House and Senate leaders say are patting themselves on the back for writing a new statewide water policy and spending more to restore the Everglades. But environmentalists are giving the 2016 session mixed reviews.
The session began on an environmental note with both chambers agreeing to a massive rewrite of state water policy. Republican Senator Charlie Dean of Inverness rode herd on the bill for his chamber. A retired country sheriff, Dean is better known for consensus building than soaring oratory.
“This bill has been a work in progress for the past three years. We finally have an agreement between the Senate and the House that is ready for passage.”
Sponsors are congratulating themselves for tightening pollution standards and dealing with water shortages in Central Florida. But they’re giving themselves too much credit, says the Florida Springs Council’s Robert Palmer. He says the bill is full of loopholes. For example, it says groundwater withdraws don’t have to be measured if the pipe is less than eight inches in diameter.
“You can have a six-inch pipe, you could pump a million gallons a day through a six-inch pipe, and you wouldn’t be required to meter that because it’s not an eight-inch pipe. It’s just silly.”
Republican leaders were so eager for a quick bill-signing ceremony, they didn’t allow changes on the floor. House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford of West Palm Beach tried to add a key goal for the Springs Council. His amendment would have led to limits on the amount of groundwater that can be pumped from a single water management district.
“Permits are analyzed individually. Cumulative effects are discounted. Actual data on water flows are ignored in favor of model predictions. There is an inherent bias towards granting permits for economic reasons. “
Audubon of Florida executive director Eric Draper says the legislation gives regulators more power to enforce pollution standards.
“One of the things we’re happy about in the water bill was that it toughens up the enforcement requirements for the practices farmers use fertilizing their fields and with animals. It also required enforcement of the overall cleanup plans. “
Lawmakers budgeted money for agricultural inspectors to make sure “best management practices,” are working, Draper says.
Republican Senator Garrett Richter of Naples argued his industry-backed fracking bill was another favor for the environment. It created permitting program for hydraulic fracturing and he says gave regulators a power they lack. Richter also called energy production a national priority.
“I believe that we as a state and we as a country should do everything possible that we can do to increase the amount of resources, energy resources, that we have.”
Protesters flooded the capital and the bill died in a dramatic showdown in Senate Appropriations. At a time when lead poisoned drinking water dominates the headlines, Republican Anitere Flores of Miami wasn’t willing to promote more oil and gas drilling in Florida.
“It just leaves us with too many unanswered questions as to what does fracking mean for our environment? What does fracking mean for our children?”
Republican Representative Matt Caldwell of North Fort Myers thinks landowners should be able to lay claim to state property abutting their land if they agree to give up development rights. Environmentalists dropped their opposition when he agreed not to allow land conservation money to be spent on pumps and pipes.
Legislative leaders agreed to spend 280 million dollars for Everglades restoration and addressing pollution in the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucy Rivers. Under the budget just approved by Governor Rick Scott, land acquisition will rise from 60 million dollars to 90 million dollars. But Sierra Club lobbyist David Cullen says it’s a far cry from the days Florida spent 300 million a year.
“Those are substantial dollar figures but I don’t believe that the environmental community is anywhere near satisfied.”
But, Cullen says, there’s always next year.
