My morning weekend walk is a place where I can see and contemplate the effects of sea level rise. On a narrow, unimproved trail through the mangroves what is visible is the movement of mangrove seedlings upland. In other words, the higher tides are rapidly pushing the mangrove front across the trail to higher ground. This is not imagination or speculation.
As hard as it is to reconcile the movement of small mangroves seedlings with the eventual threat to the entire south Florida economy, so it is difficult to match the slow, plodding dispute between the US EPA and Miami-Dade county water managers over billions in needed infrastructure improvements with the plan by FPL to build two new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, costing now somewhere around $30 billion.
One way to frame the problem: if water managers are now acknowledging in public policies (forced by a federal lawsuit) that sea level rise is a clear and present danger to the operation of wastewater treatment facilities -- through which, by the way, South Florida could become uninhabitable long before flood waters reach homes and businesses -- then why has FPL managed to manoever its permitting for the two new nuclear reactors without even so much as a nod to facts related to the impacts of sea level rise on its rate base in Florida?
The answer is that FPL -- notwithstanding its management of political access up to and including the White House -- and its executives are paid millions and millions to look the other way. This accounts for the startling, slow as molasses way that government is reacting to climate change.
Sea level rise could threaten Miami facilities
Climate scientists: Rising sea levels could threaten Miami-Dade's most vital facilities
Associated Press – Mon, Mar 11, 2013
MIAMI (AP) -- Three major sewage plants in South Florida could be reduced to shrinking islands in less than 50 years due to climate change, according to a group of climate scientists.
The scientists believe rising sea level will threaten some of the region's most vital facilities. It will also flood land, streets and neighborhoods nearby, The Miami Herald reported Sunday.
The scenario was drawn up by five experts from the University of Miami, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University retained by Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper. The clean-water advocacy group is challenging Miami-Dade's $1.5 billion plan to repair the county's troubled sewage system.
Most of the money would go toward repairing the county's aging, spill-plagued sewage system. Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper contends it would make more sense to move the plants to more protected inland sites.
"At some point, and I hope it's this year, Miami-Dade government and everybody has to start truly recognizing that we're in for it, that this is coming," University of Miami geology professor Harold Wanless told the paper.
The scientists believe the plants in coastal Southern Miami-Dade, North Miami and Virginia Key would remain dry for several more decades — but could be damaged by a two-foot rise in the sea level projected to arrive in less than 50 years.
The county Water and Sewage Department drafted its proposal under the pressure of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lawsuit and potentially millions in fines. However, the plan doesn't contain any information about dealing with flooding tides, storm surge and other environmental and climate change risks.
Wanless hopes the data will result in changes before the final plan is sealed.
University of Miami atmospheric science professor Brian Solden said many communities will face difficult and expensive decisions in South Florida as sea levels continue to rise. Even a one foot increase in Miami Beach could worsen high tide flooding there and inundate much of South Miami-Dade.
"If you look at downtown Miami, where all the new places have gone up, all the new condominiums, the billions going in there, those places are at some of the lowest levels," Soden told the paper. "It's a broader impact all of South Florida is going to be facing sooner or later. Right now, a lot of people are choosing not to look at it."
The deputy director of the county water and sewer department defended the plans. Doug Yoder said they are addressing the most pressing concersn and in a cost-effect manner and could build another plant in another 20 or 30 years if needed.
As hard as it is to reconcile the movement of small mangroves seedlings with the eventual threat to the entire south Florida economy, so it is difficult to match the slow, plodding dispute between the US EPA and Miami-Dade county water managers over billions in needed infrastructure improvements with the plan by FPL to build two new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, costing now somewhere around $30 billion.
One way to frame the problem: if water managers are now acknowledging in public policies (forced by a federal lawsuit) that sea level rise is a clear and present danger to the operation of wastewater treatment facilities -- through which, by the way, South Florida could become uninhabitable long before flood waters reach homes and businesses -- then why has FPL managed to manoever its permitting for the two new nuclear reactors without even so much as a nod to facts related to the impacts of sea level rise on its rate base in Florida?
The answer is that FPL -- notwithstanding its management of political access up to and including the White House -- and its executives are paid millions and millions to look the other way. This accounts for the startling, slow as molasses way that government is reacting to climate change.
Sea level rise could threaten Miami facilities
Climate scientists: Rising sea levels could threaten Miami-Dade's most vital facilities
Associated Press – Mon, Mar 11, 2013
MIAMI (AP) -- Three major sewage plants in South Florida could be reduced to shrinking islands in less than 50 years due to climate change, according to a group of climate scientists.
The scientists believe rising sea level will threaten some of the region's most vital facilities. It will also flood land, streets and neighborhoods nearby, The Miami Herald reported Sunday.
The scenario was drawn up by five experts from the University of Miami, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University retained by Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper. The clean-water advocacy group is challenging Miami-Dade's $1.5 billion plan to repair the county's troubled sewage system.
Most of the money would go toward repairing the county's aging, spill-plagued sewage system. Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper contends it would make more sense to move the plants to more protected inland sites.
"At some point, and I hope it's this year, Miami-Dade government and everybody has to start truly recognizing that we're in for it, that this is coming," University of Miami geology professor Harold Wanless told the paper.
The scientists believe the plants in coastal Southern Miami-Dade, North Miami and Virginia Key would remain dry for several more decades — but could be damaged by a two-foot rise in the sea level projected to arrive in less than 50 years.
The county Water and Sewage Department drafted its proposal under the pressure of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lawsuit and potentially millions in fines. However, the plan doesn't contain any information about dealing with flooding tides, storm surge and other environmental and climate change risks.
Wanless hopes the data will result in changes before the final plan is sealed.
University of Miami atmospheric science professor Brian Solden said many communities will face difficult and expensive decisions in South Florida as sea levels continue to rise. Even a one foot increase in Miami Beach could worsen high tide flooding there and inundate much of South Miami-Dade.
"If you look at downtown Miami, where all the new places have gone up, all the new condominiums, the billions going in there, those places are at some of the lowest levels," Soden told the paper. "It's a broader impact all of South Florida is going to be facing sooner or later. Right now, a lot of people are choosing not to look at it."
The deputy director of the county water and sewer department defended the plans. Doug Yoder said they are addressing the most pressing concersn and in a cost-effect manner and could build another plant in another 20 or 30 years if needed.
3 comments:
Leap of Faith: The executives at FPL, Duke Power, etc. are not stupid, and really do know customers in much of the rest of the world, including those in our SW states are now enjoying competitively SOLAR power.
But sadly, giving them that benefit of doubt forces us to conclude that their persistent attempts to force customers and the federal government into ponying up money for nuke plants is simply a grab for more money under rules of status quo, hoping they can hang onto their share values for just a little while longer.
Either that- for which they should be indicted, tried and convicted for misfeasance to the public and their shareholders, or they are incredibly stupid and need to be ousted for gross incompetence.
First unfortunately, we may need to elect some adults (Democrats) to Tallahassee who can do things without ALEC's (GOP's employers) approval. And that will be very tough, given the gerrymandering and voting screw ups with which we must live.
StPete
Anyone that believes solar power is a commercially viable technology for base load in it's current state is not knowledgeable on the subject matter to debate.
Could it be that the authorities that make decisions about nuclear power plant siting are relying on real science when it comes to global warming and sea level rise rather that the alarmist voodoo pseudo-science of the left?
David, have you viewed the sea level rise maps tied to LIDAR IMAGERY? Oh well. 99 percent of climate scientists agree on sea level rise data. Leftist voodoo? Hardly.
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