Friday, June 15, 2012

Marco Rubio: helping ensure Florida's waters will be polluted forever ... by gimleteye

Amendments are being filed to the Farm Bill in the Senate right now. There are numerous amendments offered that would undermine the Clean Water Act.

Sen. Marco Rubio is offering his State Waters Partnership Act of 2012, which would stop EPA from developing numeric nutrient criteria in Florida. Text of the amendment is copied below.

Nutrients are what flow off the fields owned by billionaire sugar barons like the Fanjuls and wreck the Everglades. Sugar poisons people, poisons the Everglades and poisons democracy. There is a slim chance that the sugar subsidy program -- that funds so much destruction in American politics -- will be removed from the Farm Bill. Meanwhile, sugar is flexing its muscles to show that it can pollute whatever and whoever in Congress it wants to pollute.

To think: Marco Rubio is on a short list to be one step from the GOP nominee for president. What a disgrace: Florida's own Manchurian candidate.

Contact Senator Rubio yourself and tell him to keep his hands off EPA.

SA 2261. Mr. RUBIO submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 3240, to reauthorize agricultural programs through
2017, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:

On page 1009, after line 11, add the following:

SEC. 122___. NUMERIC NUTRIENT CRITERIA.

(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``State
Waters Partnership Act of 2012''.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(2) Florida amended rule.--The term ``Florida amended
rule'' means chapters 62 302 and 62 303 of the Florida
Administrative Code, as approved for adoption by the Florida
Environmental Regulation Commission on December 8, 2011, and
submitted on December 9, 2011, to the Florida Legislature for
ratification.
(3) January 14, 2009, determination.--The term ``January
14, 2009, determination'' means the determination issued by
the Administrator on January 14, 2009, under section
303(c)(4)(B) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1313(c)(4)(B)), regarding numeric nutrient criteria
for the State of Florida.
(4) Numeric nutrient criteria.--The term ``numeric nutrient
criteria'' means specific numerical criteria for any species
of nitrogen or phosphorus developed to meet the water quality
requirements of section 303 of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1313).
(c) Numeric Nutrient Criteria.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator shall not propose,
promulgate, or enforce any numeric nutrient criteria for any
stream, lake, spring, canal, estuary, or marine water of the
State of Florida based on the January 15, 2009, determination
until the Administrator makes a final determination in
accordance with section 303(c) of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1313(c)) regarding the Florida amended
rule.
(2) Withdrawal of regulations.--If the Administrator
determines under section 303(c) of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1313(c)) that the Florida
amended rule meets the requirements of that Act (33 U.S.C.
1251 et seq.)--
(A) the Administrator shall not enforce, and shall
withdraw, section 131.43 of title 40, Code of Federal
Regulations (or a successor regulation), in its entirety; and
(B) shall not propose or promulgate any numeric nutrient
criteria for any stream, lake, spring, canal, estuary, or
marine water of the State of Florida based on the January 14,

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a moderate Republican (which I think I would basically now be an Independent kind of like what happened to Crist) I am appalled at these Tea Party people.

I don't believe their original premise was to decimate the Environment, but that's where we are heading. Starting locally in Dade & the Florida legislature, now Federal messing around with local pollution issues!

Sugar subsidy's need to stop now. You cannot have it both ways. No regulations - fine (rhetorical), no subsidy's!

It's times like these, and as much as I cannot stand Harry Reid, I hope our Sen. Nelson and the Dem majority in the Senate stop this BS.

I understand the anti public Union position, but stop messing around with our Clean Water Act and the EPA. They're there for a reason to protect ALL American's, not just to piss off the Tea Party people and their benefactors!

I believe the whole lot of them have lost their collective minds; that's being generous! I too truly believe the majority of the Tea Party group have room temperature IQ's and so do the people who vote for these moron's!

And, one more thing, please stop quoting Reagan! None of the Tea Party politicians I've heard have near his back bone or finesse or skill because of the inability to work with others and work on solutions, not create more problems. Reagan would probably be in the same no mans land camp I feel like I'm in with this extremist nonsense.

A really pissed off, pro Environment Republican!

Anonymous said...

Oh come on! Don't steal that title from our Prez! Obama IS the Manchurian Candidate!

Anonymous said...

Marco Rubio please read Marjorie Stoneman Douglas "The River of Grass" before continuing your anti environmental stand for political reasons or whatever your stand is on our precious Everglades. She must have visioned that in over 50 years the environment would be in trouble because of thinkers like you. Its called GREED.