There is only so much room in a newspaper column to hold readers' attention. In the Sunday column, read Carl Hiaasen struggle with that limitation.
In "Muddying the waters far from home", Hiaasen vents on the idiotic move by Gov. Rick Scott and AG Pam Biondi for pushing taxpayers to support litigation against the legality of the cleanup in Chesapeake Bay.
Hiaasen has about enough room to explain that Florida's biggest polluters recruited Scott and Biondi to their cause: "Scott and Biondi don't care. Both are up for re-election this year, and are banking on hefty donations from developers and Big Agriculture. That's the only reason they stuck their noses into this lawsuit."
Then, he ran out of room.
There is one other reason Scott and Biondi jumped to the polluters' defense. Republicans in Florida toe the party line: hate the federal government and especially the US EPA. Florida environmentalists have, for years, sued the federal government because both the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers have failed to protect Florida's water quality and Everglades.
Scott and Biondi are suing the EPA because, I am guessing, the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint affords federal agencies the powers to fix what is wrong and what the state can't fix itself. Wouldn't it be horrible if there was a precedent that actually gave oxygen to Florida's asphyxiated waters and environmental movement?
You see, Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP don't want to fix environmental problems like nutrient pollution that is destroying waterways, estuaries and wrecking billions of dollars of real estate values -- including property also owned by Republicans! They want to do the absolutely minimum to maintain the appearance of doing the right thing.
That means giving the state the right to pre-empt federal rules AND local regulations.
Hiaasen concluded, "Pay no attention to our clueless governor and attorney general. We try not to." In fact we do pay attention. Someday we hope voters will, too.
In "Muddying the waters far from home", Hiaasen vents on the idiotic move by Gov. Rick Scott and AG Pam Biondi for pushing taxpayers to support litigation against the legality of the cleanup in Chesapeake Bay.
Hiaasen has about enough room to explain that Florida's biggest polluters recruited Scott and Biondi to their cause: "Scott and Biondi don't care. Both are up for re-election this year, and are banking on hefty donations from developers and Big Agriculture. That's the only reason they stuck their noses into this lawsuit."
Then, he ran out of room.
There is one other reason Scott and Biondi jumped to the polluters' defense. Republicans in Florida toe the party line: hate the federal government and especially the US EPA. Florida environmentalists have, for years, sued the federal government because both the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers have failed to protect Florida's water quality and Everglades.
Scott and Biondi are suing the EPA because, I am guessing, the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint affords federal agencies the powers to fix what is wrong and what the state can't fix itself. Wouldn't it be horrible if there was a precedent that actually gave oxygen to Florida's asphyxiated waters and environmental movement?
You see, Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP don't want to fix environmental problems like nutrient pollution that is destroying waterways, estuaries and wrecking billions of dollars of real estate values -- including property also owned by Republicans! They want to do the absolutely minimum to maintain the appearance of doing the right thing.
That means giving the state the right to pre-empt federal rules AND local regulations.
Hiaasen concluded, "Pay no attention to our clueless governor and attorney general. We try not to." In fact we do pay attention. Someday we hope voters will, too.
6 comments:
Maybe Audubon & the Everglades Foundation will be a bit more careful with their adoration for Rick Scott throwing a small band aide on Everglades restoration instead of holding out and putting more pressure on him.
The last line of his article says it all.
In my mind, Carl has lost his luster. He is an "I-Got-Miner" meaning he has his but he doesn't want anybody else to have anything. Even though he may proclaim to be anti-development, when he was a resident of Lower Matecumbe Key, Florida Keys, he had to get a variance in order to build his gym, studio, and office. That stinks of development by increasing the footprint of your property. There were plenty of places to occupy for your workout and your writing Carl.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan. I'm just a little cautious on his true motivations.
Carl also is a big supporter of the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association. The FKFGA wants to limit recreational access to Florida Bay while maintaining access for those privileged few that can afford to pay somebody to take them fishing in protected areas. Shameful Carl.
Bet ya there is a quid pro quo. Scott helps out polluters up there and in return Chesapeake Bay polluters come down to Florida and help fund his campaign and polluter efforts down here. Watch the money and PACs.
But the hypocrisy is amazing in that GOP Bill recently passed in Florida and signed by Scott made it easier to hit environmental groups with attorney fees and costs if they lose. The idea is to chill environmental groups from bringing cases against polluters because as non-profits their funds are limited. No worry for Scott-Bondi getting hit for similar attorney fees and costs as losers in this litigation on Chesapeake Bay (if there is a similar provision up there to Florida's in this litigation, which I doubt as Florida is a leader in supporting polluters) WE THE PEOPLE will pay the bill!
As Hiaasen would say 'only in Florida, fact stranger than fiction, can not make this up'.
The same corporate control creating the situation we face here in Florida is no different than the invasion and occupation of nations for their resources. Ripping and stripping what Florida has to offer is no different than what they do all around the world. We have been taken over and I don't think an election will cure it.
You might be right. Miami is Florida's chop shop.
Local control is always better than the bureaucrats in Washington
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