Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham says the Department of Environmental Protection’s early response to the Mosaic sinkhole was inadequate. The outgoing lawmaker is raising concerns as she considers a 2018 gubernatorial bid.
Although the state’s environmental regulatory agency is issuing daily updates now, U.S. Representative Gwen Graham says the records returned to her office don’t show any agency emails about the spill until September 15. The company notified state officials in late August.
“If this is the sum total of the communication that went on between DEP and the governor’s office over this massive potential contamination,” Graham says, “Florida families have a lot to be concerned about.”
The sinkhole opened up in a gypsum stack at a Polk County fertilizer plant owned by Mosaic. It’s prompted new regulations requiring 24 hour notice for similar spills.
