. Macroinvertibrates and other small organisms, fresh water shrimp, other small crustaceans, mollusks and bait fish need the natural SAV for survival. SAV provides food and a relatively safe habitat for these small creatures to flourish and grow. When SAV is lost to invasive growth, many of these small organisms are lost as well. Waterfowl need carbohydrates and protein for their migration. Lack of food plants and these organisms in their diet stresses the birds, and adversely affects migration. Ducks spend more time searching for food and less time courting and pairing. Similar stresses occur in snipe and non-game birds. Diversity in fish communities, bait fish and game fish are lost as these food sources disappear.
The presence of excess nutrients from runoff constitutes one of the most significant wetland habitat issues we have specific to water quality in Florida.
Local rule is one of the founding principles of our nation. It was meant to address these very things where local insight is needed, or where the state or the Federal government lack insight or refuse to address problems like this, the issue can be (and should be) addressed locally.
The FDACS TURF FERTILIZER RULE is too WEAK and FDEP BMPS fall short where impaired waters are present.
This is where local governments MUST step in and write ordinances to address local issues with their impaired waters.
So on the one hand you have entities of the state wanting to tell local governments what they can and can't do while sueing the EPA for sticking their nose into state business.
SB606/HB457 gives the appearance that some lawmakers (and IFAS) would rather protect the interests of the lawn turf fertilizer industry at the expense of the tourism industry in Florida and at the expense of clean water
Many of the jobs being protected by this bill are out of state jobs
The Fishing/Hunting/Outdoor tourism industry in Florida is 100% pure Florida jobs
You voted NO last year...why change?
Vote NO on SB606/HB457 for Florida Clean Water and Jobs
The relative Scale:
Leaching Sources of Nitrogen and Nitrates
Inputs of nitrogen to the Wekiva Basin and nitrate loadings to the River - WSA phase II study (MACTEC phase II WSA final report, March 2010)
This chart shows the relative results of the WSA phase II study. Leaching of nutrients from residential fertilizers (15%) vs. Septic tanks (26%). Septic tank loading (OSTDS) equaled loading from Agriculture fertilizer (26%) in an area with significant agricultural land use.
There are other studies that indicate leachate of nutrients from septic tanks and run-off of stormwater along the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon are entering those water bodies as well, altering algal communities and killing native submerged grasses important to fish and migrating ducks.
BTW, this was "Phase II" because the up-roar over the "Phase I" numbers was significant. Both SJRWMD and IFAS had input to the Phase II study.
1 comment:
I know for a fact that David Rivera was funded by Big Sugar and that is the only reason our Top Cop gave up the investigation over to the State. Since Marco Rubio and David Rivera are such good buddys, of course Big Sugar propelled them to the Capitol and with the purpose of maximizing their profits with the Representative and Senator's help.
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