We had a smaller but lively Labor Day meeting followed by several days of lively activities. Below is an account of the meeting, the following days of events, upcoming events and calls-to-action.
-FPL notes
-Mining in the EAA
-Lake Worth issues
-Urgent Action for Manatees
-Upcoming Events
-Turnpike Expansion
-PBCEC Business
-This month's 'Best Letter to the Editor'
We discussed our ongoing challenges to FPL and the Gulfstream pipeline. Our federal lawsuit and administrative challenge (respectively) are in the long, arduous process of the legal system. In the meantime, construction continues at the plant despite the lawsuits and lacking permits. Barry Silver wrote up a new petition which has been circulated at several events, gathering signatures of public officials and prominent people and public officials. Others have been presented with the information and petition, but refused thus far to commit their name in opposition to this monster. Others in the meeting had committed to using this petition to mobilize their families, friends and neighborhoods. So please bring completed petitions to the next meeting, October 1st, we will add interested people to our organizing list and send copies on to Tallahassee. Please contact Barry Silver to get an up-to-date list of these people
so you can follow up with them, or a copy of the petition
barryboca@aol.com.
Mining in the Everglades Ag Area: Despite successfully pushing for a more complete study that SFWMD's Ken Todd had to offer, the fight is NOT fully delayed. According the: "Rinker Materials won approval from the county's zoning advisory board last week to mine 3,000 acres… County commissioners will consider Rinker's proposal and the advisory board's decision on Sept. 27." –PB Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/pbccentral/content/local_news/epaper/2007/09/12/s3b_minereport_0912.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76Lake Worth Beach development- The city voted in favor of continuing it's lawsuits in defense of a bad beach development deal with Greater Bay developers, to add insult to injury, they have retained the law firm of former-attorney William Boose III (Masilotti's buddy). For details:
http://welovelakeworth.org/RO Wastewater Outfall- Victory! The Reverse Osmosis wastewater is being sent back the drawing board. Check for updates at:
http://www.reef-rescue.org/New LW Powerplant- This was also, thankfully, pulled from the agenda for further review. Please keep posted for upcoming public workshop on this one.
Urgent action needed for Manatees ASAP
http://www.savethemanatee.org/It appears there may have been a victory today in delaying the de-listing. But please stay vigilant.. check with Save the Manatee Club for updates.
Alternative Energy Festival, Stuart, Martin County, September 15th 11-5pm at Knowledge Tree Bookstore… with a focus on grassroots efforts.
http://www.knowledgetreecenter.com/KnowledgeTreeBooks/index.htmlNational Park(ing) Day.. [link] join PBCEC participants in celebrating National Park(ing) Day - Friday, September 21, 2007 – This is a series of public art projects nationwide to celebrate parks and promote the need for more parks in America's cities.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=21695&folder_id=985One will be on Clematis in downtown West Palm, in front of Starbucks (for details, contact:
Lisa.Welch@tpl.org) The other will be on the FAU Boca Campus, for these details contact:
nolleson@gmail.comSTOP Turnpike Expansion, Sept. 20th 5:30 pm Open House, at PGA National Resort and Spa, 400 Avenue of Champions, 6:30pm Public Hearing for the DOT to gather input on this ridiculous idea of using transportation money for expanding roadways to accommodate more
traffic, emit more greenhouse gas and road-kill more wildlife at the expense of expanding public transit and improving existing infrastructure… You can direct disappointment, anger and frustration at:
mike.vanderheyden@dot.state.fl.us or call him at 954-975-4855 ext 3433
September 29th Forum on Energy Issues in South Florida, Jensen Beach, Martin County. This event will pose the question: "Is nuclear power a safe alternative to climate-changing fossil fuels?" with presentations on local nuke and fossil fuel proposals and the viable alternatives to both. At the Jensen Beach Community Center. Contact:
EvergladesEarthFirst@gmail.com for details
PBCEC business:Meeting Location: we're stayin' at Pegasus for the now.. we discussed pros and cons of the location. the pros of centrality and decent dinner options won out over the cons of having to order something (which we were requested to do, understandably.. at least a drink, appetizer or desert) and the fact that they served veal (which arose some concerns about inhumane farming practices.) We agreed to keep ourselves responsible to supporting the business during our meetings and also addressing the ethical concerns that were expressed about veal to the owner and manager.
Finanaces & Fundraising: the PBCEC continues to scrape by, mostly with the support of participants' generous donations. We could certainly use a little more financial security--which could come with a combination of more vigorous fundraising and some successful grant writing—but will require some skill and dedication in that arena. For the time being, we have two new small fundraising efforts that we are promting: (1) our new stickers finally came in, which display the classic slogan: "LEAVING FLORIDA? TAKE A DEVELOPER" suggested donation of $1 a piece and (2) An '08 Full Size activist calendar from the Syracuse Cultural Workers with art and photos of environmental and social issues around the world, $15 each (great holiday season gift!) Some fundraising goals for the future: a bi-annual
newsletter/donations-request mailing; a website or blog page with paypal account; and grant-friendly youth-oriented education/outreach projects.
Best recent letter to the editor"Remember: Nuclear power isn't really so clean and safe"
Monday, September 10, 2007
This letter is concerning recent articles about the expansion of FPL's Hutchinson Island plant and the subsequent protest that took place last week in Jensen Beach. With all the anxiety about global warming, people seem most worried about how battling the problem will affect
their ability to maintain their "current lifestyle."
Ever since Gov. Charlie Crist announced his environmental goals for Florida — and even well before that — nuclear power has been seen as a viable option. Nuclear doesn't emit CO2, after all. Nuclear power does, however, emit ionized radiation, Strontium-90, and liquid tritium — all of which have been directly linked to cancer (particularly cancer in children). Few people seem to remember a few years back when health investigators found 28 cases of brain and central nervous system cancer in children in the St. Lucie County area. The area was referred to as a "cancer cluster" and FPL faced litigation from two families who claimed their children were affected by emissions.
Just last month, the Hutchinson plant had to shut down one of its reactors to replace a coolant-pump seal, which was leaking radioactive water inside a containment unit. And last year, the St. Lucie plant experienced both a tritium leak (tritium is linked to childhood
leukemia) and "exceeded its maximum power level," which means it may have overheated.
Three accidents in the course of one year; just because none of them led to the next Chernobyl doesn't mean that they're not an indication of just how dangerous things could get.
Moreover, we shouldn't need a nuclear holocaust before we say "no" to nuclear. We already have a silent holocaust called cancer. Embracing nuclear power just to appear eco-friendly in the face of global warming is like teaming up with Jack the Ripper to stop Ted Bundy —
either way, you're going to get killed.
Hope Freid
Port St. Lucie"
