Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition

"Defend this Forest" Documentary Trailor Released!

2011-10-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Serving as a microcosm for what's happening to the entire planet, this film tells the story of a dedicated group of activists striving to fend off the destruction of a 700-acre forest to make way for a biotech park. The first round of permits were issured to make way for Scripps' biotech research park, and for construction of surrounding housing and retail development in the watershed of the Northeast Everglades bioregion. On Valentine's Day, 2011, member of Everglades Earth First! began what became a six-week tree sit with a huge banner visible, "DEFEND THIS FOREST". The banner, visible to thousands of commuters daily along I-95, became the symbol of a resistance that would inspire a new era in environmental action in the state of Florida.

To learn a more in depth account of scripps, watch this
brief video from Everglades Earth First!

Mourning the Loss of a Fallen Warrior

2011-10-14T17:04:00.000-07:00


Endangered Florida Scrub Jay atop Ellen's hat

Ellen Peterson, 87, of Estero, Florida passed away on October 14th, 2011. She was a fierce advocate for wilderness devoting over 4 decades of her life to environmental protection. She served on many boards and advisory committees such as: the Agency for Bay Management, the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, Save Our Creeks, the Responsible Growth Management Coalition, The Everglades Committee, the Environmental Peace and Education Center and the Sierra Club's Calusa Group. Ellen founded the Calusa group over 30 years ago and remained the chairperson until her death.

Along with others, Ellen was personally responsible for saving one of the most beautiful places in all of Florida, Fisheating Creek. She has stood as a guardian of Florida’s waterways.

Ellen fought to save the Florida panther, heritage trees, and many other listed and endangered species. She succeeded in obtaining outstanding Florida waterways designations for many of our local rivers and streams, providing them higher levels of protection. With the help of several environmental groups, Ellen fought and won the battle to stop a coal-fired power plant from going into Glades County.

She protested and picketed against nuclear plants and was arrested for civil disobedience. She created a presentation to save the Imperial River and was successful in preventing the Water Management District from eliminating the oxbows, an action which could have destroyed much of the river, such as killing off fish hatcheries during flood events.

Ellen herself was threatened on many occasions, and at least one attempt was made on her life. Even so she pressed forward and continued her good works. She continually fought to protect several of our local beaches and islands. With the backing of several local environmental groups, Ellen filed suit against the developers who wanted to overbuild and destroy our density-reduction ground water resource area. She was responsible for involving a scientist whom Lee County would later hire to do water quality testing. This scientist discovered that our red tides were directly linked to the releases from the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee.

Ellen Peterson was a fierce, protective voice for all living creatures on Earth: human, animal, and plant. She championed many social causes, such as equal rights for women and fair wages for farm workers. She advocated for those who could not speak for themselves. Her absence is profound. She will be grieved for and missed. While the environmental community has suffered a great loss with her passing, we are inspired by her courage, her bright sense of humor, her compassion and her absolute dedication to service. Ellen is our hero!

Ellen wanted two going-away celebrations to be held: one in Estero and one at Fisheating Creek. Public invitations to these celebrations will be announced as soon as all of the arrangements have been made.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Happehatchee Center, P.O. Box 345 Estero, Florida 33929-0345 or Save Our Creeks, P.O. Box 135, Palmdale, Florida 33944.

Her passing was also commemorated on the Everglades Commons and News-Press of southwest Florida. And as late as last week, her strong and passionate voice was still being heard, as she called for the resignation of Florida Audubon’s Eric Draper, who recently sold out Nicodemus Slough (in the Fisheating Creek watershed) and has been running the supposed conservation organization in service of energy companies, rock miners, cattle ranchers and their political lackeys. Read her full letter and see a video of Eric Draper kissing Jeb Bush’s ass on behald of FPL.

Ellen Peterson: Florida Audubon off mission and something must change

2011-10-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

Below is an editorial Ellen submitted regarding Eric Draper and the Florida Audobon Society:

Florida Audubon is so far from its core mission under the leadership of Executive Director Eric Draper, that either he or the organization should go.

Mr. Draper's letter supporting Lykes Brothers' plan for the conversion of Nicodemus Slough into a shallow holding tank for industrial-strength polluted water from Lake Okeechobee shows his true colors. He will sacrifice the migratory roosting site of the rare swallow-tail kites, caracara nesting sites and other habitat in the Everglades to support his power base, Lykes Brothers and other developers.

Supporting development projects regardless of the environmental cost has been a strong pattern of Mr. Draper. He and Lykes Brothers are the authors of the placement of dams in Fisheating Creek, formerly the last unimpeded waterway in South Florida. Local environmental advocates fighting development are often faced with this question from their commissioners: "Why doesn't Florida Audubon object to this?"

One can speculate: Why does Mr. Draper curry favor from large wealthy landowners? Is he going to want their continued support to make another run for agriculture commissioner? Is the Lykes Brothers-connected member of the Florida Audubon board of directors paying his salary?

What is clear is that under Draper's leadership, Florida Audubon has moved its mission from preserving and restoring natural habitats to industrializing them and calling it a victory. Draper boldly stated to the newspaper that the Nicodemus Slough project represents a "very sound investment in storing and cleaning water."

In fact, it is a step backwards for water quality, quantity and the environment.

The amount of water to be stored is so small that neither Lake Okeechobee nor the Caloosahatchee will benefit, but the loss of over 16,000 acres of wildlife habitat will be forever. The 11 billion gallons of projected storage are equal to only one day of high flow on the Caloosahatchee River during peak discharge. A new downstream point source of pollution will be created for receiving Lee County waters!
As for Lake Okeechobee, there is no plan to clean the water or return it to the lake. The amount taken from this 730 square mile lake is insignificant. Between drought and over-allocation, will there ever be enough water to store at Nicodemus Slough?

As for benefiting Fisheating Creek, there is no connection to Fisheating Creek since the Herbert Hoover Dike severed this arm of the creek from its natural flow.

Nicodemus Slough was once so important to the state of Florida that it was part of a public "Save Our Rivers" purchase from Lykes. It is currently identified as a top priority for Florida Forever funds and was a park open to the public. It was later horse-traded back to Lykes in a deal without meaningful public input.

Now the public will pay three times for this ill-advised project: first for the loss of the environment, second for initial and ongoing costs, and third, when Lykes gets the infrastructure back at the end of the 10-year lease.

Decades of ditching, diking and damming have only led us to the need for more. SFWMD should have learned from its dismal track record of failed environmental interventions. If state efforts and resources were put toward cleaning up water pollution at its source rather than sacrificing downstream environments, then real solutions to these problems could be found.

Creating unnatural impoundments got us here in the first place. Let's send SFWMD back to the drawing board and save Nicodemus Slough.

"If A Tree Falls" documentary on the ELF playing in Boca all week

2011-09-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Starting Friday, September 2nd, the film If a Tree Falls, on the Earth Liberation Front, will be screening at FAU's Living Room Theaters. There are currently no other screenings scheduled for FL, so don't miss it!

Directions and details on Living Room Theaters

Times of Film Showings:

Friday, Sept. 2
2:50pm / 5pm / 7:40pm / 9:30pm

Saturday
12:40pm / 2:50pm / 5pm / 7:40pm / 9:30pm

Sunday
12:40pm / 2:50pm / 5pm / 7:40pm / 9:30pm

Monday
12:40pm / 2:50pm / 5pm / 7:40pm / 9:30pm

Tuesday
5pm / 7:40pm / 9:30pm

Wednesday
5pm / 7:40pm / 9:30pm

Thursday
5pm / 7:40pm / 9:30pm

Scripps supplier, Primate Products, under investigation for misuse of tax dollars

2011-07-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

Developer lobbyist Lisa Maxwell aims to fill shoes of disappeared dolphin dealing mayor in Lake Worth special election

2011-06-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

When former Lake Worth Mayor Rene Varela resigned last month, over email, with a days notice, his parting gift to the city was a special election to fill his role. The election is set for June 28, 2011.

And there is a familiar candidate on the coming ballot. Lisa Maxwell, who ran for a commission seat last year, is in the race for Mayor.

Maxwell is a former lobbyist for the Builders Association and employee of Miami-based Lennar Corp., one of South Florida's largest builders.

If that doesn't give you enough of an idea where her priorities and allegiances are, then you can have a look at her financial reports from last year and see proof of donations she received from controversial business Southern Waste Systems (SWS).

Despite ongoing efforts to keep dirty money out of elections, developer candidate Lisa Maxwell accepted $2,500 from 5 different companies all operating out of the SWS facility on the Lantana/Lake Worth border.

Despite these facts, Maxwell is sure to try and convince the public that she is devoted to creating a "green" environment. Don't be fooled by the greenwash.

Aside from these environmental controversies, Maxwell has been involved with a plethora of other lobbyist-oriented drama throughout Palm Beach and Broward Counties, from advocating against unionized teachers, arguing against traffic concurrency requirements and advocating demolition for historic homes. In short, she's the perfect politician. The kind we've had enough of in south Florida.

Scripps/Briger updates and why we need an EIS now!

2011-06-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,
Don't forget that the Monday, June 13 PBCEC meeting is canceled. Instead there will be a door-knocking excursion, leaving Lake Worth from the Night Heron at 5:30pm.

We have made a new brochure for outreach.

And we have also updated the ScrapScripps.info website with new links and information, including a post on legal matters from the treesitters and new sections on:

-Forests & Climate
-Animal Testing; and
-Genetic Engineering

Please help circulate the website through your online networks, and then get off the computer and come meet us in the streets!

And lastly, please check out the sample letter to Eric Reusch Below with several of our concerns which we feel most clearly warrant the need for a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Please sign and send the petition below to Eric Reusch IMMEDIATELY at: Eric.G.Reusch@usace.army.mil

For the wild,
Panagioti

______________________________________________________________________________________To: Eric.G.Reusch@usace.army.mil

Dear Eric,

Below is a list of concerns I have for Scripps Biotech Phase II Briger
project. Please hold a public hearing and consider these specific
concerns before approving this project:

1. Briger is suitable habitat for at least 13 federal and state
listed species, this project should not be approved unless a thorough
Environmental Impact Statement is conducted.

2. It is alarming that the search for Eastern Indigo snakes, a
federally protected species, was conducted during some of the coldest
days of 2010, when they are a species that is less active in the cold.

3. It is inadequate that only 1 day of research was conducted in
a manner officially adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
find Eastern Indigo Snakes on a span of 681.69 acres.

4. Briger is within a Core Foraging Area of a Wood Stork
rookery and therefore should be maintained to aid the Wood Stork
population which is also federally protected.

5. The Army Corps is tasked with thoroughly accessing climate
change, carbon emissions and potential for carbon sequestering. Pine
trees, like those on Briger, have been proven to trap 3x more CO2
than other trees, helping to stabilize the climate. It is therefore
imperative that the Corps further analyze the value of Briger through
an Environmental Impact Statement.

Thank you for considering my concerns.

Sincerely,
________________

Response to FWS Biological Opinion on Briger/Scripps permit from Army Corps of Engineers

2011-05-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

[The following letter (with some minor modifications) was sent to Eric Reusch of the Army Corps of Engineers . The response is in the process of being updated.]

-------------------------------------------------------
Eric,
I am writing on behalf of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) to express support and agreement with the email below, sent by Rachel Kijewski. I share the concerns expressed regarding impacts to Eastern Indigo Snakes and Wood Storks, as well as others related to impacts on regional waterways, including but not limited to the Lake Worth Lagoon/Intercoastal Waterway."

We are still in the process of reviewing the Biological Opinion of the FWS and the Army Corps permit in general. I want to be sure that you know our concerns are not limited to the two species identified in the letter below.

On behalf of the PBCEC, i am also requesting a public hearing where these concerns can be addressed in a manor open and accessible to the public.

Please respond via email to confirm that you have received this letter.

Thank you,
Panagioti Tsolkas
Co-Chair, PBCEC

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rachel Kijewski
Date: Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 1:35 PM
Subject: Response to FWS Biological Opinion Request for Public Hearing
RE: Scripps Briger

US Army Corps of Engineers
4400 PGA Boulevard, Suite 500
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Office 561-472-3529 Fax 561-626-6971

Dear Eric,

Below is a formal response to the Service's Biological Opinion. Please forward it to the proper authorities if there are others than yourself that need it or if you can, please e-mail me their information.

xxx

My name is Rachel Kijewski of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC). I have reviewed the Biological Opinion (BO) released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) regarding the proposed Scripps Briger Development of Regional Impact (DRI) and am formally requesting a public hearing on the project. Based on the data in the BO I have reason to believe that the Service collected insufficient data regarding the presence of Eastern Indigo Snakes (EIS) on the Scripps Briger site and because of this may violate the Incidental Take Limits. I believe insufficient amounts of data were collected for the following reasons:

(1) Both the site visits by the applicant & the Service (Jan 12th 2010 & Feb 8th 2010) were not conducted during the EIS's peak season activity which are fall and summer. During Jan 12th and Feb 8th south Florida was in its winter cycle. 2010 was also a severe winter for south Florida and this may have drastically reduced the sightings of EIS. By failing to conduct a site visit during the summer, the Service, the applicants and Corp failed to visit during egg laying and hatchling time, again reducing their chances of finding EIS.

(2) The data used to estimate the actual presence of EIS on the property is not comparable to the Scripps Briger site; therefore the chances of EIS occurrence may be much higher. In the BO, EIS prime habitat is pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods etc. The BO states that Briger is "moderately suitable habitat."

"...forested portions of the site provide ample cover for both eastern indigo snakes and their pray." Pg. 8 pgph 3)

The two habitats used to estimate the amount of EIS on Briger were the native altered habitats at ABS and sugar cane field in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) A-1 Reservoir Project site.

"There is uncertainty around these estimates because they were not based on similar types of habitat but the study sites were located in similar latitudes in Florida. As this is the best data available, we believe the comparisons are valid and represent a conservative approach." (pg. 7 pgph 3)

Not only were they not similar habitats, but according to the BO they were not as suitable of habitat for EIS as Briger was. This lack of trust in the comparison by the Service using the studies as a comparison demonstrates a lack of thorough investigation of EIS on the Scripps Briger site and a lack of suitably comparable sites.

(3) It is concerning that at the Palm Beach Gardens (PBG) City Council 2010 Quasi-Judicial hearing on April 1st regarding the Scripps Briger site that the evidence presented stated that no EIS were found. The BO however presented a different story.

"While on site, the dog signaled the possible presence of a snake in a gopher tortoise burrow: however the burrow was not scoped to confirm presence." (Pg 7 pgph 1)

"On the particular survey, the dog showed interest in several areas on the eastern portion on the site. However we were not permitted to bring the dog into the pasture and barn area per the lessee's request." (Pg. 9 pgph 2)

"The positive indications from the detector dog supports the Services belief that the entire site could be used by indigo snakes."
(pg. 9 pgph 2)

There is a possibility that PBG city council was not given an honest account of EIS presence, were not given the impression that there was a high expectation of EIS on the property, and that the potential evidence to prove EIS existence on the Scripps Briger site was not collected fully, or in a proper manner.

(4) Another concern is the duration of validated time the Corps, FWS and applicant spent on looking for EIS. Since FWS has "not officially adopted" the survey methodology of using a trained animal to detect and alert the handler of Indigo Snakes presence, this data should not be usable toward the time spend on searching out EIS. That means that only a single day was put into scanning 681.69 acres of property, of which parts were scanned, is also unclear in the BO.

(5) We have on record (can provide on request) that the applicant sited 65 Gopher Tortoise burrows. It is unclear why the amount of burrows was left out of the BO, as EIS are known to reside in them.

"The consultants also reported several gopher tortoise burrows on site, in which indigo snakes are known to reside. However the dependence on these burrows is thought to be less in South Florida." (Pg. 9 pgph 1)

No references were provided to prove that dependence on burrows is less in South Florida; therefore the Service has failed to provide evidence that it is in fact less and not based on speculation.

(6) From the BO it appears that habitat loss is the number one threat to EIS. If this is so, even .05% (which is the approximate equation of EIS habitat Briger encompasses) loss of habitat for a federally listed as threatened species is important to its survival. There is insufficient evidence that the loss of Briger will not impact the population of EIS.

We also have concerns regarding the federally-listed Wood Storks impacted by the project, including but not limited to:

(1) Briger is within a Core Foraging Area (CFA) of a Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) rookery. The BO is not clear as to what part of Briger that the CFA covers and how development will impact the CFA.

(2) Enclosed is a document titled Impacts to Listed Species and Threatened Habitat on Proposed Scripps Phase II Development which was produced by citizen surveyors of PBCEC in the winter of 2010. Although not a federally listed species, the hand fern (Ophioglossum Palmatum) is a state listed endangered species of Florida. Citizen
surveyors documented over 50 colonies of hand ferns on the Briger site whereas ESI Consultants documented finding only 2. This massive discrepancy in the finding of a single species is alarming and could indicate the lack of thoroughness that ESI consultants conducted their surveys of federally listed species as well.

Due to these concerns above, I feel there is a lack of evidence demonstrating thorough investigation of the Scripps Briger action area. Please hold a public hearing on the Scripps Briger plan and I am requesting an Environmental Impact Statement to be conducted on the site before the Corps moves further.

Sincerely,

Rachel Kijewski
Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
1307 Central Terrace

Link to Impacts to Listed Species and Threatened Habitat Document:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B6TlWTWa1h34Yzk5NWM3OGQtMjZjZi00ZTQ2LTlmYjQtY2FkNWEyNDBjNjg5&hl=en&pli=1

Lake Worth, FL 33460

Tree sitters Arrested, More Trees Cut... Struggle Continues!

2011-03-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

From ScrapScripps.info:
After arresting two tree sitters along Donald Ross Road, Palm Beach Gardens Police admitted to cutting multiple trees in the Briger forest, including trees in areas designated as a “preserve” in development permit, as well as an area of public land, owned by the residents of Palm Beach County.
The arrests have resulted in news stories across the country, and an upsurge of public support. We lament the loss of these trees—among the last remaining mature native Slash Pine in all of south Florida’s eastern corridor—and we commit to making this the rallying call to end the Scripps Biotech plan before any more endangered species habitat is lost to the forces of corruption and greed.

-----------------------------------------------

This news clip from earlier in the week looks like it came out in response to a press release by the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department:

Below is my response to the above story:
Following the arrests, we learned that, on both occasions, it was the Police themselves who cut the trees, left a mess of a smashed tree sit and stole any gear of value that was suspended from them. They were bragging about cutting the trees to the people they arrested. You can now see the photos of one of the sites that was cut (which were also shown in last night's Ch 12 news.) That was the "mess". I guess trees standing upright is a mess to them. [The photos can also be seen at www.scrapscripps.info in the "photo gallery"]

Some questions we are left asking: Are public law enforcement dollars being used to cut these trees for a private development? Did the private landowner or the County hire the Gardens police to cut the trees? It was clear that there was no need to cut trees to get a tree sit down. It was done out of spite.

We hope to uncover answers to some of these questions.

Stay tuned for the next steps in the resistance effort to stop Scripps
from destroying Briger forest...

Briger Forest Tree sit nears one month in resistance to Scripps Biotech

2011-03-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Monday, March 14th, 2011, marks one month of occupying the canopy of Briger forest in opposition to the Scripps Phase II expansion plans. JOIN US! We will be meeting to rally at the corner of Donald Ross and Parkside, 4pm-6pm, across from FAU and Abacoa.

Please being signs and banners, drums and noise-makers, friends and families. We will also be collecting donations of non-perishable food and financial support to continue sustaining the tree sit.
[Click here for details on donating]

For more background on the campaign, check out the new FAQ section of the ScrapScripps.info website.

Two Weeks and Counting!

2011-02-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Briger Forest Tree Sitters hold strong in canopy occupation agianst Scripps Biotech expansion, which would clear 683 acres of Pine Flatwoods, Scrub and wetlands for laboratories and sprawl.

First-ever Florida Tree-Sit Erected to Defend Briger Forest Tract from Development

2011-02-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

Two Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition members, Russ and Rachel, erected a tree-sit this morning to protest the FAU/Scripps Bio-technology development on the Briger Forest Tract. Law Enforcement have demand the tree-sitters to leave or risk imminent arrest. The two brave activist remain, who are also FAU Alumni, suspended 40 feet from the ground, holding banners that reads “Defend This Forest” and "La Tierra No Se Vende, Se Defiende."

The tree-sitters and their banner are visible from Northbound I-95, at the Donald Ross exit.

Russ and Rachel released the following joint statement: “As FAU graduates and Palm Beach County residents we are dismayed at the lack of protection for the Endangered Species on the FAU/Scripps development site. The Scripps “biotech city” plan promotes sprawl and will destroy endangered species located on the Briger Tract. We have tried legal means to protect the site, but the developers and politicians have ignored our concerns. If the state and county refuse to protect endangered species then we must take action to preserve the remaining natural beauty of Florida.”

In conjunction with the tree-sit, forty protesters converged at the existing FAU/Scripps Florida building. City of Jupiter and FAU campus police responded and briefly detained at least one person.

Earth First! activists plan to maintain a presence on the site to ensure no endangered species habitat is destroyed, and no animals are abused in the proposed vivisection labs.

DONATE - to help us support the tree-sitters with future bail and legal costs! Donations can be made via Paypal to "lynnejpurvis@gmail.com" or dropped off at the Night Heron Activist Center at 1305 Central Terrace Lake Worth

HELP THE TREE-SIT - learn more at www.ScrapScripps.info

Earth First! calls national attention to south Florida; hosts annual Winter Rendezvous on threatened Fisheating Creek

2011-02-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Everglades Earth First!
Date: Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 5:05 PM

For Immediate Release January, 21, 2011
Contact: Everglades Earth First! evergladesearthfirst@gmail.com

Earth First! calls national attention to south Florida; hosts annual Winter Rendezvous on threatened Fisheating Creek

Palmdale, FL— Once again, the Earth First! movement will host its annual national Winter Rendezvous in the swamps of south Florida. This year it will be near the site of controversial Blue Head Ranch land in the Fisheating Creek watershed. The Creek and its headwaters straddle Glades and Highlands County, on the west side of Lake Okeechobee. The event will take place the weekend of February 11-14, 2011 just outside the town of Palmdale.

The local group, Everglades Earth First!, also hosted the national Rendezvous in 2008. The event resulted in a stand off at an FPL construction site across from the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in which the Sheriff arrested 26 people for a road blockade that shut down operations.

Why Fisheating Creek?
The Creek, which is the last wild waterway that flows to Lake Okeechobee, is prime habitat for the endangered Florida panther, as well as Black Bear and the emblematic Swallowtail Kite. The Fisheating Creek watershed, which is an important part of the northwest Everglades region, is under attack by proposals for development and industrialization.

Primary threats include the approval of massive land use changes for 50,000 acres of urbanization in a substantial part of Fisheating Creek's headwaters (Blue Head Ranch); plans to pump water from the Creek and turn the nearby Nicodemus Slough wetlands into a reservoir; and drawing down of the water table by Cemex's expansion of sand mines around the Creek. Other detrimental plans in the regional include massive infrastructure for development in southwest Florida, namely the Heartland Parkway, and plans for development on endangered Scrub Jay habitat on the nearby Lake Wales Ridge.

"This is one of the most magical places in all of Florida," says local Earth First! organizer Rachel Kijewski. "We can't let it fall victim to the greed and corruption that has swallowed so much of this state."

What is Earth First!?
Earth First! is an international movement which advocates for direct action, including civil disobedience and 'monkeywrenching' (sabotage), to confront local and global environmental problems. For 30 years, the movement has used high-profile protests to draw attention to critical issues for threatened ecosystems and endangered species. The group also calls attention to a biocentric worldview that rejects industrial capitalism and a centralized state in favor of local autonomy and bioregionalism.

While the movement began in the American southwest in 1980, the 80s also saw an Earth First! Presence in Florida, where activist-biologists were calling for wilderness corridors to protect
panther habitat across the state. Today, Earth First! has re-established itself across the peninsula, including a recent move of the Earth First! Journal publication in December 2010 from Arizona to
Lake Worth, Palm Beach County.

What happens at the Rendezvous?

The Winter Rendezvous is preceded by an organizers' conference, both of which take place in a primitive camping area and is attended by people from across the country. The weekend will feature various workshops and discussions of environmental and social justice themes, music (including an Outlaws of Florida Folk evening on Saturday) and a community kitchen for group meals. Camps often end with a group activity to highlight threats and impacts to local ecosystems and surrounding communities.

For more information:
www.evergladesearthfirst.org
www.earthfirstjournal.org

Earth First! Winter Rendezvous 2011

2011-01-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Next month the Earth First! movement will again converge in south Florida, along Fisheating Creek, Glades County, from Feb 11-14, 2011, for another wild Winter Rendezvous hosted by the Everglades Earth First collective!! (For the full invite, check out this link for the most recent Earth First! News)

The weekend will include workshops, activist networking, music (featuring some of our local "outlaws of Florida folk") and more, all on the last free flowing waterway that meets Lake Okeechobee--one of the most beautiful places in all of Florida. Some of the last habitat of the panther, now threatened by roads, development, mining, industrial agriculture, corruption and greed.. Come help us fight for it!

The gathering will be on the edge of Palmdale, Glades County, and will take place in a free primitive camping area east of US 27. (turn right on 3rd Street, and right again at Main Street, down dirt road. Look for signs directing cars to parking in this area.) Dogs are prohibited on this on this land.

Across the street is an established state-owned Fish & Wildlife Commission (FWC) area with a concession, hookups for RVs and car camping, bathrooms, etc, for folks who prefer that. Details, rates, etc can be found here.

More 2011 EF! Winter Rendezvous details and updates on camp guidelines & policy, including a ride-share board, will be up on the evergladesearthfirst.org site shortly.

For more info on the history of outlaws and direct action on Fisheating Creek click here

--
get involved in Palm Beach County: www.pbcec.org
check out daily eco-action news around the world: www.newswire.earthfirstjournal.org
donate or subscribe to the Earth First! Journal: www.earthfirstjournal.org

OPEN HOUSE Come celebrate a year of the Night Heron and 30 years of the Earth First! Journal

2010-12-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

Activist Open House in Lake Worth
On Dec 18th, come celebrate a year of the Night Heron and 30 years of the Earth First! Journal..

Open House 4-8pm,
at the Night Heron Grassroots Activist Center, 1307 Central Terrace, Lake Worth (on the corner of 13th and G st.)

Starting at 6pm: Food, music, presentations on the 30th anniversary of the Earth First! Journal and the Night Heron; displaying of the new Beehive Design Collective's giant graphic "True Cost of Coal"; and another riveting dollar raffle (so bring your single bills and your gambling skills!)..

Also, help us fund raise AND get some holiday gift shopping done: Slingshot organizers, radical stickers, activist musician's CD, and more..

More Info:
www.thenightheron.org
www.earthfirstjournal.org

Please help spread the word about this event on Saturday.

The Voice of Radical Environmentalism Heads South.. But Not For Retirement

2010-11-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

The Earth First! Journal celebrates its 30th year in print and in action with a move to the sub-tropics of Florida

The image above was selected as one of "The Greatest Environmental Magazine Covers"

Lake Worth, FL-- For 30 years, the Earth First! Journal has been carrying news and opinions from the frontines of ecological resistance to readers around the world. While it has moved to several locations throughout its history, this winter will mark the first office in the South.

While the Journal will continue to cover global eco-defense movements, this relocation will also give Earth First! an opportunity to amplify its voice towards defending the Everglades, one of the largest roadless areas in the lower 48 states and protecting the imperiled coastline of the southeast.

The Earth First! (EF!) Journal focuses on ecological direct action no-compromise strategy, grassroots organizing and biocentric philosophy, including vocal support for underground eco-resistance, such as the Earth and Animal Liberation Fronts (ELF and ALF). The publication also often addresses indigenous solidarity, environmental justice and various forms of land-based struggles.

The publication is run a by an editorial collective of activists involved directly with the movement. For example, Leah Rothschild, a current Journal editor, first saw the publication while living at a tree sit overseas, against a rock mine slated to level the forest which bordered a national park and the ancient Nine Ladies stone circle in Derbyshire, England.

"I wanted to be a part of that sort of journalism, on the frontlines. Thanks to the Earth First! Journal, people around the world get involved with protests and blockades like the one at Nine Ladies." Says Rothschild. "And that's how we win."

The rock mining plan in Derbyshire was eventually canceled in 2008, due to the opposition.

The Journal is distributed in countries around the world, including the Philippines, Iceland and Australia. It is also circulated in dozens of prisons, with subscriptions to many eco-political prisoners here and abroad.

In its new Florida office, the EF! Journal Collective will be partnering with the local Everglades Earth First! (EEF!) group and the Night Heron Grassroots Activist Center, a community space which EEF! helped to open last year in the coastal city of Lake Worth.

Local EF! activists expect that the national attention brought by the Journal will aid in their various campaigns against government agencies and corporations such as:
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the people responsible for approving most every industrial project in the state;
Florida Power & Light (FPL), trashing the state with power plants and pipelines;
Scripps Biotech, clearing endangered species habitat for genetic engineering and animal testing labs;
Palm Beach Aggregates, implicated in major political corruption, pursuing expansion of their rock mines into bordering cancer cluster neighborhoods; and
Southern Waste Systems, using African-American neighborhoods as their dumping ground for construction debris, also implicated in political corruption.

The collective who produces the Journal also coordinates the EF! Speakers Bureau, a newly established project to facilitate EF!-oriented presentations for student and community groups.

More information about the EF! Journal can be found at:

www.earthfirstjournal.org
(includes information on the release of the hot, new anniversary issue and the archive of selected articles from back issues)

www.newswire.earthfirstjournal.org
(online daily reports from the eco-frontlines)

www.speakers.earthfirstjournal.org
(find EF! speakers and trainers available for booking)

About partnering groups:
www.evergladesearthfirst.org
www.thenightheron.org

--------------------

Letter from PBCEC to new FAU President, Dr. Mary Jane Saunders, regarding impact to wildlife

2010-11-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

[Below is a letter sent by the PBCEC to FAU's new President.]

-----------------------------------
Mary Jane Saunders, Ph.D.
Florida Atlantic University
Administration Bldg., Room # 339
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431

Nov 16, 2010

Re: FAU’s disregard for protected wildlife and habitat

Dr. Saunders:

The Palm Beach county Environmental Coalition is disappointed with the disregard for wildlife that Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has shown on and near its campuses. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) list the Gopher Tortoise as a Threatened Species and the Burrowing Owl a Species of Special Concern which as you know have habitat designated for them on the FAU Boca Raton campus. It is your responsibility as the new president to ensure their survival by stopping further removal of their habitat.

As of right now, FAU is slated to build a road to the new stadium which will go through current Gopher Tortoise and Burrowing Owl habitat. Too much encroachment has already occurred as the animals are surrounded by concrete, parking lots and multiple story buildings. To put another road which intersects the conservation area would not just reduce their habitat area, but increase their exposure to toxins, pollutants, noise pollution, etc. It would also drastically increase the chances that these beautiful creatures would die at the hands of careless drivers.

This environmental devastation extends beyond the single campus in Boca Raton. To the north, across from Jupiter campus, FAU has remained complicit while a partner of the University, Scripps Florida, plans to further wipe out the habitat of Gopher Tortoises and endangered species, such as the Hand Fern (Ophioglossum Palmatum), by building a biotech research park and animal testing laboratory.

On this 700 acre forest, citizen surveyors (1) recorded the location of over 50 colonies of Hand Ferns. This endangered plant cannot be relocated. As a shade dependent fern, no relocation methods have been successful; it dies almost every time it is removed from its host cabbage palm. If the Florida Natural Areas Inventory is correct in its estimation of Hand Fern populations in the state, then Scripps could be decimating 2% of the species. (2)

We analyzed the DRI done on this property and they noted only two Hand Ferns. As a partner with Scripps, can you reassure us, the community, and the student population that FAU is doing all it can to preserve and protect all of Florida's endangered and threatened species on this property?

FAU should not further impact the habitat of these listed species on any of their property. And it has a moral obligation to speak out regarding the practice of its partners and neighbors. The school’s Conservation Committee is a step in the right direction, however; this has not prevented the continued shrinking of the Boca’s campuses on-site Preserve and the loss of other open lands.

We join other organizations in urging you to set aside the Preserve and other available open lands on campus through a Conservation Easement or similar program. We also recommend that funds be allocated on an annual basis to manage these habitats appropriately for tortoises and owls.

Without ongoing management, these lands will quickly become unsuitable for these species. FAU has unique habitats that are rapidly disappearing throughout south Florida, and it is your responsibility to ensure their preservation. It would be a great embarrassment for the school if they were to lose the resident population of their mascot.

These habitats and wildlife can and are being used for educational purposes. Several research studies have been conducted by students and faculty on the Preserve and open areas. We feel the educational opportunities on Jupiter campuses neighboring Briger Tract also deserve to be seriously evaluated.

Please let me know at your earliest convenience what steps the university is taking to prevent the loss of these unique species and habitat. We would like to set up a meeting to discuss this topic with you.

Sincerely,

Panagioti Tsolkas
Rachel Kijewski
Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
PBCenvirocoalition@gmail.com

Footnotes:
(1) Please see attached document: Impacts to Listed Species and Threatened Habitat on Proposed Scripps Phase II Development / Briger Tract

(2) Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Field Guide "Hand Fern". 2000

Lisa Maxwell and Carla Blockson taking dirty money from Waste Transfer Dump

2010-11-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

Despite ongoing efforts to keep dirty money out of election, developer candidate Lisa Maxwell accepted $2,500 from 5 different companies all operating out of the Southern Waste Systems facility on the Lantana/Lake Worth border. Last report the BACPAC took over $1000 from SWS et al, and has been using the money to support Maxwell and Blockson.

See for yourself in Lisa Maxwell's G4 financial report

Or the BACPAC's report

Find out who's taking dirty money from environmental racists in the Lake Worth election:

2010-10-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Come hear from former eco-prisoner Tre Arrow

2010-10-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

Speaking and playing music at the Quaker Meeting House,
823 North A Street, Lake Worth, FL

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 from 7-10pm

Donations greatly appreciated!

Hosted by PBC Environmental Coalition and the Earth First! Speakers Bureau

Come hear Tre Arrow share his wild adventures of life 'on the edge' (and on the run!)
He will also perform his own heartfelt songs—one night only here in South Florida

Appearing in Rolling Stone Magazine, on the cover of book Eco-warriors (pictured above), and even America's Most Wanted. Tre Arrow first came to public attention in July 2000 when he scaled a U.S. Forest Service building to protest the sale of an old growth forest near Eagle Creek, Oregon. He sat on a nine-inch edge for 11 days in downtown Portland, bringing national attention to the issue. His protest played an important role in reversing the Forest Service’s plans to log the area. He was also involved with several tree sit campaigns in the pacific northwest and ran for Congress in 2000, receiving 15,000 votes as a Pacific Green Party candidate. Tre also spent 6 years in prison for allegations of sabotage against the timber industry. His case gained international attention during his battle to refuse extradition from Canada and he was even listed on the FBI's most wanted in 2002, despite the fact that the actions he was accused of caused no injuries.

Tre is a charismatic, passionate and sincere story-telling speaker and musician. He is an example of environmentalists being targeted by federal authorities. He was threatened with decades in prison due to his political beliefs; his case is one of many which have come to be known as the Green Scare. He is a dedicated advocate of sustainable living, environmental preservation, and independence from fossil fuels. Tre, who grew up in Florida, has spoken at conferences, universities and community events across the country since his recent release in 2009.

http://www.trearrow.org/

The Earth First! (EF!) Speakers Bureau is a project of the EF! Journal. The Journal, which celebrates its 30th year in print this year, will be moving their office to Lake Worth this winter. Local EF! activists will be tabling at the event with the publications and merchandise.
www.earthfirstjournal.org

The PBC Environmental Coalition is a regional organization focused on networking grassroots activists and environmental groups.

Contact: PBC Environmental Coalition:
pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com
www.pbcec.org

PBCEC update from a far off desert

2010-08-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
So, as many know, i've been out and about (as i tend to do on
occasion) from Maine to Greece and now in Arizona. I want to thank
Suki for taking great notes (which are now posted up online at
www.pbcec.org And the rest of our group for holding down our crucial work amidst the summer heat.. (if you can believe it, i am in a place even hotter that it is at home.. with no beach to compensate!)

First off, I want to offer congratulations to the Riviera Beach
activists who got out and put the Rybovich marina development plan
onto the ballot. It's inspiring to see that the tide is continuing to
turn against business-as-usual developer driven politics.

So, here in Tucson, AZ i've been buckling down in my new work as a
member of the Earth First! Journal editorial collective

You can check out some of the stories of ecological resistance from
around the world that we've been hightighting here:
www.newswire.earthfirstjournal.org

And you can look at the new newsletter, hot off the press here:
www.earthfirstnews.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/lughnasadh-2010-newsletter.pdf

By Nov., our 30th Anniversary issue will be out, with 100 pages of
Earth First! action, analysis and history. SO keep an eye out.. if
you're not a subscriber yet, you can subscribe online here:
http://www.earthfirstjournal.org/subscribe.php

Or you can donate here

P.S.S. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE ACTION AUG 21 in FT. LAUDERDALE!
Clean Energy Coalition protest at Port Everglades US 1 & Hwy 84 –
Welcome Park) to protest the BP oil spills and our dependence on
fossil fuels. There is a flotilla planned as well as an on-shore
protest. It's at Noon, Saturday, August 21st at the corner of US 1
and Rte. 84. If you need more information about this event, contact
is mrrratpp@aol.com.

see you all soon!

Notes from the August 9, 2010 PBC Environmental Coalition

2010-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Meeting 7-9:30 p.m. – Quaker Meeting House – Lake Worth

1. Riviera Beach Marina: The activists in Riv. Beach have attained the necessary 2600 signatures to get a referendum on the ballot in November to stop the waterfront from being developed into an
industrial and big boat boatyard and destroying the waterfront. They've asked for help from PBCEC to bring awareness to this issue. They have a weekly meeting on Monday (next one is 8/16) at 7 pm at the Blue Heron Church, 2600 Avenue A, Riv. Bch.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/opponents-of-riviera-beach-marina-deal-file-petitions-852283.html

2. Scripps/Briger Tract Development: Dates are being set for the petitioners who won a hearing from the S. Fl Water Mngmt District and Dept of Community Affairs. Aug 23rd. as a pre-hearing stipulation meeting for SFWMD and DCA determined that the main obstacle is no representation from people living in the area (we have since refiled our petition to show the PBCEC's support from Gardens and surrounding area). He is also proposing a demonstration at the FAU campus in PBG Friday
8/27.

keep up with the administrative/legal process here:
SFWMD http://www.doah.state.fl.us/internet/search/docket.cfm?CaseNo=10-003100

DCA http://www.doah.state.fl.us/internet/search/docket.cfm?CaseNo=10-005608
(the newly revised petition can also be viewed here in a PDF link)

3. Clean Energy Coalition: This newly formed group meets in Dania every two weeks, Sat. at 11:00 a.m. at the St. Maurice Catholic Church 2851 Sterling Road. Suki attended last meeting and gave
report. They are planning an action for August 21st at Port Everglades US 1 & Hwy 84 – Welcome Park) to protest the BP oil spills and our dependence on fossil fuels. There is a flotilla planned as well as an on-shore protest. It's at Noon, Saturday, August 21st at the corner of US 1 and Rte. 84. If you need more information about this event, contact is mrrratpp@aol.com.

4. Move to Amend South Florida Tour: Nancy Parker of PDA spoke on this issue. Green Party is also sponsoring this event. David Cobb, the 2004 Green Party Candidate for President is coming to FL for a week to speak on the need to change the Constitution to reflect the fact that CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE. Similar to separation of church and state. PBCEC feels very strongly about this issue and voted to endorse the MTA Tour. Endorsement gives us the opportunity to table at the events in North Palm and Boca Raton and gives us 5 minutes of time to talk about the negative impact corporate personhood has had on the environment in South Florida. Cobb will be here Sept. 14, 7-9 pm at the First UU Church of the Palm Beaches - N. Palm Beach, 635 Prosperity Farms Rd and Sept. 15, 7-9 pm at St Andrews Estates South, Boca Raton, 6045 Verde Trail South. David is a dynamic speaker, should be good. For more info, contact is Bonnie Redding (Green Party) 561-762-8191. Also visit www.movetoamend.org.

5. In a related issue, 2 reps from MoveOn, (Ruthie Cassidy & Peter Becker), attended with a petition to sign against corporate personhood. PBCEC endorsed this petition as well, although NOT
endorsing MoveOn per se. The Petition is called, "The other 98%".

6. Reef Rescue: Sea turtles are suffering on Ft. Lauderdale beach because of the lights. Ed Tichner asked for help from PBCEC to file an intent to sue letter. Reef Rescue will help with funding for a
suit/legal action, but wanted to make sure there is someone who can do the research necessary within 60 days after the intent to sue letter is written. Specifically, there is a need to find out why the Ft.
Lauderdale ordinances about lighting mitigation near the beaches aren’t being enforced since they are in place as a result of the Endangered Species Act. S.T.O.P. (Sea Turtle Oversight Protection) is
working with him on this. Ruthie Cassidy offered to help with research. Bobette will forward her contact information for Stacie-Lee Sherwood (S.T.O.P.) and others involved in this situation.

7. 10/10/10 Global Work Party: This is sponsored by 350.org and Bill McKibben. Bobette spoke, said everyone try and do something on that day to show their support for getting off of fossil fuels. PBCEC will put together an event for that morning as yet to be determined. Please put on your thinking caps and keep it at a neutral location (a park?) Bobette personally invited everyone to the Network of Spiritual Progressives 10.10.10 Festival for the Planet which will be held from 2-5 pm at Church of our Savior, 2011 S. Federal Hwy, Boynton Beach. PBCEC can table there – Greenpeace will be tabling there too. At that “work party” the group will install a timer and insulation on
the hot water heater at the MCC (to help them reduce electricity that is wasted heating water when the building isn’t being used) and will be doing a veggie meal cooked on a solar cooker in the parking lot.
Richard WhiteCloud’s “off the grid” airstream will be there too (runs on solar panels and wind turbines).

Christian mentioned that he might like to try to organize a bike event that day. Send other ideas to bwolesensky@gmail.com.

8. The Riviera Beach contingent revealed that the Riv. Bch city commissioners had renewed FPL's lease for the aging power plant there for 30 years. They have already signed on to it. PBCEC will be kept informed of any actions that come up to turn that plant into a solar power plant instead of another fossil fuel oil and water guzzler.

9. NORML representative, Chris Alford will get back to us re PBCEC endorsing their movement to legalize hemp and medical marijuana (or make possession a misdemeanor). Carol Strick pointed out that 65% of prisoners are locked up for drug charges. The coalition feels that this is something we should support.

10. LW Casino: There is some controversy in Lake Worth over a casino, late hours and other activities that go along with a casino as it relates to sea turtle nesting/hatchlings. Christian brought the
issue up and said he would get back to us with details. He suggested we may want to have someone from the LW City Council join us for our next meeting. He will extend that invitation.

11. March Against Wal-Mart: Bobette revealed the Wal-Mart's master plan is to have a Wal-Mart every 5 miles up U.S. 1 from Miami to who knows where. Maine? They are presently asking for a zoning change in Delray and there a protest August 16th, beginning at Old School Square in Delray Beach from 5 pm marching to city hall. The Planning & Zoning Commission meets at 6 p.m. on August 16th, and the march will end at the meeting where people will speak out against the zoning change Wal-Mart has requested. Info: www.auroasvoice.org or bwolesensky@gmail.com.

12. PBCEC has decided to endorse a few worthy candidates IF (and only IF) they endorse Amendment 4. Barry Silver will see if the following candidates pass this litmus test:
Just a quick note to confirm that the following candidates were “conditionally” endorsed at last night’s meeting. Barry is going to follow up with ALL of them today to confirm the details of the
conditional endorsement and is going to do media announcements, organize a press conference, etc.
State Rep Endorsements which will be made ONLY IF the candidates go on record as supporting Amendment 4 when they are contacted by Barry Silver. (Barry will do WRITTEN contact – email.)
• District 86 – Carole Kaye
• District 88 – Mark Pafford
Congressional Rep Endorsements which will be made ONLY IF the candidates go on record as supporting Amendment 4 when they are contacted by Barry Silver. (Barry will do WRITTEN contact – email.)
• District 16 – Ed Tautiva
• District 23 – Alcee Hastings
County Commissioner Endorsement which will be made ONLY IF the candidate goes on record as supporting Amendment 4 when contacted by Barry Silver. (Barry will do WRITTEN contact – email.)
• District 6 – Jess Santamaria
County Commissioner Endorsement suggested by members of the Riviera Beach Community Task Force and which will be made ONLY after research by Barry Silver AND only after the candidate goes on record as supporting Amendment 4; only after the candidate completes the Candidate questionnaire; and only after the candidate completes the Declaration of Fossil Fuel Independence. Emma Bates from the RB Community Task Force will also contact Ms. Taylor to ask her specific questions about these issues and will report back to Barry (barryboca@aol.com)
• District 7 – Priscilla Taylor

C. M. offered the following information:
"SHAC has received a number of leaked documents detailing the purchase of hundreds of monkeys from China by Huntingdon Life Sciences between 2006-2008. The documents reveal, once again, how HLS, Primate Products, Inc and its customers are directly responsible for the horrible suffering of monkeys trapped for the international primate slave trade.

If the FL Scripps Research Institute Phase2 is built, Donald Bradford, and all the other higher ups in his company (all listed on the S.FL. anti HLS blogspot) will make a killing adding them to their
customer lists (for all we know they already are supplying Phase1). We have to shut these monsters down!

We, the organizers against Primate Products, call on every compassionate person to show their anger and disgust at Primate Products, Inc. for their continued involvement in the primate slave
trade."

What: Protest against Primate Products, Inc.
Where: Primate Products, Inc. Live Animal Division
7780 NW 53rd Street
Miami, FL 33166
305-471-9557
305-471-8983
lad@primateproducts.com
When: Wed., Aug. 11. 4:00 pm
More info: Christian Minaya 561 541 7049
http://smashhls.blogspot.com/

That's it! See you at the next PBCEC meeting September 13, 2010.

Suki deJong
filling-in co-chair for this meeting

Really bad gas... from the Gulf to the 'Glades

2010-06-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

What is relationship of FPL NextEra to BP, Gulf dead zones and "the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history"?

When FPL 'NextEra' was asked about their relationship to the Gulf disaster, they chose to speak only about their use of oil, conveniently ignoring the role of natural gas in offshore drilling...
According to company spokesman Mark Bubriski commenting to the Palm Beach Post:
"NextEra is very concerned about the ecological impacts of the oil spill, Bubriski said. However, only about 1 percent of the oil used by the United States goes toward producing electricity. Florida Power & Light obtains oil from a variety of sources, with about 4 percent of its generation is powered by oil." http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/fpl-shareholders-approve-name-change-to-nextera-energy-701830.html

From the get-go of the battle to stop the new 3800 MW FPL power plant in Loxahatchee, and all its natural gas infrastructure, one of our group's contentions was the over-reliance on this fossil fuel being used as an excuse for increased offshore drilling for gas. About 75% of FPL's energy generation in Florida comes from gas. According to EIA, near 1/4 of the domestic supply of this gas is currently used for electric power. 14% percent of that came from gas drilled offshore.

“FPL’s creating a regional dependence on natural gas...” said Peter Shultz, a Hobe Sound resident and member of Everglades Earth First. Shultz said money should instead be invested in renewable energy instead of gas. http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/apr/27/critics-take-aim-fpl-natural-gas-pipeline-during-o/?feedback=1#comments

Below is some information on the relationship of gas extraction to the BP disaster and dead zones in the Gulf, which FPL would like to distance itself from but cannot in any honesty.

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 10:05 PM
Subject: really bad gas! "the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history"
"leak" vs "the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history"

(2 articles from news services)

1) Date Published: Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 According to Reuters, the team took measurements of both surface and deep water within a 5-mile radius of the leaking well. Kessler characterized the leak as "the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history," Methane Levels From BP Oil Spill Raise Environmental Concerns Methane levels in the ocean near the site of the BP oil spill are "astonishingly high", according to some U.S. scientists. Last week, the scientists returned from 10-day research expedition in the Gulf of Mexico close to where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and eventually sunk more than 60 days ago.

The April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 men and spawned the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Since then, oil has been gushing into the Gulf at a rate of as much as 60,000 barrels a day, according to U.S. government estimates. Methane is a colorless, odorless gas that is a major component in natural gas. It is also highly flammable. A bubble of methane is believed to have ignited the Deepwater Horizon explosion. John Kessler of Texas A&M University in College Station, one of the scientists on the research expedition, said last week that methane in deep-ocean waters (below 1,000 feet) near the oil spill are 10,000 to 100,000 times higher than normal. At times, the team measured methane levels that were 1 million times above normal.

According to Reuters, the team took measurements of both surface and deep water within a 5-mile radius of the leaking well. Kessler characterized the leak as "the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history," The team of 12 scientists from Texas A&M, Texas A&M Galveston and The University of California, Santa Barbara, discovered that the methane, which makes up 40 percent of the substances coming from the well, is staying in the deep waters and not escaping into the atmosphere.

Kessler said the amount of methane seen was enough to potentially deplete oxygen and create a dead zone in the Gulf. High concentrations of methane can encourage the growth of microbes that consume oxygen needed by marine life. "At some locations, we saw depletions of up to 30 percent of oxygen based on its natural concentration in the waters. At other places, we saw no depletion of oxygen in the waters. We need to determine why that is," Kessler said. Though oxygen depletion hasn't reached a critical level yet, Kessler said he feared what it might look like "two months down the road, six months down the road, two years down the road?"

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 9:57 am and is filed under Accident , Oil Spills

2) BP weighs an option in case relief wells fail Piping oil and natural gas to platforms may be an option
By SHARON HONG and JEANNIE KEVER Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle June 22, 2010, 11:2010

As researchers reported that the Macondo well blowout appears to have elevated levels of methane in the Gulf of Mexico, government responders said BP might pipe oil and natural gas from the well to production platforms if relief wells fail to stop the flow. Officials of BP, which owns the well, and other government and industry experts, have said they expect to stop the flow by drilling relief wells to intercept the Macondo near the reservoir 13,000 feet below the Gulf floor and then plugging it with cement.

One of the drilling rigs has reached 10,677 feet, said retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the response commander, and a backup relief well has reached 4,662 feet. Engineers have looked at a number of ways to proceed if the relief wells fail, Allen said, including piping oil and natural gas from the well to facilities nearby.

Allen said the idea, still in early stages of evaluation, was discussed at an industry meeting hosted last week by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu. The group identified a couple of platforms in the area that could take some of the oil and gas through pipelines along the ocean floor. Then it could be brought to the surface for processing or pumped back into a reservoir. Since early June, BP has been capturing thousands of barrels of oil a day through systems on the seafloor. But some is being burned off because vessels on the surface can't contain it all.

Containment reached nearly 26,000 barrels on Monday, more than a million gallons and the highest since the spill began, Allen said. Much of it is coming through a containment cap installed after undersea robots cut a leaking riser pipe that once connected the wellhead on the seafloor to the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig almost a mile above. Allen said Tuesday that teams are retrieving the sheared-off portion of the riser as evidence in the investigation into the disaster. When the Macondo well blew out April 20, it destroyed the Deepwater Horizon, killed 11 workers and began spilling millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Allen said the amount of oil being collected could double by the end of June with the arrival of another vessel that is expected to catch 20,000 to 25,000 more barrels a day. But sending the oil through undersea pipelines to existing production platforms would reduce or eliminate the need for collection operations on the surface right above the well, which might have to be suspended if a hurricane threatens. And it could provide a backup plan if BP is unable to plug the blown-out well, or if the process takes longer than expected.

BP has said it won't complete the first relief well until at least sometime in August. In a new measure of the possible scope of the disaster, a Texas A&M University researcher just back from an eight-day trip through the Gulf waters surrounding the spill site said his team found far higher-than-normal levels of methane gas in the area, as much as 1 million times higher in a few places. As a result, oceanographer John Kessler said, oxygen levels in some deep-sea regions are abnormally low, although it's not yet clear what that means for sea life. The low oxygen levels could lead to another dead zone, Kessler said during a briefing Tuesday. Most dead zones - areas where oxygen levels are too low to sustain fish and other sea life - are caused by fertilizer runoff.

"The dead zone is a very complex problem that combines chemistry, biology and physics," Kessler said. Most are found in relatively shallow water. The team found the highest concentrations of methane, a component of the natural gas that has spewed from the well along with crude oil, at deeper levels, although he said he isn't yet sure why. "In very hot spots, we saw them approach 1 million times above background concentrations," he said. High methane levels can lower oxygen levels because the microbes that feed on methane deplete oxygen. Kessler received a $160,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to assess the spill area, sailing from Gulfport, Miss., on June 12 and spending eight days within the restricted area close to the site of the blast.

Data collected will offer another way to determine the size of the spill, he said, and may yield insights into previous oceanic eruptions of methane and natural gas. Researchers worked within a five-mile radius of the destroyed rig, at times coming within one-third of a mile, Kessler said.

sharon.hong@chron.com jeannie.kever@chron.com

June 17, 5pm: Expose Mayor David Levy's Lies about Scripps & Hometown Democracy

2010-06-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

Is Mayor David Levy Lying about Scripps?

Hometown Democracy advocates are joining with environmental and animal activists to expose Mayor Levy by having a demonstration at his office before the next Gardens City Hall meeting, June 17th 5pm on Military Trail (south of PGA Blvd), where the City of of Palm Beach Gardens, who has been pushing for Scripps, now has multiple new Comp Plan changes on the agenda.

As many know, the new Scripps plan, like most big development plans, required a Comprehensive Plan change invite the new animal testing labs, hazardous waste and clear-cut endangered species habitat for commercial and residential density that Jeb Bush demanded accompany Scripps over 6 years ago.

With the entire Abacoa Town Center in foreclosure and a crumbled housing market, there is no justification for clearing 682 acres of forest for this development.

Mayor David Levy uses the cover of his 'environmental consulting' business to support deforestation, loss of endangered species and the torture of animals. including cats, dogs and primates. He has repeatedly lied in regards to the Scripps Development Application as well as Florida Hometown Democracy.

www.ScrapScripps.info

No Bailout for BP's greed-driven disaster

2010-06-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

HAIR Invites Environmental Protestors to Join Tribe of the Rock Musical

2010-06-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Opening Tonight at the Caldwell Theatre
Members of Everglades Earth First!
Will Participate in the Show’s Notorious ‘Be-In’ Scene
(Palm Beach, FL – June 10, 2010) Veteran theatrical producer Vicki Halmos, executive producer of the newly formed Entr’Acte Theatrix, has invited members of Everglades Earth First! (EEF!) to become honorary members of the Tribe of HAIR during the show's run at the Caldwell Theatre in Boca Raton, and continuing next weekend at the New Palm Beach Gardens Community High School Performing Arts Center.

EEF! Is part of a decentralized direct-action movement of radical environmentalists from around the country. Locally, the group is involved in the defense of forest, wetlands, and coastlines, by opposing power plants, rock mines, offshore drilling and sprawling development. The group also challenges the idea of “environmental racism” of placing industrial facilities in low-income communities.

“Obviously, the issue of offshore drilling is paramount not only to Floridians but to the rest of the world, as we try to anticipate both the short and long term effects of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Michael Lifshitz, associate producer. “Since HAIR thematically confronts themes of racism, peace, and the environment, the opportunity to provide the theater-going public with a real life situation, to educate them, and to give them their own tools for reasonable protest was an opportunity not to be missed.”

Partnering with EEF! also give the show’s tribe members – many of who are too young to have seen the 1960’s and 70’s first hand – to understand and experience the same passion for protest that was so much a part of the turbulent time in which HAIR is set.

In addition to appearing in the show’s notorious “Be-In” scene, where the characters protest the war in Vietnam by burning their draft cards, the members of EEF! will be available in the lobby of both venues to answer questions and to promote a better understanding of their work. For more information about the group, log onto www.evergladesearthfirst.org,www.earthfirstjournal.org, and www.thenightheron.org.
Entre’Acte Theatrix’s production of HAIR will feature a large, 30-person cast, most of who are graduates of local high schools, colleges and universities.

With Book and Lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and Music by Galt MacDonald, Entr’Acte’s production of HAIR is being directed and choreographed by KD Smith, a protégé of Michael Bennett, the genius behind numerous Broadway hits including A Chorus Line, Seesaw and more. Carol Suhr is providing vocal Direction for HAIR.

At the Caldwell Theatre / June 10-13:
HAIR will run for six performances at the Count de Hoernle Theatre (Caldwell Theatre) at 7901 North Federal Highway in Boca Raton, at 8 p.m. on June 10, 11 & 12, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on June 13. Tickets range in price from $10 for students to $30 for premium seating, and are available by calling the Caldwell Theatre box office at 561.241.7432 or online at www.caldwelltheatre.org.

At Palm Beach Gardens Community High School / June 17-20:
An additional five performances of HAIR will be presented June 17-20 at Palm Beach Gardens Community High School, 4245 Holly Drive (located southeast of North Military Trail and Lilac Street), at 8 p.m. on June 17, 17 & 19, and 2 p.m. on June 19 & 20. Tickets range in price from $10 for students to $25 for premium seating, and are available by calling 877.710.7779 or online at www.entractetheatrix.org.

About Entr’Acte Theatrix:
Entr’Acte Theatrix is a brand new offshoot of the Palm Beach Principal Players, which started 10 years ago and targeted high school and college students interested in musical theater but who had limited opportunities to perform. Over the last decade, Principal Players has presented 16 different shows featuring more than 200 young people, many of whom have gone on to professional careers or top educational programs. Because these young but “seasoned” performers still need opportunities to work with top professionals and begin their professional careers with impressive resumes and a network of industry contacts, Entr’Acte Theatrix was formed. The company’s goal is to produce shows aimed toward a young, hipper audience and present them at some of the finest professional houses in Palm Beach County, exposing the young performers to both sophisticated audiences and the staff and management of these venues.

Entr’Acte Theatrix is a subsidiary of the Peter Halmos Family Foundation. Neither organization is affiliated with the Caldwell Theatre Company or the Palm Beach County School Board. For more information, please visit www.entractetheatrix.com.
Available for interview:
Vicki Halmos
561.818.8049
vkhalmos@aol.com

Media Contact:
Gary Schweikhart
PR-BS, Inc.
561.756.4298
gary@pr-bs.net

DID ANYONE ACTUALLY READ BP’S OIL SPILL RESPONSE PLAN?

2010-06-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

— Walruses and Seals, Non-Existent Equipment Lists and Other Fanciful References

CHECK IT OUT:

FREE PEEReview Join PEER Donate Now Stay Informed Blow the Whistle

News Releases

For Immediate Release: May 25, 2010
Contact: Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337

Washington, DC — BP’s official response plan for oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico is studded with patently inaccurate and inapplicable information but was nonetheless approved by the federal government, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Most notably, the response plan contains no information about how to cope with a deep water blowout but is littered with outright inanities, suggesting that no regulator seriously read it.

The “BP Regional Oil Spill Response Plan – Gulf of Mexico” dated June 30, 2009 covers all of the company’s operations in the Gulf, not just the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon. The plan-:

Lists “Sea Lions, Seals, Sea Otters [and] Walruses” as “Sensitive Biological Resources” in the Gulf, suggesting that portions were cribbed from previous Arctic exploratory planning;
Gives a web site for a Japanese home shopping site as the link to one of its “primary equipment providers for BP in the Gulf of Mexico Region [for]rapid deployment of spill response resources on a 24 hour, 7 days a week basis”; and
Directs its media spokespeople to never make “promises that property, ecology, or anything else will be restored to normal,” implying that BP will only commit candor by omission.

More seriously, the plan does not contain information about tracking sub-surface oil plumes from deepwater blowouts or preventing disease (viruses, bacteria, etc.) transmission to captured animals in rehab facilities, which was found to be a very serious risk following the Exxon Valdez spill. It also lacks any oceanographic or meteorological information, despite the clear relevance of this data to spill response.

“This response plan is not worth the paper it is written on,” said PEER Board Member Rick Steiner, a noted marine professor and conservationist who tracked the Exxon Valdez spill, noting that the plan is almost 600 pages largely consisting of lists, phone numbers and blank forms. “Incredibly, this voluminous document never once discusses how to stop a deep water blowout even though BP has significant deep water operations in the Gulf.”

The chapter on “Worst Case Discharge” features wildly optimistic projections of the maximum size of any crude spill and bland assurances that within hours of any incident “personnel, equipment, and materials in sufficient quantities and recovery capacity to respond effectively to oil spills from the facilities and leases covered by this plan, including the worst case discharge scenarios” will be deployed.

“Pointing out our gaping incapacity in spill prevention and response is not just an exercise in hindsight,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting that, according to the soon-to-be-defunct U.S. Minerals Management Service, there are approximately 4,000 producing platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, nearly half of them are “major platforms” with nearly 1,000 of these manned by personnel. “We ought to be losing sleep that there is still no sane spill response plan for the Gulf.”

###

Visit the Japanese web site that BP provides for one its primary emergency equipment providers

Read BP’s “Worst Case” narrative

View the entire 583-page BP Gulf Spill response Plan

See Interior Sec. Salazar ignoring warnings of poor spill prevention and response capacity

PBCEC Supports Think Outside the Bomb

2010-06-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

[PBCEC supports struggles for environmental justice around the country. Below is a message on how you can help make this campaign in the southwest U.S. a success.]

Think Outside the Bomb, the largest youth-led nuclear abolition network in the U.S., is building on the momentum from the NPT Review Conference and organizing youth for a nuclear free future. At this critical time, when the U.S. should be leading the way to a nuclear free world, President Obama is instead quadrupling our capacity to make new weapons. In response, Think Outside the Bomb is organizing Disarmament Summer, a global convergence near Los Alamos, New Mexico to confront the nuclear industry where it all began.

We invite you to join us at the Disarmament Summer Encampment from July 30th through August 9th. Working together with indigenous communities in New Mexico, we will be building a permaculture encampment, training in organizing and non-violent direct action, and taking action to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. We will be leaving behind sustainable community infrastructure, building the skills and leadership of local youth, and strengthening the international youth movement for nuclear abolition.

Think Outside the Bomb has been engaging youth in the nuclear abolition movement for five years and laying the groundwork for Disarmament Summer since August 2009. We are organizing a cross-cultural alliance of youth and disarmament veterans working together to build a grassroots, consensus-based, nonviolent direct action movement. We are committed to collective liberation, a sustainable future, and an end to the cycle of nuclear violence. For too long, the US government and corporations have sacrificed the environment, health and well-being of indigenous and poor communities to secure access to resources through the threat and use of force. To create a nuclear-free future, we must undo the legacy of racism and violence.

Endorse Disarmament Summer and join us in building a vibrant youth movement for nuclear abolition. We ask that endorsing organizations support us in one or more of the following ways:

Link to our website, be our fan on facebook, and follow us on twitter

Send an email to your network about Disarmament Summer

Register people from your organization to attend Disarmament Summer

Make an in-kind donation of staff time to help with conventional and social media, web management, outreach, publicity, fundraising, action planning, building the encampment in New Mexico, and more.

Sponsor a travel-scholarship for a youth organizer to attend Disarmament Summer for $250

Organize a bus from your city to come to New Mexico

Present a workshop or training at the encampment

Donate to Think Outside the Bomb! Disarmament Summer is being organized entirely by volunteers and supported by private donations, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

$60 Covers full registration fee for one student/youth for 10-day summer encampment
$100 Covers full registration fee for one regular priced participant for 10-day summer encampment
$150 Cost of phone, internet, and electricity at the organizing headquarters.
$250 Average cost of travel for participants to get to New Mexico
$500 One rental van to provide transportation within New Mexico for participants. (5 vans needed)
$1,000 Rent for one month at a store front in Espanola where we are having community and cultural events with local youth. This will also be our office space where we will be doing most of the logistics for the summer.
$3,000 Lumber to help build the encampment and repairs to existing structures.
$5500 Covers the full cost of the Think Outside the Bomb National Tour. The tour features: local speakers, music, presentations about nuclear issues, art and outreach within communities for the summer campaign.

All endorsers will be thanked on our website.

Join us in New Mexico to learn, organize, and amplify the voices of local communities struggling against the nuclear industry.

www.thinkoutsidethebomb.org

Amendment 4, Florida Hometown Democracy: Where do you stand?

2010-06-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

[A version of this letter has been sent out to elected officials and candidates of City and County elections around Florida.]

Dear Elected Official,

By now you've heard about Amendment 4, Florida Hometown Democracy. Your email inbox has likely been visited by corporate PR firms hired by Builders Associations telling you which way to vote and how to inform your constituents on the matter. I'm writing to find out where you stand.

Florida Hometown Democracy has now become a measuring stick by which the public can gauge the integrity and intelligence of their elected officials. Politics driven by the Chambers of Commerce have had a disproportionate influence in our State for too long. The quality of air, water and life in general cannot afford it any longer.

We already know that the developer lobby and short-sighted business interests from all across the country will be spending millions of dollars to bombard us with reasons to oppose a public vote on Comprehensive Land Use Changes. They will yet again accuse us community activists and environmentalists of threatening the fragile economy, as they always do.

Well which environmental group or neighborhood organization is behind the condition of today's economy?

Obviously, none of them. It's corporate greed and political corruption that has pushed this unprecedented financial crisis. Some of the same banks and real estate interests that scammed the public and profited off pillaging $700 billion in a corporate welfare bailout from the federal government are now telling us how we should construct our future economy.

If you are not concerned with poisoned air and water, nor the extinction of threatened and endangered species, then perhaps you will let Amendment 4 be a test of your fiscal conservatism: multiple studies around Florida show that new developments reach into the pockets of established residents to finance infrastructure. For example, Jacksonville's Cedar Swamp Study showed residential development costs taxpayers $2.45 for every $1 it generates in new taxes.

By controlling development, there will be less need for more taxes.

We've been told by the developer's planners that 'New Urbanism' will save us. While the principles behind that concept may be good, it has lost its integrity and we are now watching the green-washed version of developer-driven new urbansim fail miserably. Take the foreclosure of Abacoa Town Center is a prime example: http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2010/05/10/daily48.html

Reckless development doesn't protect people's livelihoods or the economy--it does the exact opposite. Even decent elected officials have become too weak to stand up to developers. They need help from the public. Amendment 4 like is a remedy to politicians who can't say no.

So why should you listen to me?

While the real estate development industry may make up the majority of political campaign contributions, they are a world away from representing the people surrounding you. The people in your neighborhood, at your city hall meeting, at the gym, in your office, church, park, etc.. I am one of them.

For 10 years I have sat through public meetings, conferences, workshops, charrettes (or 'charades'), quasi-judicial hearings and court proceedings regarding development and land use--including the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, the current appropriate public process for assessing Comp Plan changes, through an Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR), in the City where I live. None of it can match the power of paid-off politicians.

In the past 3 years, 3 County Commissioners have been sent to federal prison in the County where I live for voting in their own financial interests, despite public health and environmental concerns: despite cancer clusters, droughts, floods; despite multi-billion dollar ecosystem restoration plans; despite mass foreclosures and financial crises. Politicians, bureaucrats and lobbyists across Florida have been penalized for their greed and corruption. And the investigations continue...

While the Chambers of Commerce tell us that Hometown Democracy denies voters our right to be represented by an elected official under a republic form of government, I send you this email as an opportunity to show that you actually intend to represent us.

So from here 'till November's election, the #1 question for politicians and candidates in the Cities and Counties of Florida will be whether they endorse Amendment 4. Do you support Hometown Democracy?

Do you side with the Builders and the Chambers, or do you stand with the rest of us?

To endorse, click here:
http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/florida-hometown-democracy-endorsements.htm

Please know that your silence will not protect you. By not supporting Amendment 4, we will assume your allegiance to greed and self-interest. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,
Panagioti Tsolkas
Co-Chair, Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
www.PBCEC.org
561-249-2071

P.S. If you are with us, please forward this to your local political candidates and re-post this to all relevant lists and websites.

--
Vote Yes 4 Florida Hometown Democracy this November, Give yourself a vote on growth!
www.floridahometowndemocracy.com

Amendment 4: "A Remedy for Politicians Who Can't Say No to Developers"

2010-06-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

Rally in Defense of Florida Hometown Democracy, June 9th, in Ft. Lauderdale

We got this invite from a Broward Amendment 4 activist. Can any of y'all join us for this rally in Fort Lauderdale June 9th, 4:30pm? If so, please get in touch to carpool and let Bett know as well (email below.)

-panagioti

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: bettwillett@gmail.com
Date: Sun, May 30, 2010 at 8:34 AM

Supporters of Amendment 4 are going to demonstrate on June 9th in front of the Yolo Restaurant from 4:30 to 6:00, the people who are most responsible for our overdevelopment problems are meeting for an Anti-Amendment 4 fund raiser. See below... We will have T-shirts and a banner but please bring home made signs against your project. Please come and bring a friend.

Look below and see that the lobbyist for the Diplomat Debbi Orshefsky, Wayne Huizenga who wants the church addition, and the big law firms who represent the big developers will all be there...

Please let me know who can make it. Bett

Note: BELOW IS OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE JUNE 9 EVENT. IT OFFERS A GLIMPSE OF THE SHORT-SIGHTED, GREED-DRIVEN OPPONENTS OF FLORIDA HOMETOWN DEMOCRACY. For info on supporting FHD, Amendment 4, check out: www.FloridaHometownDemocracy.com

FPL Shareholders and customers ask, “What’s the company's connection to BP’s disaster in the Gulf?”

2010-05-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Juno Beach, FL-- FPL generates over 20,000 megawatts of energy from oil and gas in the state of Florida.* Shareholders and customers want to know how much of their profits came from oil or gas related to BP's operations in the Gulf. Several Shareholders have submitted their question without any response thus far. They will have their chance to ask in person Friday, May 21st at 10am, during the annual FPL Shareholder’s conference.

The Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) will hold a demonstration in front of the corporate offices in Juno Beach, located at 700 Universe Blvd. beginning at 9:15am with the primary message to Shareholders that those profiting from the drilling operations which led to the BP oil disaster must also be held accountable.

The primary item on this year's Shareholder agenda is a name change for the corporation from FPL to 'NextEra Energy'. PBCEC feels this is an effort to distance themselves from recent scrutiny regarding a myriad of environmental, safety and ethics issues.

"There are clearly much more important issues at hand then what they call themselves," stated Shareholder, Thomas Saporito, former employee of FPL and current Executive Director of Endangered Planet Earth. Saporito will be attending the FPL meeting and providing an update to media and demonstrators following the meeting. Other stock-holding PBCEC representatives may also be present inside the meeting.

Regarding FPL's relation to the Gulf disaster, Panagioti Tsolkas, Co-Chair of PBCEC, commented, "This wouldn't be the first time FPL was associated with an oil spill along Florida's coast," referring to a 2006 pipeline leak off Manatee County*. That leak occurred amidst the group’s battle against a new gas-and-oil burning FPL power plant, which is still under construction 1000 feet from the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

"This month we've been offered a devastating reminder of the toll taken by industrial disasters. All confidence has been shattered that the government or corporations can safeguard the public," stated Tsolkas. "The days of this Energy Empire are numbered. The whole system has got to change."

The PBCEC also maintains several concerns with other FPL operations and practices which it wishes to convey at the meeting, including:

-Impacts to the Barley Barber old-growth bald cypress swamp by Martin County plant;

-Environmental racism in Riviera Beach;

-Hazardous radioactive emissions and dangerous storage practices in St. Lucie and Turkey Point nuclear plants;

-'Greenwashing' their image by providing exaggerated environmental benefit and fraudulent programs to mask negative impacts of centralized, combustion energy

-Extortion of rate payers through 'Early Cost Recovery' which is charging customers for plants that aren't even permitted yet;

-Involvement in documented corruption with the Public Service Commission staff (PSC) and Board of Palm Beach County Commissioners, as well as coercive influence over all levels of government in Florida;

-Proposed hikes in utility rates for more fossil fuel infrastructure and high-level executive pay increases.

---

*Map of FPL plants in Florida: http://www.fplgroup.com/about/images/MapBackgr.gif (This link does not include 3,800 megawatts recently added and more underway.)

*FPL has an oil spill of their own in Sept. 2006: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-152128092/fpl-detail-oil-spill.html

xxx

Events

2010-05-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 18, 2010

There will be an interfaith dialogue at L'Dor Va-Dor, which will involve Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish clergy discussing the Guld oil spill and the role of the religious community to protect God's handiwork, the environment.

L'Dor Va-Dor is located one block east of the Turnpike at 7400 Lake Worth Road.

Where Does FPL Stand on the BP Disaster?

2010-05-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Protest the Gulf Oil Spill at 2010 FPL Shareholders

conference in Juno Beach

MAY 21st 9am to 11am

(on the corner of US 1 and Universe Blvd).

Join us in asking FPL to acknowledge their role in BP's Gulf of Mexico disaster, as Florida's single largest purchaser of oil and gas in the State.

While we must make personal changes in our lives, we also need to face the fact that profit-driven corporate demand for fossil fuels is at the root of the problem.

FPL has sought approval for near 7000 megawatts (MW) of new gas/oil burning facilities in Florida in the last 5 years, on top of the 20,000 MW of oil & gas plants they already have in operation (compared to 300 MW in solar).

FPL wants to take reservoir water intended for environment, community supplies

2010-05-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-reservoir-fpl-palm-0512-20100511,0,3169769.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel

11:01 PM EDT, May 11, 2010

Reservoir water intended to replenish the Loxahatchee River and boost community supplies could instead get tapped by Florida Power & Light Co.'s new power plant in western Palm Beach County.

South Florida taxpayers invested $217 million to convert old rock mining pits at Palm Beach Aggregates, west of Royal Palm Beach, into a 15 billion-gallon reservoir.

The reservoir — criticized for its cost and touched by political scandal — was finished in 2008, but expensive pumps must still be constructed to start delivering water to the Loxahatchee. Also, water-quality concerns are hampering the reservoir's ability to replenish community water supplies.

In the meantime, FPL proposes dipping into the reservoir water to help run its nearby plant, also built on former Palm Beach Aggregates land.

The South Florida Water Management District's board on Thursday is to decide whether to allow FPL to install a temporary pump and pipeline to deliver reservoir water to the power plant.

"That wasn't the purpose of the reservoir. … They shouldn't set that precedent," said Drew Martin, of the Sierra Club.

FPL would pay for the temporary pump and pipeline, but wouldn't have to pay for using the reservoir water.

The long-term water-supply plan for the power plant is to use recycled, treated wastewater — typically used for irrigation — but Palm Beach County's water lines are not yet completed. FPL wants to use the reservoir water until early 2011.

Water management district officials contend that sending some of the water to FPL would help address water-quality problems arising from the stormwater now largely left stagnant in the reservoir.

Elevated levels of chloride in the reservoir water are raising concerns about its suitability for replenishing the Loxahatchee, or even replenishing community supplies during droughts.

The district has been cycling fresh water into the reservoir from the nearby L-8 stormwater drainage canal and then discharging mixed water back into the canal.

South Florida's system of canals flushes stormwater out to sea to guard against flooding. The purpose of the reservoir is to hold onto some of that water and use it to replenish the Loxahatchee River, cut off from water flows by decades of draining South Florida to make way for development and agriculture.

The reservoir also is intended to boost local community water supplies and during recent droughts helped prop up West Palm Beach's strained supplies.

Sending water to FPL ultimately could use about 10 percent of the water supply available in the reservoir and is estimated to lower chloride levels, said Ken Ammon, deputy executive director of the South Florida Water Management District.

"Recycling and being able to dilute the water … it's a good win-win system in the interim," Ammon said.

Two of the three power-generation units at FPL's new natural-gas-fuel power plant, called the West County Energy Center, are up and running.

To get water to run the power plant, FPL is now using water from 1,200-foot-deep wells that pump it out of the salty aquifer that also is tapped to supplement South Florida's drinking water supplies.

FPL's plant heats water to generate steam used to power electricity-producing turbines. It also uses water to cool the steam so that the water can be heated again to keep providing energy. The waste water produced by the plant gets pumped underground.

The new plan would blend the water from FPL's wells with water from the reservoir, reducing the amount of water the utility pumps out of the ground. The company estimates it would pump about 5,000 gallons per minute out of the reservoir, FPL spokesman Neil Nissan said.

The power plant and reservoir have been dogged by controversy.

Environmental groups have protested FPL's new power plant, arguing against more fossil-fuel-powered energy production that they contend leads to more pollution and encourages development in already overcrowded South Florida.

Also, the reservoir project and Palm Beach Aggregates' past development proposals were linked to corruption investigations that prompted two Palm Beach Countycommissioners to resign and go to prison amid a federal corruption investigation.

The water management district is collaborating with the Army Corps of Engineers to get the reservoir pumps built. Design work on the pumps could begin this summer, Ammon said. How to pay for the estimated $60 million cost remains the key stumbling block.

"I'm very confident that long-term, this project will be able to deliver the water," Ammon said.

Martin, of the Sierra Club, called the reservoir at Palm Beach Aggregates "a huge waste of money."

"They never should have built it," Martin said.

Andy Reid can be reached at abreid@SunSentinel.com or 561-228-5504.

PBCEC statement on the BP offshore drilling oil blowout disaster in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-05-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

Oil from the Deep Horizon disaster is moving rapidly towards the Gulfstream current, potentially bringing an oil spill to our shores in Palm Beach County.

In light of the BP disaster in the Gulf, We demand an end to all off-shore oil drilling on the coasts of Florida.

BP is primarily responsible for this oil spill thus, we call for a boycott of all BP products until the oil spill is cleaned up and all damages paid for.

We seek the declaration of a state of emergency by the State and Federal governments in order to use all available resources to stop the leak, clean the spill and stop the oil from coming to Florida if at all possible.

We seek a special session of the Florida Legislature and U.S. Congress to accomplish the above, and to take all feasible measures to get our state and nation off of its fossil fuel addiction by ending all further expenditures and permits for fossil fuel plants and granting tax and financial incentives for decentralized, renewable energy.

While BP is primarily responsible, other corporations such as Halliburton and energy companies such as Florida Power & Light (the state's largest single purchaser of oil and gas) are responsible and should also be held financially accountable.

In the end, we are all responsible by living in a society in which we are all dependent on oil and gas. This addiction must end.

We call upon all people from all political, religious and social backgrounds to come together in a common effort to break our addiction to fossil fuels and create an energy independent America.

xxx

PBCEC Announces BP Boycott Protest & Beach Protection Rally

2010-05-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

The Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition joined with individuals and groups across the country in announcing their support for a boycott of BP gasoline. Local citizen rallies in response to the disastrous oil spill at the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico are planned. Details of the first two events are below.

BP Boycott Protest

Who: Citizens of Palm Beach County & the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
What: BP Boycott kick-off

Where: BP station, 4567 South Congress Avenue, Lake Worth (corner of 6th Avenue)
When: Wednesday, May 12 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Why: To urge citizens to join the boycott of BP gasoline
How: Demonstrating at a local BP gas station

Beach Protection Rally

Who: Citizens of Palm Beach County & the Palm Beach County Environment Coalition
What: Mass meeting to discuss short- and long-term citizen and government solutions to
the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Where: Lake Worth Beach (across from the Public Beach Casino building)
When: Saturday, May 15 at 2:00 p.m.
Why: To empower citizens in the effort to respond to the current catastrophe and prevent future oil spills in Florida’ coastal waters
How: Holding a public meeting to discuss a special legislative session, state and federal state-of-emergency status, a BP boycott, opportunities to volunteer time and supplies, and other ways to address this preventable disaster

###

Suspend the Mining! Father Gruloos speaks in Lake Worth on impacts of industrial mining in Guatemala

2010-04-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 19th, 7-9pm
Society of Friends (Quaker) Meetinghouse
823 North A Street, Lake Worth, FL 33460

In March, Several Mayan communities and organizations presented a Constitutional Petition to the government of Guatemala, calling for the immediate suspension of all mining activities taking place on Mayan land. The Petition follows a formal request by the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Committee of Experts to suspend the activities while they investigate reported violations of international law in the Country.

Father Erick Gruloos is a Belgian-born priest who for 30 years has been pastor of the Parish of San Miguel Ixtuhuacan, Guatemala, where a gold mine owned by Canadian corporation GoldCorp has been polluting the water and air and damaging people’s homes while refusing to pay compensation. Father Erick and his parishioners, including many indigenous Mam people, have been very active in opposing this mine – this Monday he will share his first-hand experience with us.

We will also show part of the documentary, the Business of Gold, which chronicles the resistance of the people of San Miguel.

This event takes place in advance of the LatAm Mining Congress, where representatives of Goldcorp and other mining companies with bad reputations will meet in Miami, April 28-30.
www.StopLatMining.info

For more information, contact Lynne at lynnejpurvis@gmail.com or 561-588-9666

Letter from planner/land use lawyer Andrew Dickman supporting Amendment 4

2010-04-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:

After a lot of thought and soul searching, I have decided to publicly support “Amendment 4” sponsored by the grassroots organization called “Florida Hometown Democracy.” I normally don’t use this type of mass emailing, but I feel so strongly about this issue - one I have spent the last 20 years of my life working on – that I want you to understand Amendment 4. If you want off this list, just send me an email.

Amendment 4 is a ballot question that will be presented to Florida voters on Election Day this November 2010. This is a ballot question asking voters if they want to amend the State’s constitution so that local governments can change their long-range future land use plan only after a vote of the electors affected by that change. Currently those decisions are left up to your city and county elected officials.

In 1985, the Florida Legislature adopted what became know as the “Growth Management Act.” The general purpose of this Act was 1) to make all cities and counties prepare and obey comprehensive plans to control how and where future development would occur, and 2) to ensure that the public “participate to the fullest extent possible.” The idea was that planned growth would stop or slow suburban sprawl, protect important environmental resources, and help make our communities more livable and sustainable. The other idea was that citizens would get a significant role in how these decisions are made.

Twenty-five years later the State is a mess and citizens have no meaningful role other than a few minutes to speak to their local elected officials at the public hearing when future land use changes are made. Developers and their team of lawyers, lobbyists and experts almost always get their way, and, meanwhile, trust in the government approving these developments is at an all-time low. Simply put: the system is broken.

My family has lived in Florida for generations; I’m a certified planner, an attorney, and I have watched hundreds of amendments to the future land use plan get approved which collectively are ruining what I love about this state. It literally sickens me. In my view, the only solution is to balance the decision-making power between the developers, the local government, and the people. Amendment 4 will do this.

...

The opposition is mounting an elaborate campaign against Amendment 4 which is based exclusively on fear and speculation, not facts. As Election Day approaches, more and more of these kinds of fear-based messages will get targeted at you.

Developers and the indirect industries that rely on unfettered sprawl into rural and agriculture lands will stop at nothing to continue the status quo, even though every study since 1985 has documents that we have allocated so much land for future growth that it will take decades to build out. Yet local future land use plans continue to be amended all the time for more houses and strip malls, the cost of which to extend roads and schools to those locations are borne by the entire community. This is NOT growth management. In my view, the only way to instill fairness into this process is through Amendment 4 – give voters the opportunity to decide if their future land use plan should be changed.

I realize Amendment 4 is a significant change to the current system. But the current system has done NOTHING to protect natural resources, NOTHING to stop private condos from replacing recreational and working waterfronts, NOTHING to stop new incompatible developments from encroaching on existing neighborhoods, or NOTHING to build a broader economic base that isn’t vulnerable to the boom-bust real estate cycles. Florida, I have concluded, simply cannot wait for developers and elected officials to recognize the harm they are causing.

Once again, please visit the Florida Hometown Democracy website and get involved. But most importantly, vote for Amendment 4!

Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further and share this email with others as you see fit.

Cordially,
Andrew Dickman, AICP, Esq.
LAW OFFICES OF
ANDREW DICKMAN, P.A.
Miami - T: (305) 758-3621 F: (305) 758-0508
Naples - T: (239) 434-0840 F: (239) 434-0940
P.O. Box 771390, Naples, FL 34107-1390
www.andrewdickman.us

From Mecca to Briger, Scripps Biotech has been a bad neighbor to the greater Everglades bioregion

2010-04-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

[Open letter to the environmental community of South Florida]

Hey folks,
Many of us stood together against the threat of Scripps Biotech development on Mecca Farms 5 years ago.. and we won that battle. But the fight to protect what's left of Florida's unique ecosystems and the endangered quality of life in our communities still continues on today.

In the past several years, we have made great strides in exposing developer greed, political corruption, and it's ecological impacts here in the greater Everglades bioregion. While the Briger Tract proposal for Scripps is smaller than the Mecca/Vavrus plan, it is the same Chamber of Commerce-lead Trojan Horse, intended to bust open one of the last, large forested places east of I-95 in south Florida. In fact, the site represents a habitat type even more threatened than what we fought for on Mecca Farms and its immediate surroundings.

The Scripps Phase II/Briger proposal is requiring a Comprehensive Plan change from Palm Beach Gardens tonite to invite Scripps and 682 acres of 'ancillary development'. We feel it is clear under County, State and Federal law, that the site should be subject to a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Our simple request is that all involved Agencies and Governing Bodies, including the Palm Beach Gardens, acknowledge and honor that process.

I hope to see all those concerned with the rare habitats of south Florida out in Gardens with us tonite.

Everyone should be able to down load or view our recent report about Briger online here:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B6TlWTWa1h34Yzk5NWM3OGQtMjZjZi00ZTQ2LTlmYjQtY2FkNWEyNDBjNjg5&hl=en

Hopefully it will help inform and inspire your public comments for tonite.

Our plan for today is as follows:

-6pm protest at PBG City Commission (Military and PBG Blvd)
-7pm Hearing.. Please be there promptly, and plan to stay a while. It is a quasi-judicial hearing, so all who swear in will have the right to speak and cross-examine witnesses.

The report linked here is what we have been working on all month. After tonight, perhaps we can schedule a time to all take a hike and show more folks first hand what we have been documenting. As deeply impacted the area is by development, it is still very beautiful and impressively biodiverse out there.

We have attached some of our favorite photos of the site in the above link, including an endangered Hand Fern on the Briger forest (one of over 55 spotted by our citizen surveyors), to show images of what we are fighting over. aside from its inherent value as a rare species on the brink of extinction, the fern is a very attractive plant as well.

-panagioti tsolkas
co-chair, PBCEC

Environmental groups call for a halt to the Juno Beach nourishment project in the wake of Leatherback sea turtle death

2010-03-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Press Release
March 11, 2010 - Juno Beach, FL

Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Reef Rescue, Cry of the Water and a host of sea turtle conservation groups sent a join letter today to the US Army Corp of Engineers requesting an investigation into the death of an adult male leatherback sea turtle and asking that dredging in the area be suspended until turtle safeguards are implemented.

On March 9, 2010 the dive charter boat Narcosis responded to reports of an adult male leatherback sea turtle floating on the surface next to the dredge borrow area for the Juno beach nourishment project. The Narcosis crew arrived on-scene accompanied by a Florida Law Enforcement vessel. Due to the size of the turtle, estimated to weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, it could not be lifted onboard. Narcosis lashed the turtle to the stern and towed it to the Riviera Beach Marina where FWC took possession. The turtle was placed in a FWC truck with a forklift provided by marina staff. The turtle was transported to the University of Florida in Gainesville where a necropsy will be performed. There was no immediate evidence as to the cause of death, but blood was observed on the face of the turtle.

The location of the dead turtle next to the Juno dredge area raises concern

An apparently healthy adult male leatherback turtle found dead next to the dredge area causes the environmental groups to strongly suspect the dredge likely had a role to play in the turtle’s demise. On January 8, 2010 a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle was killed by the dredge in the same area prompting a shutdown of the project while a faulty turtle exclusion devise was repaired. “This well may be the second turtle killed in connection with the project that we are aware of “said Ed Tichenor, director of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue whose volunteers documented the recovery of the leatherback.

Little protection afforded for endangered sea turtles congregating offshore during breeding season

March 1 marks the beginning of turtle nesting season in Palm Beach County and beachfront residents are required to turn off lights or face penalties. However, the Juno project has been allowed to continue beyond March 1. The project which is months behind schedule and less than half completed is not expected to end until mid-April at the earliest. According to the permit issued for the Juno project increased beach patrols and nest relocation are added requirements the contractor must meet to protect nesting females after March 1. But according to the environmental groups these conditions are inadequate to protect male turtles (which do not come ashore) and females congregated in the nearshore environment during the day. In fact, sea turtles during the breeding season spend the majority of time in the coastal waters where they become vulnerable to dredging activities.

Link to US Army Corp of Engineers letter from environmental groups with attachments:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/28204519

Link to leatherback turtle recovery photo slideshow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W3Nn3R7v4E

###
Palm Beach County
REEF RESCUE
Boynton Beach, Florida 33425
(561) 699-8559
Email: etichscuba@aol.com

____________________________________________________________________________________

Environmental Racism and Environmentalist Solidarity in Palm Beach County

2010-02-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
Below are recent links to some of the work that the PBCEC has been doing in solidarity with community activists in Riviera Beach and Lake Worth regarding environmental justice issues. Please feel free to pass them along. It would also be nice to see support through positive comments after the articles, if you have a minute to type a note.

While these issues are huge problems, we recognize that they are only skimming the surface of environmental racism in Palm Beach County, which is rooted firmly in the racist policies that resulted in a war to steal this land from Seminole communities 200 years ago.

It's time for a unified movement to address the these concerns and change the foundation of a society that is built on greed and racism.

-Panagioti Tsolkas
PBCEC co-chair

News on Riviera Beach FPL power plant
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/juice/2010/01/fpl_plant_deals_dirty_on_the_r.php

News on dirty waste Plant in Lake Worth's Osborne community:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/recycling-plant-county-vow-to-look-into-complaints-261853.html?showComments=true&postingId=271424#commentsList

Here is a video from the joint Riviera Beach Civic Association/PBCEC meeting:
http://www.wptv.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=17313@wp

These are the original 17 principles of Environmental Justice from the 1991 conference:
http://www.ejnet.org/ej/principles.html

Info on Environmental Justice and federal law (NEPA):
http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ej/justice.pdf

Summary of the Feb 2010 PBCEC meeting

2010-02-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief summary of the Feb 2010 PBCEC meeting which took place at the Quaker Meeting House.. Sorry if the editing is a bit sloppy. I'm in a rush to get on a plane and attend the Earth First! Winter Rendezvous and Organizers' Conference this weekend.. see y'all soon.

Next PBCEC meeting March 1st, 7pm, at Quaker Meeting House 823 North A Street.

For the wild,
panagioti tsolkas
PBCEC, co-chair
561-249-2071
pbcec.blogspot.com

p.s. don't forget to check out the calendar at the new 'Grassroots Activist Center' where PBCEC now has an office: www.myspace.com/theNightHeron

-------------------------------------------
-Scripps phase II plan:
We will be continuing to challenge this plan. The County will be presenting its application for comprehensive plan and land use changes. We are concerned about the impact to the 800 acre pine forest which is home to threatened and endangered plants and animals (including the hand fern, gopher tortoise and indigo snake); the sie actively used for horse trails by an adjacent equestrian community. We are also concerned about the ethics regarding public oversight, animal testing, toxic pollution and genetic engineering and corporate patenting.

*March 11 will be a pro-Scripps meeting at FAU Jupiter, 9am-12noon, PBCEC folks are encouraged to attend..
*March 13th, 4-6pm will a demonstration about Scripps development on the Briger Tract
*April 1st, 7pm (no joke) is the hearing to approve zoning and Comp Plan changes through the Palm Beach Gardens City Council

--------------------------------------------------------------
-FPL in Riviera Beach and beyond
With new scandals around every corner, now is the time to expose FPL for who they are and what they have done to Florida: from tearing up the Everglades with power lines and frying endangered birds to sucking down the aquifer and re-injecting it with poison, to environmental racism, radioactive leaks, oil spills, explosions.. the list goes on.

We have been planning a series of educational events about energy options and alternatives to FPL, in collaboration with the Riviera Beach Civic Association's environmental committee. This week was an event in Mangonia Park with City Commissioners. We are looking to plan more like this across the County.

One of our focuses this year is on closing the Riviera Plant for good and keeping new fossil fuel out of town... Here's a link with a reminder about one of the reasons we fight these projects: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100208/ap_on_bi_ge/us_middletown_explosion
This plant under construction in Connecticut exploded recently, killing 5 people. It is the same model as FPL's 'state of the art' gas plants, but only 620 megawatts (about 1/6 of the size of the WCEC and 1/2 the size of the Riviera proposal)

From the article: "An explosion that sounded like a sonic boom blew out walls of an unfinished power plant and set off a fire during a test of natural gas lines Sunday, killing at least five workers and injuring a dozen or more. The explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems [such a convincing name!] plant in Middletown, about 20 miles south of Hartford, could be heard and felt for miles."

--------------------------------------------------
-Hands Across the Sand
There is a growing movement against drilling for gas and oil off Florida's coasts. There are several events in the County, including one in Lake Worth this Saturday at 12 noon. For more info, check out:
www.handsacrossthesand.com

--------------------------------------
Sun ('Recycling') Waste Damp in the Osbourne community in Lake Worth

Residents have been fighting this project for near 20 years. The project is a blatant, disturbing example of environmental racism, where a facility was zoned by Lantana in the backyard of Lake Worth residents in this historic Black community, which is already located next to the City's previous landfill.

The PBCEC will be joining with local folks on Feb 16, 1:30pm at the Solid Waste Authority (SWA) at 45th Street. A bus will be leaving from Lake Worth for people interested in attending, contact Javier del Sol for details on the bus 533-5287

-----------------------------------------------
Amendment 4 = Hometown Democracy, Amendments 5 and 6 = Fair Districts.. Vote Yes.

PBCEC is an official endorser of Amendment 4. We are coordinating outreach efforts in the area, please get in touch if you are interested. This Amendment is the frontline of keeping developers at bay.

We were also given an update by Loxahatchee Sierra Club policitcal committee chair on Amendments 5 and 6, which relate to the jerrymandering of political districts. We are supporting a yes vote on all three of these Amendments.

We are also asking our participants to use this email signature for the next several months to help spread the word on Amendment 4 (do this by clicking on the 'setting' feature of your email):

"This November, Vote Yes 4 Florida Hometown Democracy, Give yourself a vote on growth!
www.floridahometowndemocracy.com"
--------------------------------------

We are supporting the Voter League Fundraising Gala coming up with an Ad in their program book for their event this Saturday 6pm at Hurst Chapel, 1617 Silver Beach Rd. Supervisor of Elections, Susan Bucher, will be a keynote speaker. Tickets are $30

Our Ad will be a statement of our support for Amendment 4

---------------------------------------
Earth Day
We will be looking into events to support/participate in. We have been invited to join the event at Busch Wildlife in April.. Sounds good.

----------------------------------------
Announcements (sorry, my notes got sloppy with details here):

-March 20 Electoral Reform event at the UU Church in Boca Raton (time?)
-Progressive Candidates meeting at Howley's 7pm (when?)
-March 13 County Archeaologist Chris Davenport speaks at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
-Feb 14, 3pm, Network of Spiritual Progressives meeting on the Global Marshall Plan

Tree Sit on Coal River Mountain! Can you help?

2010-01-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

[Please offer your urgent support to our friends in Appalachia]

January 25, 2009

Dear Friends,

Three brave tree sitters are stopping blasting on Coal River Mountain right now. Massey is using dangerous sleep deprivation tactics to force them down and resume destruction of the mountain.

After four days 60 ft up in the air, the treesitters, David Aaron Smith, 23, Amber Nitchman, 19 and Eric Blevins, 28, are still going strong. Massey's sleep deprivation by air horn isn't making things easier, and the sleet, fog, mist, and rain aren't helping either — but every time that people have talked to them, they sound upbeat and steadfast. The sitters plan to endure the discomforts created by Massey security and the weather and hold out for as long as possible to defend Coal River Mountain.

Far from permanently ending blasting on Coal River, Massey has tried to harass the sitters into leaving through the use of the sound machine, hitting the platforms with a rope, cutting down nearby trees and constant flood lights. Some of the harassment has stopped, but the sound machine continues, potentially causing permanent hearing loss. We need to call demand they immediately stop illegally using noisemakers to harass the tree sitters. Join us in calling Massey's international headquarters Monday, Jan. 25, starting at 9 a.m to ask them to stop the blasting on Coal River Mountain and to stop the harassment of the sitters.

Can you call Massey headquarters in Richmond? 1-804-788-1800

Sample script:

"Hi, I am calling to demand that Massey Energy halt blasting on Coal River Mountain and the abuse of the three tree-sitters occupying Massey's Bee Tree property. Security personnel have been incessantly blasting noise from an air horn to keep the tree-sitters awake. This puts both the sitters and the miners at the site at risk for hearing loss, and could be considered a felony under West Virginia state law. Also at risk are the lives of the 998 people who Massey predicts will be killed should the 8.2 billion gallon Brushy Fork Impoundment fail. To dynamite in the surrounding area is to gamble with the lives of the people of the Coal River Valley. The mountains of Appalachia soak up water and act as a water filtration system for millions of Americans inside of and surrounding Appalachia. To release toxins into Appalachia's waterways puts the health of these millions in jeopardy. Please stop this abuse of our forests and our health and halt the blasting."

Once you have made the call, please tell us how it went here. [http://climategroundzero.net/2010/01/callmasseyonjan25/]

Thank you for standing up for our tree sitters and for Coal River Mountain! Now help spread the word!

Please help make the tree sit and the campaign a success by:

* Donating to the legal fund [go to www.climategroundzero.org and hit the orange "legal" button]

* Forwarding this email to your friends

* Posting this story on Facebook and twitter

Thousands of new people have come to the Climate Ground Zero website to watch the progress of this action, mostly through word of mouth networks. We're not a big organization, and we rely need every one of us to help tell this story to the world. We're making constant updates to our website, so check back for the latest updates on David, Amber and Eric's brave stand.

In closing, here are a few words on the importance of this struggle from a previous speech at a rally given by Eric Blevins, calling for the protection of Coal River Mountain

"The government must step in now to stop this killing, and if they don't, we will keep getting in Massey's way until this madness ends, and we will save Coal River Mountain and the Coal River Valley and our deep connection to divine creation."

Thanks,
Climate Ground Zero Team

Riviera Beach residents meet Monday to discuss environmental justice and energy options

2010-01-17T19:45:00.000-08:00

For immediate release, 1-17-2010

Riviera Beach, FL-- Riviera Beach Civic Association (RBCA) will be joining with the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) this Monday, January 18, Martin Luther King Day, at 6 pm in Newcomb Hall, 180 East 13th Street, to discuss environmental alternatives in the City of Riviera Beach.

Residents of Riviera Beach are currently living with one of the dirtiest power plants in the entire State of Florida. The meeting will feature local community and business leaders as well as energy experts and grassroots activists discussing this FPL facility and other issues.

Following the rejection of FPL's recent rate-increase request by Florida's Public Service Commission (PSC), FPL stated that it no longer intends to 'modernize' the diesel-fired Riviera plant. This leaves a new uncertainty around the contentious plant, which is 'grandfathered' to operate beyond Clean Air Act standards.

The environmental and public health activists also intend to address the issue of 'environmental racism' as it relates to the FPL facility.

"Environmental racism means that as a black person in America, we are 5 times more likely than a white person to live within walking distance of a power plant," said RBCA member Al Lark. Lark is chairperson of the Civic Association's Environmental Committee and is also involved with the PBCEC.

According to U.S. Census data, 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a power plant – and those 30 miles are the distance where the maximum effects of the smokestack plume are felt. For comparison, 56% of the white population is within 30 miles of a power plant.

EPA data shows that 71% of African Americans live in counties that violate federal air pollution standards, compared to 58% of the white population.

Lark and other activists across Palm Beach County hope that this meeting will begin the urgent dialogue needed to work towards clean, safe, renewable, decentralized energy options in the City.

xxx

Protesters brave cold, rally against Scripps Research site in Palm Beach Gardens

2010-01-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

PHOTO: Gary Coronado/The Palm Beach Post
Bonnie Redding of the Palm Beach County Green Party protests the use of Briger land for Scripps Institute Thursday.

By Bill Dipaolo
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Briger is bad.

That was this morning's cold and clear message from about a dozen shivering protesters, calling for city commissioners to vote no in the Jan. 14 scheduled second and final reading to develop about a 1-square mile parcel of vacant land into a bio-tech park with about 4 million square feet of research space for the Scripps Research Institute.

"Scripps is messing with the blueprint of life. That's dangerous," said Russ McSpadden, 31, a chef at a Delray Beach restaurant. Around him, members of Everglades Earth First waved signs reading "Bald Eagles, Not Bio Tech" and "Testing is Torture."

A few drivers at PGA Boulevard and Military Trail smiled behind their closed windows. Most ignored the protesters. There were a few thumbs-up signals.

But soon after the protest, local officials postponed the Jan. 14 meeting. A new meeting is scheduled for April 1.

"A delay won't hurt us. We're busy developing our faculty and staff here (at Florida Atlantic University)," said Harry Orf, vice president for scientific operations for Scripps Research Institute.

The delay was caused by incomplete documentation, said Palm Beach County Assistant County Administrator Shannon LaRocque.

"There are no glaring issues causing the delay. It's pure process," said LaRocque.

Disagreeing with the protestors is Rebel Cook, a local commercial real estate developer.

Scripps would provide a badly needed boost to north county's real estate and job market, she said.

"We need more clean industries like Scripps in north county to bring well-paying jobs," said Cook. "Developing Briger is good."

The 20-year plan for the Briger Tract also calls for the property on the south side of Donald Ross Road to include 500,000 square feet of commercial/retail, 300 hotel rooms, 1.2 million square feet of office and 2,700 residential units.

The property is east and west of I-95, between Donald Ross and Hood roads.

"The retail and housing market is already glutted. We don't need more," said McSpadden.

Everglades Earth members have been knocking on doors in the Briger neighborhood and leaving flyers on doorknobs. They said they face an uphill battle.

"All the best struggles are David and Goliaths. There's plenty of Goliaths to fight," said Ana Rodriguez, 29, a broadcaster at WXEL.

The city council initially was scheduled to vote next Thursday on final reading on the Development of Regional Impact study. State-mandated DRI studies determine how all projects of more than 300,000 square feet will affect local roads, schools and neighborhoods. The council also is scheduled to vote on zoning changes for the project, initiated five years ago by then-Gov. Jeb Bush, to move forward.

The council Dec. 17 approved both on first reading.

Site plans must be approved by city officials at later meetings before construction could begin.

At the proposed 55-foot setback, the buildings could be a maximum 75 feet tall. At 150 feet back from the road, the buildings could be 150 feet tall.

For information about the Briger tract, go to pbgfl.com. For information about Everglades Earth First, go to EvergladesEarthFirst.org.

bill_dipaolo@pbpost.com

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/protesters-brave-cold-rally-against-scripps-research-site-166961.html

Thomas Saporito to Speak to the Palm Beach Environmental Coalition About FPL’s Application to the NRC to Build Two More Nuclear Power Plants...

2009-12-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

Versus Renewable Solar and Wind Energy Systems

News for Immediate Release
Date: 12 DEC 2009: Contact: Thomas Saporito: 561-972-8363

On Monday, December 14, 2009, Thomas Saporito will speak at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Palm Beach Environmental Coalition (PBEC) about FPL’s application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build two more nuclear power plants at the existing Turkey Point nuclear site in Homestead, Florida.

The PBCEC meeting will begin at 7:00 pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 823 North “A” Street, Lake Worth, Florida.

Link to PBCEC: http://pbcec.blogspot.com

According to Saporito, “The State of Florida does not need any more nuclear power plants to meet the future energy needs of our state. Instead, FPL and Progress Energy should concentrate their resources to providing their residential and commercial customers with lease-to-own renewable solar voltaic and wind energy systems. These renewable energy systems are tied to the FPL or PE common electric grid through Florida’s net-metering law which requires the electric utility to pay the customer for excess electric power generated back to the grid. A properly designed system can completely offset 100% of a customers electric bill.”

“Clearly, clean, renewable electric systems are the future of Florida – not nuclear power which generates tons and tons of high-level nuclear waste which must be indefinitely stored at the utility’s nuclear plant site.” Saporito said.

Food for thought – if the majority of FPL and PE customers were to install solar and wind electric systems on their homes – FPL and PE would actually have to start shutting down existing power plants. Its time for the Florida Public Service Commission to step up to the plate and be an advocate for the Florida consumers in this regard instead of allowing FPL and PE to pre-charge their customers for the cost of building more nuclear power plants in Florida.

Please visit http://renewableelectricsystems.com for more information on solar and wind electric systems.

<<< End >>>

PBCEC Update: N30 report, 12/14/09 meeting reminder, updates and events

2009-12-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Palm Beach Post coverage of PBCEC's Nov 30 meeting with DEP and EPA:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/protesters-opposed-to-fpl-plant-near-loxahatchee-wildlife-91783.html

Unfortunately, the Post coverage did not go reflect the actual content of the meeting, and the struggle that proceeded it. The PBCEC coordinated an uphill effort to bring together diverse concerns relevant to greenhouse gas monitoring and regulation and present them to local/state DEP and Federal EPA representatives. After having DEP Southeast Director, Jack Long, attempt to limit participation to 8 people, deny media entry and threats of parking violation against meeting participants, we succeeded in having 16 people present (including photographer and videographer) and a conference call accessible to the public, which over a dozen listened in on, including administrators from other State agencies...

For our full N30 story:
http://pbcec.blogspot.com/2009/12/report-from-pbcecs-n30-meeting-with-dep.html

For news from N30 actions around the U.S.:
http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/n30-day-of-action/reportbacks-day-of-action/

Next PBCEC meeting Dec 14th, 7pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 823 North A Street, Lake Worth

Proposed Agenda:
-FPL and the DEP (updates from N30 meeting, 350 campaign, next steps, Dec 18 plan)
-Scripps (upcoming hearing Jan 14, 7pm at Palm Beach Gardens City Hall)
-Updates from recent County, District and Legislative meetings (offshore drilling, rock mines, landfills, etc.)
-Dec 17, Inland Port hearing (Port of Palm Beach)
-Environmental racism in Riviera Beach (FPL) and Lake Worth (Sun Recycling)
-Nuclear power and early cost recovery (joining statewide campaign)

Events Calendar and Updates:

Sat. Dec 12, Grand Opening of Night Heron Grassroots Activist Center (new office of PBCEC) Music, Food, introduction to the space, 4-8pm, 1307 Central Terrace, Lake Worth (at the corner of G Street and 13 Ave. north)
http://www.myspace.com/thenightheron

Sun. Dec 13, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Candle Vigil and Ringing of Bells regarding U.N. Climate Summit and 350 ppm CO2 as part of regular Network of Spiritual Progressives of Palm Beach County Meeting. Meeting location is 2011 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach at the Church of Our Saviour MCC.
http://www.350.org/node/13367

Some background on the upcoming contract for the Waste Transfer Dump (Sun 'Recycling') perpetuating environmental racism in the Osbourne Community:
http://www.lakeworth.org/vertical/Sites/%7B5E6FE119-0228-4C9B-B2DB-067168049C16%7D/uploads/%7BA6CF9CB7-4042-48E9-819B-104A418C381E%7D.PDF

Updates on the Eagle Training Center in Venus
Just a reminder to call, write, email or other contact to ask Highland County Commissioners to "recind" the two remaining issues we must get rid of regarding the changes opening more pathways to environmental degradation of our land and peaceful way of life.
www.noeagletrainingcenter.com.

Report from PBCEC's N30 meeting with DEP and EPA

2009-12-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Regarding FPL powerplants in South Florida

Palm Beach Post coverage of PBCEC's Nov 30 meeting with DEP and EPA:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/protesters-opposed-to-fpl-plant-near-loxahatchee-wildlife-91783.html

Unfortunately, the Post coverage did not go reflect the actual content of the meeting, and the struggle that proceeded it. The PBCEC coordinated an uphill effort to bring together diverse concerns relevant to greenhouse gas monitoring and regulation and present them to local/state DEP and Federal EPA representatives. After having DEP Southeast Director, Jack Long, attempt to limit participation to 8 people, deny media entry and threats of parking violation against meeting participants, we succeeded in having 16 people present (including photographer and videographer) and a conference call accessible to the public, which over a dozen listened in on, including administrators from other State agencies.

When a final group was told to leave the building by West Palm Beach Police, they refused without a written explanation of why they were being forced from a building which State and Federal public dollars pay for. The police backed down, and remaining meeting participants left on their own terms (no parking tickets!)

The following day, DEP's Jack Long (who passed the buck at every opportunity) accused PBCEC's letter of threatening him. Long filed a formal complaint with the WPB Police. No legal action has been taken against anyone yet.
[View letter: http://pbcec.blogspot.com/2009/12/n30-letter-delivered-to-jack-long.html ]

Despite the DEP's efforts to intimidate us, we maintain a position that Jack Long, as well as his higher-ups in Tallahassee (Mike Halpin and Michael Sole) who have signed off on countless permits for pollution and sprawl, are not fit to direct environmental protection efforts for Florida. More specifically, we feel these individuals, along with other agencies (such as the Public Service Commission) knowingly assisted companies such as FPL in maximizing permits for carbon-intensive applications prior to the establishment carbon regulations. Our estimation is that their actions resulted in the permit approvals for 20-30 million tons of greenhouse gases (specifically related to power plants and fossil fuel infrastructure) that would not have been needed if growth projections, efficiency standards and renewable options were assessed in favor of the public rather than corporate profits.

We consider these actions to be collaboration with a massive assault (at the least, acts of criminal negligence) against millions of unsuspecting victims, impacting billions of dollars in public and private property.

Finally, we feel that the future monitoring and regulation of greenhouse gases will not be sufficient. A true pursuit of climate justice means not only removing corrupt agency heads and revoking permits that were granted in excess attempting to skirt the costs associated with future carbon reduction, but preparing to compensate people both who will face the effects of sea level rise and those who have been poisoned by air pollution as a result of fabricated dependency on fossil fuel.

There is no reason that a reasonable person should settle for less.

Signed,
Panagioti Tsolkas
Co-Chair, PBC Environmental Coalition

N30: Letter delivered to Jack Long, Southeast District Florida DEP Director

2009-12-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

Nov. 30, 2009

First, thank you for meeting with us today, Jack. We have gathered that there are many pressures and potential obstacles regarding this event. We also realize that there is a new level of dialogue occurring at a Federal and global level on the subject of monitoring carbon emissions. We feel that now is the time to act, while support for cutting carbon emissions is growing.

We have come here in the spirit of openness, in the interest of finding out what the Southeast DEP District can contribute to the urgency we are facing with a looming climate crisis—a crisis which threatens to exacerbate all ecological and financial dilemmas facing the people of this state, the country and the planet.

At the surface we are talking about carbon emissions, but on a deeper level we are addressing the continued poisoning of the public for private profits. This is a systemic problem. With your pen you can cause greater impacts to the planet than the rest of us in the room will likely cause in our lifetimes.

Since our Governor called a statewide summit on climate change in the spring of 2007, there has been no concrete steps towards tracking carbon emissions through monitoring in order to reduce them. I have personally taken part in meetings held by task forces, boards and agencies across the state discussing the threats of climate change; I have read studies and resolutions from multiple public agencies.

Meetings, studies and resolutions do not lower carbon in the atmosphere. It takes real action of the sort that DEP is mandated by the State of Florida to carry out through monitoring, regulation and enforcement.

There is no justification for waiting two and a half years to begin monitoring greenhouse gases such as CO2 in the permits you are frequently approving. In order to make the serious cuts that accepted international science has illustrated the need for, monitoring is the clear and easy first step. There is no excuse for further stagnation, except that energy corporations such as FPL do not want to risk their profits in the process of emissions reduction.

This is unacceptable. Knowingly allowing the permitting of unmonitored carbon emissions is a grave and criminal negligence in violation of your mandate to protect the environment. There is no excuse for waiting. While the DEP cannot sink below EPA standards, you are able to improve upon them in the interests of the people of this State. We consider the failure to do so an act with criminal intent.

Ten years ago this day, I sat in a Seattle jail cell for taking part in the protests during the World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings. After 5 days in jail, I was released without criminal charges. The reason I was there is the same reason I am here today—to ensure that the protection of public interest surpasses the permitting of rampant corporate greed which threatens the planet and its people.

Today we ask you, Jack Long, as the Director of the Southeast Florida DEP District to send the following message to Tallahassee, Washington D.C. and Copenhagen, Denmark:

"We cannot wait longer; it is in the interest of both our local region and the world around us to take effective action; this District office will an agree by December 7, the start U.N. Climate Talks, to monitor emissions."

If our fair and reasonable request cannot be met by negotiation with this public agency, we will consider you to be working in
collaboration with an unjust corporate energy empire and we will pursue a campaign of direct action and civil disobedience to confront and expose you for knowingly putting our communities and ecosystems in danger.

-Panagioti Tsolkas
Co-Chair PBC Environmental Coalition

Chronology of recent communication between PBCEC, DEP and EPA

2009-11-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

[What follows is a long series of communications, primarily between panagioti tsolkas of the PBCEC and Jack Long of the DEP, leading up to the scheduled Nov. 30 meeting. Extraneous portions of the emails have been cut for readability, but the email text remains wholly intact.]

---------------------------------------------------------------------
INITIAL EMAIL FOLLOWING OCT 23 RALLY:

From: PBC EnviroCoalition [mailto:pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 11:24 AM
To: miedema.ron@epa.gov; Miedema.Ron@epamail.epa.gov
Subject: To EPA region 4 and FDEP, re: scheduled climate change meeting in
EPA office last Friday

Mr. Mediema (and whom else it may concern),

As I imagine you have heard by now, the noon meeting we had scheduled on Friday morning, Oct 23, was obstructed by West Palm Beach law enforcement. Our groups was not able to pass into the building until after 1pm, and even then only 2 were given permission to pass, while all others were threatened with arrest for their interest in dialogue with Federal and State agency representatives.

I was also informed later that FDEP employees were instructed to avoid communication with our group, despite multiple cordial, formal efforts in the weeks leading up to Oct 23 to coordinate communication with them. We are disappointed yet, not deterred. We, the people involved with the '350' mobilization of October 24, 2009, are requesting a follow up joint meeting with staff of EPA and DEP next month, on November 30, at 12 noon.

I know that your offices have collaborated in the past, such as in the Project XL, and we ask that you can do so again for the purpose of beginning to communicate directly with the public regarding the monitoring and regulation of carbon emissions and, in particular, the impacts of coming climate change on the wetlands and coastlines of Florida.

The primary subject we are looking to address is WHEN the State of Florida will begin monitoring and regulating impacts from industrial carbon emission. Tools and legal opinions are in place at a State and Federal level to begin this now. Instead environmental permitting continues in a business-as-usual fashion, without even monitoring industrial levels of CO2.

We hope you will accommodate this request for a meeting by opening a conference room to address this urgent question, which is becoming a source of great frustration for many environmentally concerned residents in Florida. Please reply to notify us of your decision on this request.

If we do not receive a response to this request, we will assume that you are not interested in addressing our concerns and frustrations in a public manner.

In this case, we will choose to conduct this public meeting in your absence, in either the office of the DEP or the EPA, depending on which agency's conference room will be available to us with the least interference in the agencies' daily operations. We feel that it is within our right, under the United States and Florida Constitutions, to make a reasonable request to seek redress for grievances from the government. We feel this includes making a statement that the appropriate agencies will hear, inside their public offices.

This risk posed by climate change is imminent. According to the best science available to the public, the action we take (or fail to take) today will impact people, property and the planet for generations. Pressuring agencies with enforcement capacity is the only option available to us in order to remedy this imminent threat. If we fail to take bold action to initiate strong, quick protections which reduce carbon emissions drastically (over 80% of 1990 levels), we feel we are all liable for a criminal negligence which could devastate the health and environment of future generations.

sincerely,
Panagioti Tsolkas
Co-Chair of Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
s/panagioti tsolkas

-----------------------------
CCed:
Richard Harvey, EPA, Director of South Florida OFFICE
Jack Long, Director of FDEP southeast regional office
Dan Liftman, aid to Congressman Alcee Hastings
Barry Silver, PBCEC co-chair, attorney
Bobette Wolesensky, Greenpeace, lead organizer
Ed Tichner, Reef Rescue
Bonnie Redding, PBC Green Party
Everglades Earth First!
Paul Quinlan, Palm Beach Post

---------------------------------------------------------------
DEP RESPONSE:

from Long, Jack
to PBC EnviroCoalition
cc "Aldama Harmon, Gloria" ,
"Yon, Mary Jean" ,
"Kahn, Joseph" ,
miedema.ron@epa.gov,
"Claridge, Kevin" ,
"Anderson, Lennon"
date Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 9:20 AM
subject RE: To EPA region 4 and FDEP, re: scheduled climate change meeting in EPA

Mr. Tsolkas:

I would be pleased to meet with a delegation of the PBC Environmental Coalition at the end of November.

Please call Ms. Gloria Aldama-Harmon around mid-November in order to discuss the details. We are undergoing renovations at our Offices, so we may be somewhat limited in the number of Folks we can accommodate.

May I suggest that you invite an EPA representative to attend that meeting. I think that would be useful, in terms of giving your delegation the federal perspective.

Thank you.

Jack Long

The Department of Environmental

Protection values your feedback as a customer. DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole is committed to continuously assessing and

improving the level and quality of services provided to you. Please take a few minutes to comment on the quality of

service you received. Copy the url below to a web browser to complete the DEP

survey: http://survey.dep.state.fl.us/?refemail=Jack.Long@dep.state.fl.us Thank you in advance for completing the survey.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
FOLLOW UP EMAIL FROM PBCEC:

from PBC EnviroCoalition
to "Aldama Harmon, Gloria"
cc "Long, Jack" ,
"Yon, Mary Jean" ,
"Kahn, Joseph" ,
miedema.ron@epa.gov,
"Claridge, Kevin" ,
"Anderson, Lennon"
harvey.richard@epa.gov,

date Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 12:19 AM
subject Gloria Aldama-Harmon.. Re: To EPA region 4 and FDEP, re: scheduled climate change meeting in EPA office last Friday

Hello Ms. Aldama-Harmon,
I was encouraged by Jack Long to communicate with you for beginning to plan a public meeting regarding the monitoring and regulation of carbon emissions.

We will be planning this meeting for Monday, November 30, at 12 noon in the DEP/EPA office building. I was also encouraged by Jack to invite participation from EPA representatives. I have not yet heard back from their regional office. Perhaps you are in communication with their staff?

We would like to know what the carrying capacity is for available conference rooms (as per fire code), so that we may determine how many representatives and participants we can safely invite into the meeting.

I look forward to working with you and others in your staff towards making this important event a success. Email is my preferred means of communication. Hopefully this works for you as well.

Sincerely,
Panagioti Tsolkas
Co-Chair, PBCEC

----------------------------------------------------
2 DEP RESPONSES:

from Long, Jack
to PBC EnviroCoalition
cc "Claridge, Kevin" ,
"Aldama Harmon, Gloria" ,
"Yon, Mary Jean" ,
"Gaskin, Carla A." ,
"Morrison, Dana" ,
"Kahn, Joseph"
date Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 3:27 PM
subject Nov. 30, 2009 Meeting With A Delegation From The PBC EnviroCoalition (Not a "Public Meeting")

Mr. Tsolkas:

1. Thank you for your October 31, 2009 e-mail to my Assistant, Ms. Gloria Aldama- Harmon.

2. In my October 27, 2009 e-mail to you, I advised you that I would be willing to meet with a “delegation” from the PBC EnviroCoalition at the end of November.

3. In the first paragraph of your aforesaid e-mail, you make reference to a “public meeting”. Please be advised that there will not be a “public meeting”.

4. Our Public Meeting Room will be under construction during portions of the months of November and December. In any event, our Public Meeting Room shall not be made available to the PBC EnviroCoalition.

5. I will use my Conference Room to meet for one (1) hour with a delegation of not more than eight (8) Members of the PBC EnviroCoalition.

6. This shall be a private meeting with an eight-person-delegation (or fewer, if you so choose) of your Members. No media representatives shall be invited. (Just so that there is no misunderstanding, if you were to arrive with any members of the media, the meeting shall be cancelled.)

7. Please send Ms. Aldama-Harmon a list of the topics you would like to discuss, and we shall establish an Agenda for the one-hour meeting.

8. Please communicate with Ms. Aldama-Harmon as to the time of the proposed meeting, obtaining Visitor Passes for your delegation, etc.

Thank you.

Jack Long

District Director
Department of Environmental Protection
Southeast District Office
West Palm Beach, Florida
www.dep.state.fl.us/southeast

Florida’s Water - Ours to Protect: Check out the latest information on Florida Water Issues at http://www.protectingourwater.org/ presented by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

AND TWO (FOLLOWING A RELATED PHONE CONVERSATION):

from Long, Jack
to PBC EnviroCoalition
cc "Claridge, Kevin" ,
"Aldama Harmon, Gloria" ,
"Gaskin, Carla A." ,
"Morrison, Dana" ,
"Kahn, Joseph"
date Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 11:16 AM
subject RE: Nov. 30, 2009 Meeting With A Delegation From The PBC EnviroCoalition (Not a "Public Meeting")

Mr. Tsolkas,

With respect to this morning’s telephone conversation, let me reiterate that there will not be a “public meeting”. Please re-read my November 4, 2009 e-mail to you (it is set forth immediately below this e-mail).

And, I have not received an e-mail from you in response to my aforesaid e-mail. In terms of logistics, please see # 7 and 8 of my aforesaid e-mail.

Thank you.
Jack

-----------------------------------------------------
PBCEC RESPONSE:

from PBC EnviroCoalition
to "Long, Jack"
date Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 1:46 PM
subject Re: Nov. 30, 2009 Meeting With A Delegation From The PBC EnviroCoalition (Not a "Public Meeting")

Mr. Long,
Thank you for clarifying this. I'm glad we made contact, as i did not see your previous email in my inbox.

The date our group is planning for is November 30, after 12 noon (I would like to propose 1pm-2pm).

I will communicate with Ms. Aldama-Harmon to confirm time, establish an agenda and secure visitor passes for those attending our one hour 'private meeting'.

As you suggested earlier, there should also be an EPA representative present. I would like to ask you to extend a personal invitation to have an EPA representative join us, either in person or by phone.

Sincerely,
Panagioti Tsolkas

----------------------------------------------------
DEP RESPONDS:

from Long, Jack
to PBC EnviroCoalition
cc "Aldama Harmon, Gloria" ,
"Claridge, Kevin" ,
"Gaskin, Carla A." ,
"Morrison, Dana" ,
"Kahn, Joseph"
date Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 1:57 PM
subject RE: Nov. 30, 2009 Meeting With A Delegation From The PBC EnviroCoalition (Not a "Public Meeting")

Mr. Tsolkas,

Thank you for your message. Ms. Aldama-Harmon will wait for your call.

I will let you deal with inviting a Representative from EPA. You told me that you have the necessary numbers, and I believe that you met with EPA Representatives the last time you were here.

Thank you.

Jack Long

-------------------------------------------
PBCEC to DEP:

from PBC EnviroCoalition
to Gloria.Aldama.Harmon@dep.state.fl.us
cc harvey.richard@epa.gov,
miedema.ron@epa.gov
date Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 5:09 PM
subject Re: Nov. 30, 2009 Meeting With A Delegation from the PBC Environmental Coalition on Carbon Emissions & Climate Justice

Gloria, I tried calling around 4pm, but you were out. Here is the list of names we will be trying to narrow down over the weekend, our preference, of course, is to have all who have expressed interest be able to attend:

I will call you on monday to confirm.

1. Panagioti Tsolkas
2. Barry Silver
3. Ana Rodriguez
4. Bobette Wolesensky
5. Bobby C. Billie, Independant Traditional Seminole Nation (he has
informed me that he is requesting two additional people from his
group, i do not have their names yet)
6. Staci-lee Sherwood
7. Alfred Lark
8. John Barlow
9. Dan Liftman

There are several other individuals, many either long time community
leaders or young students who have have expressed interest:
10. Alexandria Larson
11. Rosa Durando
12. Tess Bath
13. Evy Grachow
14. Christian Minaya
15. Kyle Krakow
16. Marty Sullivan
17.Diane Sullivan
18. Ed Tichnor
19. (PBCC student)

--------------------------------------
DEP RESPONDS:

from Long, Jack
to PBC EnviroCoalition
cc "Anderson, Lennon" ,
"Aldama Harmon, Gloria" ,
"Morrison, Dana" ,
"Claridge, Kevin" ,
"Offord, Bruce" ,
"Hoefert, Lee"
date Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 12:10 PM
subject AGENDA & PROCEDURES // November 30, 2009 Meeting Re Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Mr. Tsolkas,

Gloria sent me a copy of your November 20, 2009 e-mail.

Let me try to make this clear: Eight people, and only eight people. In other works, you and seven other people. No more than a total of eight persons will be permitted to enter our Offices.

You and your seven Colleagues should arrive at 11:40 a.m., at which time you will be met and escorted to our Reception Area for identification badges. The Meeting will take place in my Conference Room from 12 p.m. (noon) until 1:00 p.m.

The Agenda is as follows:

November 30, 2009

Meeting Between Southeast District Director Jack Long and

Eight Representatives of the PBC EnviroCoalition

12:00 p.m. Opening Remarks by Jack Long

12:10 p.m. Remarks by first Representative of PBC EnviroCoalition

12:20 p.m. Remarks by second Representative of PBC EnviroCoalition

12:30 p.m. Questions by Representatives of the PBC EnviroCoalition

1:00 p.m. Adjourn the Meeting
______________________

Thank you.
Jack Long

------------------------------------
DEP FOLLOWS UP:

from Aldama Harmon, Gloria
to pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com
cc "Claridge, Kevin" ,
"Morrison, Dana" ,
"Long, Jack" ,
"Buckley, Michael"
date Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 5:03 PM
subject Meeting with DEP Director Jack Long Nov. 30th

Mr. Tsolkas.

Mr. Long wants a description of what you have planned for the November 30 meeting. In our phone conversation you mentioned the word “rally” and we need to know what you mean by that.

I have been instructed by Mr. long to tell you that if this matter is not cleared up to his satisfaction by noon Wednesday (November 25), the meeting on the 30th will be cancelled.

Gloria Aldama Harmon
Administrative Assistant
FDEP Southeast District
Director's Office
561-681-6661
561-681-6755 Fax

--------------------------------------------------
PBCEC RESPONDS, TWICE:

from PBC EnviroCoalition
to "Aldama Harmon, Gloria"
cc Miedema.Ron@epamail.epa.gov
date Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 7:31 PM
subject Re: Meeting with DEP Director Jack Long Nov. 30th

Ms Aldama Harmon,
The group that is being excluded from the meeting will be gathered out front of the building in anticipation of hearing the update from inside. Is this cause to cancel the meeting? What is the concern you are looking to address.

Below is the list we currently have attending the meeting. I am waiting to hear back from a representative of PBCC's Community Earth student club who may switch out with one of the 8 below.

Barry Silver, former FL State Legislature, PBCEC Co-Chair
Alfred Lark, Riviera Beach Civic Assoc.
Jon Barlow, Dept. of Health, Pollution Prevention Coalition
Dan Liftman, Aide to U.S. Congressman Alcee Hastings
Bobby C. Billie, Independant Traditional Seminole Nation
Staci-lee Sherwood, Loggerhead Marinlife Center
Panagioti Tsolkas, PBCEC Co-Chair
Bobette Wolesensky, Greenpeace lead organizer

We will look to gain insight from Mr. Long's presentation of his knowledge of a timeline on CO2 monitoring and greenhouse gas regulation. Following that, as Mr. Long has established in his agenda, each person present will take several minutes to express their positions and questions and we will look to Mr. Long to guide us toward an agreement on the need for immediate action.

The only explicable reason for cancelling the established meeting would be to express an utter disdain for the freedom of speech and assembly.

I have spoken with Ron Miedema of the regional EPA office; he is interested in assisting our meeting with gaining insight from the Federal regulatory perspective. We are working to coordinate a call-in from the Air Division in Atlanta during our scheduled meeting. I have CCed Ron here as well, to keep him in the loop. (please correct me if i am wrong, Ron)

Cancelling this meeting would be a great disappointment to people who are supposed to be putting our faith in you to do the right thing. There has been enough back-pedaling in Florida on the subject of climate change already. Please don't add this to the list.

-Panagioti Tsolkas
co-chair, PBCEC

BARRY SILVER'S RESPONSE:

from barryboca@aol.com
to pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com,
Gloria.Aldama.Harmon@dep.state.fl.us
cc Miedema.Ron@epamail.epa.gov,
bwolesensky@comcast.net
date Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 9:41 PM
subject Re: Meeting with DEP Director Jack Long Nov. 30th

Hello Ms. Harmon and Mr. Miedema: You have asked Panagioti what he has planned for the meeting on November 30. He has gone to great lengths to explain exactly what he would like to discuss, who will be in attendance, and his goals for the meeting. I have attended thousands of meetings, and rarely have I attended a meeting where more preparation and details have been provided prior to the meeting as Panagioti has already provided to you, and yet you ask for more information. Regarding the use of the word rally, we are hoping that after the meeting, we will be able to report back to those who were not permitted to enter, that the DEP and the EPA will begin to take seriously their role and obligation to monitor and regulate greenhouse gases, and once we learn of these efforts, we intend to rally our friends and allies to support the DEP and the EPA in taking such vitally needed action in combatting the serious problem of global warming. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Panagioti. Best Regards, Barry

Rabbi Barry Silver
Congregation L'Dor Va-Dor
1200 South Rogers Circle
Suite 8
Boca Raton, Fl. 33487
(561) 483-6900

-------------------------------------------
EPA CHIMES IN:

from Miedema.Ron@epamail.epa.gov
to barryboca@aol.com,
Terry.Carl@epamail.epa.gov,
Kemker.Carol@epamail.epa.gov
cc bwolesensky@comcast.net,
Gloria.Aldama.Harmon@dep.state.fl.us,
pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com
date Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 6:57 AM
subject Re: Meeting with DEP Director Jack Long Nov. 30th

Carol and Carl, The Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition has a meeting scheduled with the West Palm Beach office of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on November 30 to discuss C02 issues. They would like an EPA representative to call into the meeting to provide a federal perspective on the issue. I would hope you could make someone from the Air Division available to answer their questions I would do it myself but that is not a subject I am knowledgeable on to represent EPA.

Gloria, Would you please furnish Carol and Carl, at the email address above, the call in number and time of the meeting should someone from EPA be available for the meeting.

That so all, Ron Miedema EPA - SFO

------------------------------------------------
EPA AGAIN:

from Miedema.Ron@epamail.epa.gov
to PBC EnviroCoalition
date Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 7:13 AM
subject Re: Meeting with DEP Director Jack Long Nov. 30th

I just got verification that EPA will participate in the meeting via conference call Ron Miedema EPA-SFO

---------------------------------
DEP RESPONDS:

from Long, Jack
to barryboca@aol.com,
PBC EnviroCoalition
date Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 3:53 PM
subject PBC EnviroCoalition Meeting / "Rally" - November 30, 2009 // REVISED AGENDA

Messrs. Tsolkas and Silver:

1. Thank you for your November 23, 2009 e-mails.

2. Ms. Carol Kemker (Deputy Division Director of EPA’s Air, Pesticide & Toxics Management Division) and I will meet with eight (8) Representatives of the PBC EnviroCoalation in my Conference Room on November 30, 2009 at 12:00 noon. The Meeting shall last for one-hour-and-fifteen-minutes. (Ms. Kemker and some of her Staff will participate by telephone.)

3. The purpose of the Meeting is to discuss Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

4. This shall be a private Meeting with the aforesaid eight-person-delegation (or fewer, if you so choose) of your Members. No media representatives shall be invited. (So that there is no misunderstanding here, if you were to arrive with any members of the media, the Meeting shall be cancelled.)

5. There shall be security both outside of, and inside our Offices.

6. Your eight-person-delegation should arrive at our Offices at 11:40 a.m., at which time you will be met and escorted to our Reception Area for identification badges. Once all of the badges have been distributed, your eight-person-delegation shall be escorted as a group to my Conference Room.

7. At the conclusion of the meeting, your eight-person-delegation shall be escorted to the front door of our Office Building.

8. In light of Ms. Kemker’s availability, I have set forth the following Revised Agenda:

Revised Agenda

November 30, 2009

Meeting Between Ms. Carol Kemker (EPA) and Mr. Jack Long (FDEP), and Eight Representatives of the PBC EnviroCoalition

Subject: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

12:00 p.m. Opening Remarks by Ms. Carol Kemker (EPA)

12:20 p.m. Opening Remarks by Mr. Jack Long (FDEP)

12:30 p.m. Remarks by first Representative of PBC EnviroCoalition

12:40 p.m. Remarks by second Representative of PBC EnviroCoalition

12:50 p.m. Questions by Representatives of the PBC EnviroCoalition

1:15 p.m. Adjourn the Meeting

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to our Meeting.

Jack Long

The Department of Environmental Protection values your feedback as a customer. DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole is committed to continuously assessing and improving the level and quality of services provided to you. Please take a few minutes to comment on the quality of service you received. Simply click on this link to the DEP Customer Survey. Thank you in advance for completing the survey.

------------------------------------------------------------------
PBCEC RESPONDS:

from barryboca@aol.com
to Jack.Long@dep.state.fl.us,
pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com,
bwolesensky@gmail.com,
bwolesensky@comcast.net
date Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 4:43 AM
subject Re: PBC EnviroCoalition Meeting / "Rally" - November 30, 2009 // REVISED AGENDA

Hello Mr. Long:

Thanks for your reply to our request for a meeting. I will discuss the ground rules you have laid out with the others, but I have a few preliminary questions that I hope you may be able to answer.

1) Why is the press not invited?

2) Why can only two people address you, other than at a limited question period at the end?

3) Why do we get the impression that you are doing us a big favor by meeting with us, and why so many ground rules and preconditions, when I would think that an organization that is established to protect the environment, such as the DEP, would welcome with open arms those volunteers who share this goal and seek to assist in this sacred mission?

I look forward to seeing you on November 30.

Barry Silver

-------------------------------------------------------
DEP RESPONSES:

from Long, Jack
to barryboca@aol.com,
pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com
date Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 10:22 AM
subject RE: PBC EnviroCoalition Meeting / "Rally" - November 30, 2009 // REPLY TO YOUR QUESTIONS / COMMENT

Attorney Silver,

Thank you for your e-mail. The answers to your two questions, and the response to your comment are as follows:

1. This was the original understanding with Mr. Tsolkas. This is not a public meeting. It is a private meeting in my Office, to which the press is not invited.

2. This is due to time constraints.

3. Thank you for your comment. I look forward to meeting with you.

I see no need to engage in further discussions concerning the arrangements for the private meeting. If the arrangements are not satisfactory, please advise us as soon as possible so that we can cancel the arrangements which have been made for this private meeting.

The Office is closed tomorrow and Friday.

Unless we hear from you to the contrary, we assume that we will be meeting at noon on Monday, November 30, 2009, pursuant to the arrangements (and Revised Agenda) set forth in my November 24, 2009 e-mail to you and Mr. Tsolkas.

Jack Long

-----------------------------------------------------
DEP INVITES 4 MORE:

from Long, Jack
to "barryboca@aol.com" <'barryboca@aol.com'>,
pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com
date Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 11:13 AM
subject FW: PBC EnviroCoalition Meeting / "Rally" - November 30, 2009 // REPLY TO YOUR QUESTIONS / COMMENT

Attorney Silver,

I want to follow-up on my e-mail below. The meeting is not a “public meeting” in the sense that it has not been advertised as a public meeting. When I used the words “private meeting”, I intended to convey the idea that the meeting is a meeting with the eight members of the public who were identified in an earlier e-mail from the PBC EnviroCoalition.

My Conference Room cannot comfortably accommodate many more people. However, since I have decided that I will be having only two Staffers with me, we will be able to accommodate an additional four representatives of the PBC EnviroCoalition (for a total of 12 representatives). If you would like to expand the number of representatives by 4 persons, please send me the names of such additional 4 persons prior to the time of the meeting.

Also, I want to again emphasize that I will not be able to discuss any FDEP policy issues related to Greenhouse Gases and/or Climate Control. All policy issues related to those matters will have to be addressed by our Communications Office at Headquarters. You may recall that we had this discussion outside of our Office Building at one of the EnviroCoalition’s earlier rallies. As I stated then, I direct a Regulatory Office, not a policy-making office.

Thank you.
Jack Long

----------------------------------------
DEP GIVES CONFERENCE CALL NUMBER:

from Long, Jack
to PBC EnviroCoalition ,
barryboca@aol.com
cc "Llorens, Cristina" ,
"Aldama Harmon, Gloria"
date Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 12:41 PM
subject RE: FW: PBC EnviroCoalition Meeting / "Rally" - November 30, 2009 // REPLY TO YOUR QUESTIONS / COMMENT

Mr. Tsolkas,

If others are interested in calling in, the Conference Call Number is 888-808-6959, conference code 9981325.

With respect to the last paragraph of your e-mail, it might be a good idea for you to forward the Revised Agenda to any persons who express an interest in calling in. The Meeting will proceed as outlined in the Revised Agenda.

I am leaving the Office for the rest of the day and I will not be available until Monday.

Jack Long

-----------------------------------------------

Nov 18 Press Conference and Rally at Public Hearing to increase WCEC emissions.. FPL and DEP collaborating again!

2009-11-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

Contact: Panagioti Tsolkas, co-chair, PBC Environmental Coalition

West Palm Beach, FL-- On November 18th, 6pm DEP will hold a Public Hearing on permit modification to increase WCEC emissions at the South Florida Water Management District office on the north side of Gun Club Road, just west of Congress Avenue (across from PB County Jail). The Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC) will hold a rally and press conference in front of the hearing location, at 5:30pm to express their demand for action from DEP to stop fossil fuel expansion, climate change and acid rain in the Everglades.

DEP issued a notice on September 10, 2009, to modify their air permit for the controversial FPL West County Energy Center fossil fuel power plant in Loxahatchee. FPL is requesting to increase the already massive emissions associated with the project for an auxiliary boiler, adding several addition tons of hazardous emissions. The permit modification does not monitor or regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The DEP project engineer for FPL’s modification, Jeff Koerner, stated to the PBCEC that he has already reviewed over 30 similar permits this year with no monitoring or regulation of CO2. All have been approved.

In addition to CO2, PBCEC is also concerned that DEP will not be fully monitoring the pH of rain and its impact to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. According to a recent correspondnce from Dr. William Louda, PHD, who studies bio-geochemistry of the Everglades, "Each pH unit is an order of magnitude change in the number of protons (acidity). Thus, a pH change from 7.3 to 6.8 is a 5 fold increase in acidity---changing from 7.3 to 7.2 is a doubling of protons." In Dr. Louda's assessment, "a little change can bring large changes in an ecosystem----ARM [the Loxahatchee Refuge] is a very very sensitive to pH (acid rain) changes."

The meeting is also the first public announcement of a meeting that PBCEC has scheduled with DEP administrator on November 30 (N30) to find out when the agency will begin to monitor CO2 emissions. This event is coinciding with a global call to action for 'climate justice', leading up to the U.N Climate Talks in Denmark. The regional EPA staff have been invited to the N30 meeting, but have yet to reply.

xxx

Lake Worth Run-Off for Mayor: Support Laurence McNamara over Rene Varela

2009-11-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

LAKE WORTH VOTES AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 17...

The PBCEC endorsed Javier del Sol in the first round of local elections, and we are proud to have been associated with his amazing success in running an environmental campaign (from re-using signs to recycled paper and soy-ink for handouts). He also engaged populations in Lake Worth who have had little-to-no voice in political life. Although he didn't win the votes we feel he deserved (as much of his support came from a segment of our community excluded from elections) his effort will certainly shape elections to come.

But in Lake Worth, we were extremely fortunate to have more than one great environmental candidate running for Mayor. Now that the Run-Off is upon us, we are also proud to offer our full support to Laurence McNamara, who made it into the final round with candidate Rene Varela.

Laurence was chair of the committee that wrote the Public Land/Public Vote charter amendment for the 2005 ballot, so now our public land (parks and beach in particular) cannot be sold without voter approval. This stopped 5 ten-story condos from being built in the intercoastal and an 8 story condo on Old Bridge Park. He has worked on every Lake Worth land-use campaign to prevent overdevelopment in the neighborhoods and on the beach. Laurence was vice-chair of the city's Climate Action Task Force, which made recommendations to the city on energy conservation measures. He wants to promote water conservation through cisterns for all new development and he wants to see renewable energy become a reality in Lake Worth.

Laurence McNamara is open-minded, honest, and environmentally pro-active. He also received the official endorsement of the local Sierra Club Executive Committee.

Rene Varela, on the other hand, is charismatic and talks a good talk. But he has not participated in anything substantial in the City of Lake Worth except to run for office twice. He has taken different positions on immigration depending on the audience (he has not expressed support for the Resource Center, which the local immigrant advocacy community has worked hard towards opening). He claims to be an environmentalist, but has no record of taking any position on local issues. Of special concern is Rene's professional participation in the capture of wild dolphins for profit. Varela is featured in the documentary film "Dolphin Dealer", in which he identifies pregnant wild dolphins after they are captured. The dolphin captures in the film are traumatizing and often deadly for dolphins. He works for Ocean Embassy, a company that says they help marine animals, but their work is abhorred in the US and other countries for lacking standards. Groups like Humane Society and Earth Island Institute have spoken out against Varela's business affiliations.

Rene Varela is running a campaign wholly based on image, not substance. From what we can gather, it seems Varela is being groomed for politics in Tallahassee. He is likely to be the slickest greenwasher ever. We want to make sure he does not get his start here.

To make financial donations or to help volunteer with McNamara's campaign reach Lake Worth voters, visit: http://www.laurencemcnamara.com/

Is Lake Worth Mayoral Candidate a Dolphin Trafficker?

2009-10-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

http://votevarela.wordpress.com/
By Deirdra Funcheon in Environment, Florida, Politics, Science
Mon., Oct. 26 2009 @ 12:52PM
Protestors at last night's forum
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/juice/2009/10/is_lake_worth_mayoral_candidat.php
It's not unusual for politicians to want to hide controversial details of their lives: adulterous affairs, DUI arrests, bankruptcies. Leave to the reliably kooky city of Lake Worth to have this week's most interesting political scandal: rivals of mayoral candidate Rene Varela -- a marine mammal veterinarian -- say that he helps sell wild dolphins for profit.

On his campaign website, Varela claims that he has taught at such esteemed institutions as Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and the University of Florida. His website says nothing of his involvement with Ocean Embassy, a company that is building a $500 million Sea World-style resort in Panama. Ocean Embassy's website says Varela has been director of veterinary services since 2005. No one answered the phone at Ocean Embassy's offices today, and Varela has yet to respond to an email seeking comment.

Ocean Embassy has been no stranger to controversy. Its plans to import wild mammals and offer swim-with-dolphins programs inspired protests throughout Panama; people started petitions and protested in the streets, and the Humane Society International even wrote to the president to try to stop the project. According to Panamanian news reports, Ocean Embassy fought back by having one of its critics, head of an animal welfare group, charged with criminal defamation. In September 2008, the Earth Island Journal reported that Ocean Embassy closed in the face in opposition (according to the article, polls showed that 80 percent of Panamanians opposed wild dolphin captures), but on September 1 of this year, a Panamanian business periodical reported that Ocean Embassy had announced plans to invest $300 million on the project, and the company's website suggests that development is still under way.

Varela was also a subject in the 2008 documentary Dolphin Dealer by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (The video can be seen here.) According to the CBC, Varela, in his duties with Ocean Embassy, helped capture and inspect dolphins in the Solomon Islands, then ship them to Dubai to provide entertainment at theme parks.

Last night at a candidate forum, some Lake Worth residents protested against Varela. The Palm Beach Post noted his employment, saying he was a "partner" in Ocean Embassy but that he would not discuss the company. Some activists plan to wear dolphin-inspired clothes or carry inflatable dolphins this week in protest. Those include City Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill, who said Varela's work "violates one of our civic virtues about environmentalism... If someone wants to exploit dolphins, what are they going to do to our city?"

Environmentalists Rally at DEP office for 350 International Day of Action on carbon emission reduction; highlight local threats and impacts

2009-10-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release: October 20, 2009
Contact: Panagioti Tsolkas, pbcenvirocoalition@gmail.com

West Palm Beach, FL— On Friday, October 23, 2009, 12 noon, the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC), local Greenpeace organizers, Everglades Earth First! and other activists in the area will rally at the southeast regional offices of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), at 400 North Congress, which is also a regional U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office, to challenge the agencies on not taking concrete action to address increasing carbon emissions.

Florida back-pedaling on climate change
In September DEP announced a decision to back out of the Governor’s commitment to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), who publicized the internal document, sees this as a clear step away from the pro-active stance on climate change that the State of Florida had been promoting.

DEP also issued a notice on September 10, 2009, to modify their air permit for the controversial FPL West County Energy Center fossil fuel power plant in Loxahatchee. FPL is requesting to increase the already massive emissions associated with the project for an auxiliary boiler. The permit modification does not monitor or regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The DEP project engineer for FPL’s modification, Jeff Koerner, stated to the PBCEC that he has already reviewed over 30 similar permits this year with no monitoring or regulation of CO2. All have been approved. FPL also continues to operate one of Florida’s oldest, dirtiest power plants here in Riviera Beach with no regard for it’s carbon emissions.

350: ”the most important number in the world”
These recent examples of back peddling by State of Florida politicians and bureaucrats come as the United Nations prepare for the world’s most important global meeting on curbing runaway climate change. An effort of international environmentalists and scientists is calling on the policy-makers to recognize the urgent demand to bring carbon parts-per-million (ppm) in the atmosphere back down to 350ppm. We are currently at 385.92ppm, an increase that has most notably paralleled the industrial world’s dependency on fossil fuel.

As PEER Director Jerry Phillips, a former DEP enforcement attorney, stated in the groups recent press release, “Of all the states, Florida arguably has the most to lose from rising sea levels, bigger, nastier storms and the other side effects associated with climate change.” Global scientific research is now also associating the danger of increasing ocean acidity with industrial carbon emissions.

According to Panagioti Tsolkas, co-chair of PBCEC, “This is a crucial moment in the history of our species. After decades of environmentalists sounding the alarm on climate change—and being ignored—the world’s politicians and corporations are being faced with the devastating results of their greed.”

“Here in south Florida, a grassroots movement is building to hold people accountable. If agencies like DEP, and politicians like Crist or Obama, continue to fail us, we need to make sure the public remembers that.”

Rabbi Barry Silver, former State Legislature, stated, "I call upon all those who consider themselves religious to join us in protecting this magnificent creation called Earth. I also call upon those who claim to be political leaders, to join the movement to combat threats to our planet. The last thing we need in our effort to reduce global warming is more hot air from these polluticians."

For further information, see links below:

Events associated with 350 International Day of Action in South Florida throughout the week: http://pbcec.blogspot.com/2009/10/350org-climate-change-events-in-south.html

For more info on coordinated events around the world
www.350.org

For the documents from PEER on DEP, RGGI and problems with cap-and-trade
www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1238

xxx

PBCEC Opposes Anti-Immigrant Candidates in Lake Worth Election: Scott Maxwell, Loretta Sharpe, Rene Varela and Wes Blackman

2009-10-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

In past environmental organizing efforts in Lake Worth, confronting bad development plans had occasionally presented the challenge of working with people who haven't shared the same values towards social justice and human rights. While the relationship between environmental protection and human dignity has been a common sense alliance for the PBCEC, some neighborhood activists have not shared this view.

But with the coming election, that murkiness is starting to clear a bit, as the most developer-friendly candidates are turning out to also be some of the least responsive to needs of low-income and immigrant families in the City. Below are some cited samplings of the four candidates of greatest concern: Scott Maxwell – candidate District 1, Wes Blackman – candidate District 3, Loretta Sharpe – candidate for Mayor and Rene Varela candidate for Mayor.

The PBC Coalition for Immigrant Rights (PBCCIR), which recently collaborated with PBCEC in our Lake Worth candidates forum, has been a primary advocate for the Lake Worth Resources Center. The PBCEC considers the Center to be a quality-of-life issue in the urban environment, we support the work of PBCCIR, and feel that many of those who have opposed the effort do not have the interests of the public at heart. Further, there is a strong element of xenophobia and racism which has surfaced and must be exposed and challenged.

The above-mentioned four candidates for Lake Worth City Commission have been vocal opponents the city's efforts to create the Lake Worth Resource Center, which brings day-laborers off the corners, providing education, employment and access to services. Following are some of the public comments these candidates have made in opposition to the City’s effort to welcome immigrants and integrate them into our city through education, employment and recognition of their cultural heritage. Many of Lake Worth's immigrants families have been residents in the City of over 20 years (and are still refused the right to vote). The Resource Center is a critical piece of Lake Worth's efforts to be a city of tolerance, working pro-actively to create stable employment for residents so they can provide for themselves and their families.

I hope all voters will give serious consideration to these candidate’s opinions.

Scott Maxwell
Maxwell has presented himself as being openly anti-immigrant. Until recently, he hosted a weekly radio program called “Connecting the Dots on Illegal Immigration”, Thursdays 8pm on WBZT 1230 Clear Channel. He ended the radio show upon his candidacy for City Commission.

He attended the City of Lake Worth public meetings when they were voting to open the Resource Center to help provide employment for residents, and to get Day Laborers off the street corners. At that meeting he spoke against the center, I have included his comment from the official City Clerk meeting minutes (source, page 14:
http://www.lakeworth.org/vertical/Sites/{5E6FE119-0228-4C9B-B2DB-067168049C16}/uploads/{4C61269D-F7D7-401E-BE4E-3DFB26D56F17}.PDF).
His entire comment can be found on the official Clerk recording of the meeting. The meeting was held September 2, 2008

“Scott Maxwell said this was an important night for Lake Worth. The decision of the Commission would send an important message to its residents, businesses and developers, and America that the City sold its soul and pandered to those who tried to come to the country and improve themselves. The federal government allowed immigrants to get away with entering the country illegally. This was one of the most generous countries to allow legal immigrants to enter. With enough people, the government and the political country could be taken over. He said he was against Matricular Consular Identification and opposed the center."

Further proof of his vocal opposition to immigrants can be found in this email posted on the website of City blogger Lynn Anderson. (source: http://lynn-a.blogspot.com/2009/05/e-mail-from-scott-maxwell-on-illegals.html):

"Lynn,

Very well written piece on your blog regarding illegal aliens.... (except for the part where you plugged my show! You know how bashful I am & can be J ! )

This week’s guest will be Steven Camarato, Director of Research for the Center for Immigration Studies. I really appreciate your being on top of this issue....hopefully we as Americans, will wake up and place some of our petty issues aside for the resolution of some of the more important.... Our country is in a terrible fight for survival...we are going to meet the same fate as all the other great civilizations before us...too bad that again, folks refuse to learn from history... Again, thank you for your activism...you are truly blessed with great writing skill....wish I could have a fraction of that gift....

Best, Scot"

[*note: Upon a simple search, quotes from Maxwell's guest, Steven Camarato, came up on the Storm Front, the 'white pride world wide" website out of West Palm Beach: http://www.stormfront.org/forum/sitemap/index.php/t-47305.html ]
UPDATE 11/7/09: The reason that this guest came up on the search is that the guest's name, actually Camarota, was spelled wrong by both Scott and the anonymous Stormfront blogger. Since the publication of this post, information has surfaced linking Scott Maxwell to several known racist hate group. More info can be found at: whoisScottMaxwell.blogspot.com

Wes Blackman (also a former employee of Kilday & Associates, one of Palm Beach County's nastiest developer/lobbyist firms)
While sitting as a CRA board member, Wes Blackman voted against a small $1,000 grant to provide wireless cards for the Resource Centers computers. Mr. Blackman’s comments at the July 4 meeting can be found at:
http://www.lakeworthcra.org/downloads/July%2014%202009%20Minutes.pdf

Mr. Blackman visited the center to try and confuse the staff and claim he was being discriminated against, and wrote about it on his blog. His petty and pointless complaints amount to nothing of substance and display his affinities with the organized anti-immigrant efforts in the City.
http://wesblackman.blogspot.com/search?q=resource+center

Loretta Sharp
Sharpe has also been a vocal opponent of the Lake Worth Resource Center. In her public comment during the City Commission vote to open the center, she compared the center to a brothel. Her comment as recorded in the official Lake Worth City Commission meeting minutes of September 2, 2008 is below. The entire comment can be found on the City's website, under the September 2, 2008 official meeting recording.

“Loretta Sharpe said she was a resident for twenty-one years complained about the prostitutes on Highway; however, no Commissioner offered to open a bordello to get the prostitutes off the streets. The Commissioners were thinking about opening a resource center, but it would not improve Lake Avenue. The Commissioners took away many events over the years, yet were considering opening a mentor center for people who did not pay taxes. Employees and programs were being cut in the proposed budget. She said she hoped everyone would record the vote tonight and remember it during the November municipal election and a year from November."

Source: http://www.lakeworth.org/vertical/Sites/{5E6FE119-0228-4C9B-B2DB067168049C16}/uploads/{4C61269D-F7D7-401E-BE4E-3DFB26D56F17}.PDF

Rene Varela (involved with the capture of wild dophins for private profit)
Varela also made public comment during the September 4 City Commission vote on the Resource Center. Following are his comments as recorded in the official city minutes, although his position is murky here (as it often tends to be), he has been clear during other forums that he does not support the center. At best, his position should be clarified.

“Dr. Rene’ Varela said his parents came to the United States from Cuba forty-three years ago. They became legal citizens and integrated into the county. The decision of the City’s future was being made during the budget process. This was a town with great compassion and no one had a monopoly on providing compassion. There was a need for a competent legal opinion on the impact of the center; needed to bring in a broader faith based organizations; needed a buy-in from the federal, state, and local governments who created the problem; needed a code of ethics for those involved in the center; needed those individuals who would benefit to own up to the law; and needed a mission that required all users to be legal citizens or were seeking legal status.”

350.org Climate Change events in South Florida

2009-10-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

www.350.org/presentation

-Oct 17 ‘Age of Stupid’ movie showing at Unitarian Universalist church in Boca, 7pm, 2601 St Andrews Blvd

-Oct 22 ‘Age of Stupid’ movie showing at L’dor V’dor, 7400 Lake Worth Road, 7pm

-Oct 23 Climate Change/350 presentation at the Pollution Prevention Coalition (P2) of Palm Beach County meeting, 2:00 pm Palm Beach County Health Department, 800 Clematis Street

-Oct 23 Rally at DEP about failure to address climate change, 400 North Congress, 12:00-1:30pm, www.350.org/DEPFlorida

-Oct 23 Critical Mass(k) Halloween-theme bike ride for 350, downtown Ft. Lauderdale, 5pm (following Food Not Bombs picnic in park)

-Oct 23 Interfaith Service on the Climate at L'Dor V'dor, 7pm, www.350.org/SFlainterfaith

-Oct 24 Climate Change Wall of Hope and Shame, 3pm Rally at Atlantic Dunes Beach Park (1605 South Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, Florida) www.350.org/palmbeachcounty350

-Oct 24 Broward County 350 event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 24, 2009, at the Museum of Discovery and Science in downtown Fort Lauderdale (Broward Blvd. and Andrews Ave).

-Oct 24 Ocean Watch: Community Day of Action in conjunction with 350.org, from 12:00 to 4:00pm Between Bicentennial Park and American Airlines Arena, 1075 Biscayne Blvd, Miami

Check out this great coverage with local Greenpeace volunteer organizer Bobette Wolesensky:
http://www.envmagazine.org/350-TheMostImportantNumber.html

Mayoral Candidate Rene Varela profits off of wild dolphin trafficking

2009-10-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Since we hosted the Environmental Candidates Forum in Lake Worth, Rene has refused to communicate with the PBC Environmental Coalition. Perhaps this is why...

He is featured in a recent award-winning Canadian documentary called The Dolphin Dealer:
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/dolphindealer/characters.html

The documentary indicates that Rene Varela is a "key character, " involved in selling 28 wild dolphins caught off the Solomon Islands to a luxury resort in Dubai. He's worked for Ocean Embassy, a company that traffics in marine wildlife, in since 2005:
http://www.oceanembassy.com/team-varela.html

A Few Facts About Dolphins in Captivity
For every wild dolphin taken captive, at least one other is injured or killed during the capture process. Studies suggest that mortality rates increase six-fold after capture.

Even in the largest facilities, captive dolphins have access to less than 1/10,000 of 1% (0.000001) of the space available to them in their natural environment.

Dolphins in captivity are often restricted to swimming in circles. In many dolphins, this behavior is a sign that the dolphin is suffering psychologically.

In cement pools, chlorine is added to keep bacteria levels safe for humans. The levels of chlorine used, wreak havoc on a dolphin's skin and eyes, sometimes even rendering them completely blind.

For more on dolphins in captivity, check out World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)
http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/2220_dolphins_in_captivity_faqs.cfm

City of Lake Worth to vote on Publix deal; Will they ignore farmworkers and local grocers' concerns?

2009-10-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

This article below was posted on www.CIW-online.org news. It sounds a little too familiar.. (the article online has several helpful links to its sources, if you want the fuller version, check out:
http://www.ciw-online.org/news.html and scroll down to Sept 2.)

September 2 , 2009

Publix sweetheart deal at taxpayer expense in Ft. Myers, Florida, comes under increasing scrutiny...

A columnist for the Ft. Myers News-Press took a strong stand this past week against the questionable use of taxpayer dollars in a time of economic crisis... and the recipient of the public largesse in question is none other than Florida supermarket giant Publix ("Ft. Myers in no shape to give Publix rent break," 8/28/09).

It seems that Publix -- which is "ranked No. 10 on Forbes' 2008 list of America's Largest Private Companies and is the largest privately held company in Florida" -- has been receiving free rent at a new downtown Ft. Myers location for two years now, at the rate of $50,000 per month. Now the company is looking to keep the taxpayer money flowing its way for another two years, for a total of another $1.15 million. We'll let Columnist Mr. Cook take it from here:

"Fort Myers is broke, yet the city's Community Redevelopment Agency may forgive Publix two more years of rent, which, based on the past two years, amounts to $1.15 million.

For those keeping score, Publix on West First Street was forgiven five years of rent two years ago when it opened. A rent-free extension is preposterous - even for Fort Myers officials.

'From the beginning, the free rent was offensive,' says Councilman Warren Wright.

Why is a city $400 million in debt not charging rent to a for-profit grocery chain?..."

It seems the sweetheart deal was struck to lure Publix to open a store in the downtown area of Ft. Myers as a means to encourage the neighborhood's further economic development. But according to the News-Press story, there is no indication that the downtown Publix is struggling, especially after Publix closed a nearby store the company had apparently promised to keep open:

"... While the CRA ponders Publix rent, resident Timothy Jones gives it food for thought.

'I don't think Publix is hurting,' says Jones, who owns property next door on Clifford Street. 'They're getting the old customers from the Cleveland Avenue location plus more from downtown.'

Jones says public money should not be used to sustain a failing business.

'I find it hard to believe this store is not profitable,' he says. 'The parking lot is full. Where is the evidence? The City Council should demand proof. Would they take my word if I was asking for a million bucks?'

Wright also reminds folks Publix speaks with a forked tongue.

'They promised the Publix on Cleveland Avenue wouldn't close, but it did,' Wright says. 'If they don't make enough money, they will pull out of the new one, too. Whatever happened to capitalism?'''

Tough questions for the company known as the "neighborhood grocer".

The questions may only get tougher when the Community Redevelopment Agency takes this into consideration... [Tale of two grocers]

BELOW IS A LETTER SENT TO LAKE WORTH CRA AND CITY COMMISSIONERS:

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 11:35 AM, PBC EnviroCoalition wrote:

"Honorable Commissioners,
I am addressing this to the both the City Commission and CRA. As i know, many of you are familiar with the conditions and efforts of farmworkers in south Florida. As you may or may not know, many of the residents in our immigrant communities have lived and worked in the Immokalee area prior to living in Lake Worth, and many continue to work in an agricultural sector plagued with reports of exploitation and multiple cases of modern day slavery prosecuted by federal law enforcement.

In the midst of discussing an official invitation to bring Publix downtown, potentially accompanied with a contribution of $500,000 dollars of public money through the CRA (which is intended for flighting blight in our neighborhoods NOT courting corporate interests to town) a leading farmworker-led south Florida organization has called for protests of Publix's denial to recognize the human rights and dignity of those who harvest our food.

Meanwhile, here in Lake Worth, the undeniable reality is that the Publix supermarket will primarily service residents OUTSIDE of the CRA district. There are already multiple locally-owned and operated grocers in or near the CRA district--including a Publix already within walking distance to the westside neighborhoods.

Let's put aside the question of whether or not this Publix is needed in Lake Worth (as the majority of officials elected or appointed to represent the City seem indifferent to that factor), and look at the issue of justice and social responsibility. There are three primary matters at hand:

1) CRA money to Publix
Is it just or responsible to hand half-a-million dollars of public money, a substantial portion of the CRA's annual budget, to the Publix corporation, who have not established any need for such assistance on public record? Does this disregard low-income residents the neighborhood improvements they deserve and pay for?

2) Publix's role as a neighbor in Lake Worth
Should we invite a new Publix to town without a commitment to honor the basic wage increase and commitment to human rights standards being asked of them?

3) The small locally-owned grocery businesses
How will big-box development, such as Publix, impact long-standing and new struggling local businesses? Will the City and CRA make commitments to continue assisting these businesses as well?

Below is some current background info on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) stance on Publix and schedule for protests. The response that they have received from Publix thus far does not indicate that they are committed to being a socially responsible neighbor to local residents nor to the agricultural workers who contribute to Lake Worth's local economy.

I look forward to your response, and am open to further dialogue on the matter. Our group is committed to the protection of both our natural environment and an equitable quality of life for all residents. We would like to believe that you are as well.

Sincerely,
Panagioti Tsolkas
Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: coaimmwkr
> Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 3:42 PM
> Subject: "The Autumn of Our Discontent": CIW announces Publix protests set for the fall

Fed up with Publix's empty excuses for inaction, farmworkers and allies plan a full fall calendar of action at Publix supermarkets across Florida!

Check out the CIW site, http://www.ciw-online.org today for all the details! Here below is an excerpt of what you'll find there:

*****************
"Publix: Where shopping is still a shame"

When Compass Group and East Coast Growers announced their groundbreaking agreement to implement the CIW's Fair Food principles this coming season, Senator Bernie Sanders, a long-time observer of the Campaign for Fair Food, issued a statement that began:

"Today marks the beginning of the end of the harvest of shame that has existed for far too long in Florida's tomato fields."

Indeed, with farmworkers and growers finally working together to produce a fairer tomato -- including higher wages and better farm labor conditions made possible, in part, by the support of major retail food corporations that buy Florida tomatoes, like Compass Group and McDonald's -- it seemed inevitable that other large tomato buyers would seize the opportunity to be part of the solution to Florida's longstanding shame of farmworker exploitation.

Publix, however, refuses to be part of that solution.

Farmworkers and their allies will be joining forces this fall to press their case with Publix and demand that the largest publicly held company in Florida do its part to help improve farm labor conditions and eliminate modern-day slavery in the state.

Toward that end, a full calendar of actions at Publix stores has been set. Here below are the dates as they stand at this time (with more to come in the days ahead):

Month of Publix Protests:
> Oct 17 & 18 - Southwest Florida (Naples, Port Charlotte, Venice, Sarasota and Ft. Myers)

> Oct 24 & 25 - Gainesville

> Oct 31 & Nov 1 – Orlando

> Nov 7 & 8 - Ft. Lauderdale & Miami

> Nov 14 & 15 – Tampa & St. Petersburg

> Statewide Organizing Tour: November 18-24

> Major Action in Lakeland (early December, exact date to be announced)

If you live in or near any of the cities above, email us to find out how you can get involved at workers@ciw-online.org!

It's time for Publix to end the excuses and work together with farmworkers, growers, and consumers for social responsibility.

Join us this fall in pressing Publix to make shopping truly a pleasure by supporting fair wages and working conditions for the farmworkers who pick its tomatoes.

Thanks - Coalition of Immokalee Workers

xxx

PBCEC October notes and updates

2009-10-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

Our first official meeting on the second Monday of the month had a great turnout. Over 20 people gathered to discuss and strategize on regional environmental issues. Next meeting is November 9, 7pm at the Friends Quaker Meeting, 823 North C St, Lake Worth. Please bring food or drink to share. Below are notes from the October meeting, with updates and live links:

**Updates on FPL
the proposed modification for increasing the emissions of FPL’s WCEC, which can be viewed here:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/air/emission/apds/default.asp
The proposal adds several additional tons of air pollution through an auxiliary boiler. There will be a public hearing on the matter soon (Nov 17 or 19, location/time TBA... stay tuned!)

We also discussed the SFWMD decision to give FPL $1 million to relocate water pipelines in relation to the WCEC. They are supposed to vote on that, item #50, today Oct 15.. Yesterday the District agreed to give money to FPL for the Turkey Point water regional impacts.. You’d never know that damn company was making billions in profits, they way they extort the public.

**350.org Days of Action organizing events:
-Oct 17 ‘Age of Stupid’ movie showing at Unitarian Universalist church in Boca, 7pm, 2601 St Andrews Blvd
-Oct 22 ‘Age of Stupid’ movie showing at L’dor V’dor, 7400 Lake Worth Road, 7pm
-Oct 23 Rally at DEP about failure to address climate change, 400 North Congress, 12:00-1:30pm, www.350.org/DEPFlorida
-Oct 23 Interfaith Service on the Climate at L'Dor V'dor, 7pm, www.350.org/SFlainterfaith
-Oct 24 Climate Change Wall of Hope and Shame, 3pm Rally at Atlantic Dunes Beach Park (1605 South Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, Florida) www.350.org/palmbeachcounty350

check out this great coverage with local Greenpeace volunteer organizer Bobette:
http://www.envmagazine.org/350-TheMostImportantNumber.html

**Town of Palm Beach is still opposing Federal Protection for endangered Staghorn Corral! Click here to take action:
http://reefrescuealert.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/ask-palm-beach-to-withdraw-their-objections-to-coral-protection/

**the PBC Legislative Delegation begins meeting across the County starting next month through January. One of the primary issues of environmental concern across the state is the proposal to lift the ban on drilling off-shore for gas and oil. Other issues mentioned at our meeting included: funding for Florida Forever, rock-mining, the DCA, Scripps… Anyone can speak at these events, but it is best to sign up to secure a spce. The schedule can be seen here.
http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/legislativeaffairs/pdf/Hearing_Information.pdf
You can sign up by calling 561-355-2406

**Eagle Training Center in Venus.. there was a victory for residents in Highlands County last week, but it’s not over yet. Our friends on the other side of the Lake are asking for our support again October 20.. for details: http://www.noeagletrainingcenter.com/

**Scripps is back on the agenda!
And it’s already hitting road blocks from the Regional Planning Council and DCA. Check out their schedule for upcoming approvals: http://www.tcrpc.org/Briger.html
Nov 12, 7pm, the Briger Tract will be on Palm Beach Gardens agenda. Contact PB Gardens for more info: www.pbgfl.com

**Turkey Point rally date pushed back
The proposed Nov 7th date has been changed. The rally will be reschuled for sometime in the next several months. Keep an ear out..

**Mike Roselle’s book “Tree Spiker”
There’s a proposal to invite his book tour down here.. Here’s a little more about the book:
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1929701,00.html
If you want to help us bring Mike down on his book tour, contact his book publicity manager, ask them to come to South Florida: rachel.ekstrom@stmartins.com

**We posted our endorsements of Lake Worth candidates on our website:
http://pbcec.blogspot.com/2009/10/lake-worth-candidates-environmental.html

**Several PBCEC folks attended the cancer cluster meeting with Erin Brokovich and gave a report back. Mixed reviews. Sources are still uncertain, but it seems very worth keeping up with this efforts and deciding how to support those who are coming forward in a sincere effort to stop the cancerous poisoning of our communities (and also be cautious of the County's efforts to force rural communities onto a central water system without finding the source of toxicity).

**A PBCEC participant suggested we invite Barry Sanders, retired professor and author of Green Zone, a book on military pollution

**other announcements
-PBC Beekeepers Association monthly meeting, 1st Friday every month, 7pm, at Mounts Botanical (for now)

-FrankenFoods Film Fest, Nov 5th, Delray Library

-co-chair Barry Silver is speaking on the radio 1230AM at noon-1pm

-There is a healthcare rally at Humana in WPB, Thursday (today!),

-And last, our friends in the Coaltiion of Immokalee Workers have called for protests at Publix against their refusal to negotiate better wages for farmworkers. Read more: http://www.ciw-online.org/

PBCEC endorses Lake Worth Candidates Javier del Sol and Jo-Ann Golden

2009-10-15T10:47:00.001-07:00

After hosting an open candidates forum in Lake Worth and inviting candidates to our monthly public meeting to address follow up questions, we have decided our endorsements and positions on the election. Although we are not an organization that focuses much on political campaigns, we felt once again that the elections in Lake Worth have become an important battleground in the grassroots effort for environmental and quality of life issues across the County (and beyond).

We are glad to support Javier del Sol for Mayor. Javier has been active in social and environmental issues in the City of Lake Worth spanning three decades. His campaign reflects his commitment to simple, low-impact local living, maximizing recycling and a do-it-yourself ethic--including home painted yard signs by children and adults volunteers in the neighborhoods. Javier has attended PBCEC events for years, and participated in other regional environmental, social justice and human rights efforts (his frequent attendance at Everglades Day was noted by local Audubon Everglades eco-matriarch Rosa Durando.) His long-standing connections to under-represented communities in this town run unprecedentedly deep. For more about Javier check out: www.javierformayor.com

Our second endorsement is for Commissioner District 3, Jo-Ann Golden, running for re-election. Jo-Ann has been a community activist for years, from her hometown in Vermont to solidarity work in Central America and of course, here with her local work at the local affordable housing organization. Her time in office thus far has been one of integrity and commitment to controlling over-development, real estate greed and the opposing the selling-off of public space and services. She also took the lead in standing up to the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), and is helping guiding us out of their non-renewable energy grip. Check Jo-Ann out at: www.goldenforcommissioner.com

The PBCEC has also decided that it is important to mention who we felt were the greatest threats in the election:

Wes Blackman, running for District 3. Wes has been on Lake Worth's Planning and Zoning board for some of their worst votes on development, which is not surprising, being that he has worked for Kilday & Associates, a primary voice for the County's rampant development in past years.
Rene Varela, running for Mayor. Rene is a danger primarily because he is masquerading as an environmental candidate. He has no reputable support in the grassroots environmental community, in fact, his support is coming from the usual chamber of commerce and real estate types. Rene has taken no clear stances on important issues, he has only the reputation of his supporters to speak for him.
Scott Maxwell, running for District 1. It is unfortunate that Scott is now in the same category as Rene as far as his supporters speaking louder than his own positions, as Scott once stood with the environmental community in opposition to the beach development plans of ex-Mayor Rodney Romano. Today, he is not only the chamber's choice, but he has also become a voice of xenophobic anti-immigrant perspectives in the area.

Once again, Lake Worth has the chance to turn politics-as-usual in Palm Beach County on its head. The County that won the title "Corruption Capital of Florida" is also now home to one of the most dedicated and effective opponents of crooked bureaucracy. There is a turning tide in this State, and it seems to be starting at the warm Gulfstream waters of little ol' Lake Worth.

For further details on any of these candidates from the PBCEC view, please feel free to contact us at PBCEnviroCoalition@gmail.com

FPL a hit on MySpace!?

2009-10-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, FPL is a big hit in the world of online social networking... Check 'em out:

http://www.myspace.com/floridapowerandlightsux

http://www.myspace.com/westcountyenergycenter

http://www.myspace.com/saintlucienukeplant

http://www.myspace.com/turkeypointnuclearfplsux

Florida Solar Energy Industries Association sell out to the fossil fuel industry; support offshore drilling..

2009-10-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK!

The link below is to the Press Release posted last week on what appears to be a corporate buyout of Florida Solar Industries Association, advocating FOR offshore oil and gas drilling.

http://www.flaseia.org/FlaSEIA%20rls%2010-1-09.pdf

From Press Release:
"Florida's leading advocates for solar energy today announced their support for the proposal to authorize offshore energy exploration for oil and natural gas in Florida's waters..."

The Press Release contact Ryan Banfill. The number is a corporate public relations firm, Ron Sachs Communications. 850-222-1996. The employee at the FL SEIA office responding to the press release is Bruce Kershner.

From the South Florida Business Journal:
“The proposal to drill in Florida state waters has the potential to create a cleaner and wealthier future for Florida if it provides a sustainable funding source for the development of vibrant programs that will help Florida become a leader in the solar energy industry,” Kershner said.
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/othercities/southflorida/stories/2009/09/28/daily64.html?s=industry&i=green

Please contact Bruce and FL SEIA about this awful decision:
Phone: (407) 339-2010 or (800) 426-5899, Fax: (407) 260-1582

Address for FL SEIA
231 West Bay Avenue
Longwood, FL 32750-4125

The study FlaSEIA cites on their website advocating for offshore drilling was prepared by Fishkind & Associates. A corporate financial consulting firm whose client list includes FPL and Progress Energy, among dozens of other industrial and development-oriented interests. http://www.fishkind.com/client.html

This is terribly sad (and totally pathetic). I hope that we are able to respond as a unified environmental community to tell these solar advocates that we refuse to let the fossil fuel industry manipulate our call for decentralized, renewable energy options.

This page has a list of all officers and board members (all of whom have email addresses and phone numbers listed):
http://www.flaseia.org/FlaSEIABOD.html

For a truly decentralized, sustainable Florida,
panagioti tsolkas
co-chair, PBCEC

Victory For Venus and Fisheating Creek.. Private Military Training Facility Stopped!

2009-10-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

"Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius--and a lot of courage--to move in the opposite direction."
---Albert Einstein

VICTORY IN VENUS!
Local Residents, Environmentalists, Human Rights Activists, and Farmers Defeat the Eagle Military Training Center

October 6th--Sebring, FL--For no less than twelve hours locals, lawyers, developers, the air force, a former secret service agent, environmentalists, human rights activists, farmers, ranchers, anarchists, liberals, conservatives, land speculators, and politicians squared off at a quasi-judicial hearing at the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners. It was a marathon protest of strange bedfellows with all the hooting and hollering, jeering, sign waving and firebrand speeches calling for bird sanctuaries, armed defense, the dissolution of the government, peace and quiet, rural autonomy and eco-tourism.

Burt Harris, the silver tongued lawyer hired by the Eagle Training Center (ETC) applicant argued that the concerns voiced by the citizens of Venus, population est. 600, and other groups, had no merit. The business plan for the privately run for-profit ETC called for live firing ranges, MOUT (military operations on urban terrains)facilities, a runway, helipad, two towers, improvised explosive device (IED) training facilities, mobile firing ranges, classroom facilities, and barracks. It also stated that the company would seek to provide its services to the International Market causing many to label the proposed training center a mercenary camp. Harris argued that the ETC would be nothing more than a first responder training center for EMTs and as the night wore on, altered the site propasal piece by piece, first dropping all night flights to and from the site and banning 50 caliber bullets, then dropping the runway and one tower. The military facility he argued, would in no way impact panther, bear or swallow tailed kite habitat, nor would it pollute the Fisheating Creek watershed. Those in attendance were not buying it.

Jim Labozzo, the lawyer representing the interests of several citizens of Venus and other local environmentalists, blew holes in Harris' argument, pointing out that the facility was for special ops training, that it would adversely impact both the human and natural communities of Venus and surrounding areas. He also showed how little work the Highlands County Planning and Zoning Board had carried out. They had conducted no studies to conclude environmental impact, utility or infrastructure needs, growth projections, health concerns, and fire and medical needs.

At the end of the night, the Board voted unanimously (though a bit reluctantly) to oppose the project, which means that Venus can sleep a little easier for the next six months, at which time Eagle can reapply for the rezoning permit. But more was won that night than just the safety and integrity of one rural town. A coalition of hitherto opposing forces came together to fight the development which threatened all our ways of life, proving the power of collaboration. Together we raised our voices and drowned out a corrupt business deal in the making. Together we have the strength to turn the tide of development in rural Florida, and everywhere.

We are going to need that strength. Developers and politicians have no problem crossing political and social lines to push their fast money projects, most of them poisonous, into our communities and wildlands. Neither Venus nor the Eagle Project are off the radar. Those old orange orchards proposed for the Eagle site will go back on the chopping block for some other project of sprawl (how about a mall) and we can't rely on commissioners to stand by the people of Venus forever. Likewise, the Eagle Project will seek out another spot in another rural area to develop its mercenary center. One commissioner noted at the hearing that he had recieved word from an official in adjoining Desoto County that if Highland's didn't want Eagle, Desoto would take a shot at it.

Lets stand together and keep it wild!

-Russ McSpadden
Everglades Earth First!
[reprinted from www.evergladesearthfirst.org]

Oct 1st Lake Worth Candidates Forum a Success; Varela, Sharpe, Maxwell, Blackman Decline Participation

2009-10-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Over 50 attendees participated in a candidate's forum organized by PBCEC and co-sponsored by the Florida Voters League of PBC and PBC Coalition for Immigrant Rights. All of the candidates were invited and all, except District 1 seat Scott Maxwell, promptly confirmed attendance.

All four Candidates that failed to appear at the Forum later issued statements explaining their decisions, which were posted on local internet media site, Lake Worth News, by Jim Stafford:

http://lakeworthnews.blogspot.com/2009/10/candidate-say-no-to-controversial-forum.html

On Oct 12, 7pm, the PBCEC will be making final decision on endoresments at our monthly meeting held at the Quaker Meeting House, 823 North A Street. We again invite these candidates to explain why the local environmental activist community should take their positions into consideration.

The Environmental Cost of Corruption

2009-09-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

The recent exposure of the energy industry's crooked dealing: hiring former public employees to circumvent public protections, evading public records requirements for communications, wining and dining environmental lobbyists in private jets, increasing top-level salaries, paying off non-governmental organizations for their 'support', (just to name a few) has been very helpful in discrediting the proposed rate-payer extortion.

It's becoming crystal clear that this is how FPL, Progress Energy and other industrial interests work. Perhaps it is possible that some of these situations are the result of decent people who get pulled into the 'if you can't beat them join them' mentality, but what these recent investigative endeavors are revealing is getting at the heart of the systemic problems we face.

The challenge is not whether we can figure out the right engineering for Everglades waterflow or the appropriate Parts Per Billion (PPB) of carbon in the atmosphere.. the challenge is weather we can expose and confront the deeply-rooted greed and corruption that corporations have poisoned our society with.

Clearly there is not only a financial aspect to the rate hike scandal. There are also massive environmental costs of corruption. Recent reports are only beginning to skim the surface of understanding this phenomenon, but they are certainly on to something. Although it's not very far-fetched to imagine these sorts of corruption taking place, their impacts could be devastating beyond imagination: falsified 'need' assessments, fabricated growth projections, unwarranted zoning and land use changes and variances, rigged permits for air and water quality.. Getting the picture?

The last Everglades Coalition conference was sponsored in large part by FPL, while groups like ours, the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition, were rejected from membership in the group. At this point, it's still hard to tell if groups who take large sums of money from FPL, such as Florida Audubon and the Marshall Foundation are just bad apples, or if the whole basket is tainted to the core. The rate hike stories are turning out to show that Florida's career environmentalists are not far off from the ethics records a career politicians.

Isn't there an old saying: "environmental lobbyists are, at best, a necessary evil, at worst an intolerable one".. I think it was Thomas Jefferson or Samuel Clemens, Tom Paine or something. Whichever it was, he is rolling in the grave, next to Arthur Marshall and John James Audubon.

It seems apparent that corruption is a primary factor in how we got to where we are now- the largest wetland ecosystem in North America all but destroyed, the chemical make-up of the entire atmosphere altered-it is very feasible to say that political corruption is the leading factor in this reality.

While it'd be a damn shame to have to give these companies even a penny more in rates. The Public Service Commission decision on the table is about a lot more than utility bills. I don't think its hyperbole to say that we are now talking about the future of life on this planet (according to widely accepted global climate science).. not to mention the erosion of freedom and democracy in the meantime that comes with increasing corporate control in the age of what author Naomi Klein refers to as disaster capitalism .

The Energy Empire's planetary pillage makes the corruption that early immigrants in the U.S. faced under British imperialism look like a sunday pancake breakfast. Is anyone else out there feeling like another revolution yet?!

-panagioti tsolkas

FPL critics suggest hires were made to blunt criticism

2009-09-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

"McLean and Kelliher are among 18 former regulators and government officials the Sun Sentinel has identified who have been hired as FPL employees, consultants or lobbyists."

By Chan Lowe

FPL critics question the utility's motives

By Julie Patel
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 23, 2009

As a state-appointed consumer advocate for utility customers, Harold McLean was one of Florida Power & Light's staunchest critics from 2003 to 2007, helping to negotiate a base rate freeze in 2005.

As a former federal utility regulator, Joseph T. Kelliher helped lead an investigation into whether FPL violated standards during a 2008 blackout that left 600,000 homes and businesses dark.

Today, both work for FPL or its affiliates -- McLean as a utility consultant and Kelliher as an executive vice president for regulatory affairs.

Some critics have suggested the hirings allowed utility officials to blunt criticism of the company as it seeks to boost its base rate by $1.3 billion and to gain state and federal approval of new nuclear generators. FPL also has proposed a natural gas line that connects to another proposed pipeline requiring approval from Kelliher's former agency.

Brad Ashwell, a consumer advocate with the Florida Public Interest Research Group, criticized the hiring of McLean and Kelliher. "It's definitely disconcerting to see a strong consumer advocate switch sides," he said. "And there's always a chance the next advocate may not be as vigilant."

FPL spokesman Mark Bubriski said FPL Group, the utility's parent company, approached Kelliher about the job after he stepped down from the regulatory commission. He said the utility does not attempt to exert undue influence on the regulatory process. He added that federal law bars Kelliher from talking to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency he once headed, on issues of interest to FPL Group.

"He was also hired because FPL Group recognized that federal regulation of [the utility and its alternative energy arm] is growing, especially with carbon regulation," Bubriski said. He added that Kelliher was hired to help work toward building a cleaner and more reliable federal power system.

Bubriski did not respond to questions about what McLean does as an FPL consultant. Kelliher did not return a phone call and e-mail. McLean declined to comment.

McLean and Kelliher are among 18 former regulators and government officials the Sun Sentinel has identified who have been hired as FPL employees, consultants or lobbyists. Bubriski said FPL hires individuals for their expertise.

Bill Newton, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network, added: "One would hope they wouldn't waste that much ratepayer money just hiring a guy so the opponents wouldn't have him on their team. But with the millions at stake, Harold McLean's salary might not seem that big."

McLean, an independent attorney who works as a consultant for FPL, led the fight for an FPL base rate freeze in 2005. He also pushed the Public Service Commission to reduce FPL's request for a $650 million storm reserve to $200 million in 2006 after Hurricane Wilma. He worked for the Office of Public Counsel – which represents utility customers for the state – for about 12 years, heading the agency from 2003 to 2007.

Kelliher announced the FERC investigation weeks after the Feb. 26, 2008, blackout. A FERC spokeswoman said the agency has not completed its investigation. But FPL could face fines of up to $1 billion, according to the utility's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

FPL has blamed the power outage on a human error at a substation in Miami-Dade County. FPL officials said the outage lasted an hour on average for affected customers.

Julie Patel can be reached at jpatel@sunsentinel.com and 954-356-4667..
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-fpl-critics-092309,0,5138270.story

Lake Worth Candidates Environmental Forum

2009-09-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

The forum will be held on October 1st, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM at the Organic Music Café on the SE corner of 4th Ave North and Dixie Hwy in Lake Worth.

The city's election will take place on November 3rd.

As many know, Lake Worth has become known across the State, and even around the Country, for its stance on the environment, social responsibility and quality of life issues. This city has become a battleground over issues of both local and global significance, including:

-Coastal development and beach access
-Protecting public parks
-Preserving near-shore reefs
-Democratic participation in comprehensive planning
-Local control and of services (water, power, police, etc)
-Accountability and ethics from pubic officials
-Rights of immigrant residents
-Addressing climate change

We expect these topics, as well as others, to be discussed on Oct 1.
Please spread this invitation to your friends, family and supporters.

The forum will be hosted by the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC). PBCEC is a coalition of local environmental groups and activists that meet locally every month in Lake Worth to network and organize around improving the planet we share.

We are inviting all the candidates running for the upcoming Lake Worth city elections. All candidates will have the opportunity to address important issues and answer questions from the public.

For a Greener Lake Worth,
Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition

------------------------------------------------
Invited:

Mayoral Candidates (yes, 6 of them):
Loretta Sharpe
Javier Del Sol
Rene Varela
Lawrence Mcnamara
Bill Coakley
Jump Jordon

Commissioner, District 3:
Jo-ann Golden
Wes Blackman

Commissioner, District 1:
Ron Exline
Scott Maxwell

NO MERCENARY TRAINING CENTER in VENUS!

2009-09-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

Protect Highlands County and Fisheating Creek, Save Rural South Florida

[photo of Fisheating Creek by Leonard Bryant]

SPEAK OUT at Highlands County Commission Meeting
OCTOBER 6, 9AM
at the Highlands County Government Center, 600 S. Commerce Ave, Sebring

The community of Venus in one of the most rural and wild places remaining in South Florida. The Eagle National Security Training Center is a proposal for a privatized military facility that would add 7,700 acres of military, industrial and residential development to southwest Highlands County.

Specifically, this includes:
6,000 foot airstrip, helipad, 2,000 acre free-fire zone, 5 story building, 25 single family homes, a dormitory for 1,000 trainees, 100 multi family residences, 250 foot training towers and 950,000 square feet of up-to-three story buildings

This land is part of the last open space in the State that serves as critical habitat for endangered Florida Panther and Black Bear. It is in the watershed of Fisheating Creek, which is one of the most pristine natural places in South Florida; it is the last wild free-flowing waterway that runs into Lake Okeechobee.

GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED, TAKE ACTION!
For more info on Fisheating Creek, check out:
www.SaveOurCreeks.org

"By 2010, if Seth Ellis [who represents the project] gets his way, Venus will become known as a live-fire training center for the military, homeland security, local police, even foreign governments. Ellis appeared … at the Highlands County Commission meeting, requesting expedited permitting for Eagle National Security Training Center, a 7,700-acre expanse near the Glades County border."

***

“Greg Eagle [who is behind the proposal] is a Fort Myers commercial real estate broker who gave $750,000 … to Floridians for a Better and Brighter Future, which helped elect Charlie Crist in 2008.”

– Quotes from Highlands Today

If you cannot attend meetings, please…
Send letters, emails and phone calls:
County Commissioners

Barbara Stewart:
bstewart@hcbcc.org

Don Bates:
dbates@strato.net

Jeff Carlson :
jcarlson@hcbcc.org 863-382-4141

Guy Maxcy:
g.maxcy@themaxcygroup.com
863-385-7755(W) 863-385-1484(H)

Ed Stokes:
863-655-0079 or 863-402-6515

Development Services Director
Mark J. Hill: MHILL@hcbcc.org

Backers of FPL often have ties to utility

2009-09-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Speakers at rate hike forums usually didn't disclose relationships

By Julie Patel
Sun Sentinel
10:01 p.m. EDT, September 12, 2009

More than a third of the customers, politicians and business leaders who praised Florida Power & Light at three South Florida forums on a proposed $1.3 billion rate hike have financial or family ties to the company and its employees, a Sun Sentinel analysis found.

Nearly another third who backed the utility have connections to FPL through business and civic organizations.

On Wednesday, state regulators -- the Public Service Commission -- will hold a final hearing on the utility's request for its largest rate hike. In 10 days of hearings in Tallahassee, FPL officials said several times that most speakers at the nine public forums held around the state this summer had spoken favorably about the utility.

After the forums, Florida Public Service Commissioner Nancy Argenziano complained that FPL lined up speakers in its favor.

"Accepting the irrelevant testimony has the potential for poisoning the fact-finding purpose of the hearing and, in fact, debases and diminishes the value of the input," she wrote in a letter to the commission chairman.

She also asked if customers' payments cover charitable donations. "We cannot take from Grandma Jones, by way of rate extraction, to give to the Boys and Girls Club," the letter said.

Three of the forums were held in June in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Plantation. The Sun Sentinel analysis found 16 of the 79 individuals who voiced support for FPL or the rate hike are employed by nonprofits or a town that received donations from the utility or its affiliates.

Two elected officials who spoke in favor of FPL got campaign contributions from an FPL lobbyist.

Two speakers are related to FPL employees, and 12 more volunteer for groups that received donations from FPL. Among the volunteers are people who organize fundraisers to which FPL donated.

Eleven of the FPL backers told the Sun Sentinel they were personally invited by utility staffers to testify. Most of those who spoke for FPL did not reveal their ties when testifying.

During one of the Tallahassee hearings last month, Senior Assistant Attorney General Cecilia Bradley asked FPL President Armando Olivera if his employees pressed people to testify on the company's behalf.

"I'm not aware of specific instances," Olivera said. "I'm sure that people that we have on the ground in the local communities notified personally some of the constituents that we have to attend."

Utility spokesman Mark Bubriski defended FPL's practices and said the utility has not attempted to improperly influence testimony to the Public Service Commission. FPL invited its 4.5 million customers, as required by law, through advertisements and notices in newsletters mailed to customers, he said.

When evaluating major rate hikes, the regulators hold forums around the state so the five commissioners can hear what the public thinks.

Three employees of Junior Achievement of South Florida -- Melissa Aiello, Cindy Burkett and Sennetha Desroches -- were among the 16 FPL supporters who work for nonprofits or a town that receive donations from the utility.

All three complimented FPL's service at the hearing in Fort Lauderdale. Only Aiello disclosed her employer. None of the employees mentioned that the FPL Group Foundation, the charitable arm of FPL's parent company, donated $250,000 to Junior Achievement from 2004 to 2008, according to federal tax records.

"I have always, always been pleased by the service that FPL has provided to me and to my family," Burkett said at the hearing. She is chief program officer for Junior Achievement and her brother works for FPL. She gave none of this information when she spoke at the hearing.

Burkett this month acknowledged that some have concerns about praise coming from people with ties to FPL.

"I can understand," she said. "It's kind of like a vested interest."

The Sun Sentinel analysis also found that 11 speakers have less direct ties to FPL through business and civic-group associations, such as chamber of commerce boards.

Shane Le Mar, a Fort Lauderdale business owner, didn't mention at the hearing in Plantation that he served for about a year on the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce board of directors with Tony Newbold, another FPL community relations manager.

"They're a good company. When the power goes out, blip, it comes back on," Le Mar said later. "That's why I felt I had to be there. I don't want to see them gut this company."

A dozen other speakers rely on FPL to keep their businesses operating. For example, several are developers who need FPL to submit design plans on time so they can meet construction schedules.

At the public hearing in West Palm Beach, Seabron Smith, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Technology, Enterprise & Development in Delray Beach, complimented FPL. So did a business associate who used the center to start his architecture firm.

Neither mentioned the center or that an FPL company contributed to it: $425 for a recent golf tournament and $1,000 for a fundraiser.

"During a hurricane, we were one of the first communities that got our power back," Smith said later. "I know how difficult that is, so I will support them as far as what they are asking for."

Howard Berger, a Lauderhill city commissioner, and Don Maines, a former Southwest Ranches city council member, spoke about the cooperation they had received from FPL when they were city leaders.

They did not tell the Public Service Commission at the Plantation hearing that Ronald Book, one of FPL's 28 registered state lobbyists, had donated $500 to each of their political campaigns last year. Neither Berger nor Maines said they knew of Book's ties to the utility. FPL paid Book $100,000 this year and last, according to state records.

Other influences

Some who showed up to speak up for FPL did so because they were asked, not because they receive any personal benefit.

Peg Buchan, assistant to the director for Port Everglades, said at the Fort Lauderdale hearing that her employer often needs FPL's cooperation.

She didn't mention that Lynn Shatas, a community relations manager for FPL, asked her to speak. Shatas was giving her information to complete the port's application for a federal grant, Buchan said.

"I was commenting on the extraordinary cooperation that FPL was giving to the port ... Lynn asked me how I would feel about repeating that to the [Public Service Commission]. I said 'sure.'

"So yes, I guess I was asked, but I sort of set myself up for it," Buchan said in an e-mail. At least two who spoke are related to FPL employees.

Willie Dublin endorsed FPL's service at the West Palm Beach hearing. What he didn't say was that Newbold is his son-in-law.

"He needed to get someone to talk," Dublin said in a phone interview shortly after the hearing.

There's nothing illegal about lining up speakers. Katrina McMurrian, a public service commissioner, said she doesn't mind if FPL encouraged supporters to attend because "we use our judgment listening to who comes to us."

But Beth Rosenson, an associate professor of political science professor at the University of Florida, said the practice can undermine the process.

"The point of a public hearing should be for citizens to voice their concerns," Rosenson said. "If one side of an issue stacks the audience, that does seem to violate the spirit and purpose."

At the least, speakers should disclose their affiliations, she said.

Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson, president and CEO of United Way of Broward County, was one of the few FPL backers who did.

She testified in Fort Lauderdale that FPL employees donate more than $250,000 to her organization each year. "I represent so many people who can't pay more," she said. "But I know that this is a good company, and I know that the need is great" for a rate increase.

Julie Patel can be reached at jpatel@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4667

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-fpl-hearings-091309sbsep13,0,1860460,full.story

A powerful message of HIV awareness from a PBCEC activist

2009-09-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

[Some of you will certainly remember Robby Astrove from his attendance at PBC Environmental Coalition meetings and his environmental educational work with youth through the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation. Robby was committed to teaching and taking action on behalf of the Everglades while he was in Palm Beach County and he has taken his passion and commitment with him to Atlanta, advocating for health and the environment there as well. Below is a powerful message from Robby regarding his effort to raise awareness surrounding HIV/AIDS...]

"Hey Everyone, I have some personal news to share with you….

Last year Danielle and I walked in the Atlanta AIDS Walk and this year we will walk again, but from a different perspective; as the spokespeople for AIDS Walk 2009. This year I’m celebrating 31 years of living with HIV, and at the beginning of 2010, it will be 9 amazing years with Danielle. We are a serodiscordant couple, Danielle remains negative.

We have made a commitment to be the faces and voices of the event, to share our story, and educate the community about how this disease impacts all of our lives. We will raise awareness, provide prevention education, promote positive behavior changes, and give you a personal connection to HIV. One of our key messages is HIV can be prevented and we are a living example.

We are realizing more and more that our story is powerful and can really make a difference in someone’s life.

Our call to action: get tested everyone, educate yourself, practice safe sex, and sponsor me for the walk!

Join our team, raise funds, and walk with us in Atlanta on Sunday, October 18, 2009. If you can’t join us, I would love your support by checking out my webpage, sponsoring me, and spreading the word to your networks. Every bit of support counts!

My webpage is http://www.aidswalkatlanta.com/hishand. From there you can read my story, sponsor me, and access the team page--Team Robby and Danielle. From the team page you can click on team members’ links, like Danielle’s, to see their pages and stories as well.

Everyone has a story to share and this is part of ours. Every life deserves hope! You are welcome to forward this email to your friends and families so that we can reach as many people as possible.

Thanks for the support, it means a lot to us and the community! I’ll be following up again closer to the walk and I hope to hear from you much sooner."

--Robby

FLORIDA DROPS OUT OF CLIMATE CHANGE FIGHT

2009-09-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

— Gov. Crist Nixes Joining RGGI or Pursuing State Emission Curbs; Will Defer to Feds

For Immediate Release: September 2, 2009
Contact: Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337

Tallahassee — Florida Governor Charlie Crist has decided that his state will not join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) or pursue further major efforts to combat climate change, according to a notice released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Florida, once a leader among states in addressing climate issues, instead will sit on the sidelines and await the outcome of federal cap-and-trade legislation.

Rather than issue a public announcement, Florida’s decision was communicated to other Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic state members of RGGI that the Sunshine State would not participate in the upcoming September 9, 2009 auction of greenhouse gas emission allowances. In addition, Gov. Crist “will not be presenting a proposed cap-and-trade rule to the 2010 Legislature,” stated the notice quoting Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) spokeswoman Amy Graham.

The move will limit the potential impact of the 10-state RGGI market. Florida’s participation would have increased the program by more than 75% with Florida accounting for more than twice the emissions of the biggest RGGI state, New York. RGGI allowances have been dropping in price due to over-allocation of emission credits, a problem that has plagued other cap-and-trade systems.

Gov. Crist’s decision culminates a steady rightward shift since he began pursuing a now vacant U.S. Senate seat. In August, he canceled a third annual session of his highly regarded Climate Change Summit, citing meeting costs. His support of action on climate change has become a rallying point for opponents within the state Republican Party. His Senate primary opponent, House Speaker Mike Rubio, recently crowed, “I guarantee you he will not be touting the work he did with Sheryl Crow as part of his primary platform,” referring to the popular singer identified with green causes.
.
“Gov. Crist’s retreat signifies that it is becoming increasing difficult for environmentally concerned citizens to advance in today’s Republican Party – and that is a real shame,” stated Florida PEER Director Jerry Phillips, a former DEP enforcement attorney. “Of all the states, Florida arguably has the most to lose from rising sea levels, bigger, nastier storms and the other side effects associated with climate change.”

Florida’s rate of greenhouse emissions has soared in recent years, rising by more than a third above 1990 levels. The state’s rate of growth may be finally slowing only because its population boom is now becoming a bust, with Florida now losing population for the first time in decades.

“Gov. Crist used to proclaim that Florida’s future will turn on the quality of our environment so it is unfortunate that these values must take a back seat to political advancement,” Phillips added, noting that a huge purchase of sugar lands for the purpose of benefiting the Everglades had been a signature issue for Gov. Crist in which he had invested substantial political as well as fiscal capital. “What good does it do to ‘save’ the Everglades only to have it to sink back into Florida Bay?”

###

Read the notice of Florida’s decision to opt out of RGGI

View the now moribund Florida “Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change”

Learn about RGGI

Look at the problems with cap-and-trade systems

Public Service Commission aide fired... admits to sharing codes with a FPL executive.

2009-09-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1221290.html?story_link=email_msg

Public Service Commission aide fired over codes
A state utility regulator fired her aide after the aide admits to sharing BlackBerry codes with a Florida Power & Light executive.

BY MARY ELLEN KLAS
HERALD/TIMES TALLAHASSEE BUREAU

TALLAHASSEE -- Public Service Commissioner Nancy Argenziano, who has criticized her agency for being too close to the utilities it regulates, fired her top aide Sunday after he admitted to giving the private messaging code for his BlackBerry to a Florida Power & Light executive.

Larry Harris, 40, who has been at the PSC since 2001, volunteered to resign and seek a job elsewhere in the PSC after Argenziano read a Miami Herald story online late Saturday revealing that at least three PSC aides had given the messaging codes to an FPL executive. Harris worked as a senior attorney at the PSC before joining Argenziano's staff in 2007. He said he has no guarantee that he will find a new PSC job.

The Herald/Times has reported that the messaging codes -- called Personal Identification Numbers, or PINS -- had been given to FPL attorney Natalie Smith, potentially allowing the utility to communicate directly with commissioners outside public view and without leaving a paper trail.

Documents obtained by the Herald/Times also showed that at least one staff aide, Roberta Bass, who works with Commissioner Lisa Edgar, gave FPL the message code to Edgar's BlackBerry. The PSC is currently being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for possible ethics violations.

Harris said he told Argenziano that Smith had contacted the top advisors to all five PSC commissioners in 2008 to ask for their PINS. He gave it to the FPL attorney, he said, because he believed the PIN "was a public record, just as with any other state-issued device.''

He said he also told Smith that Argenziano had a strict policy forbidding him from communicating in any fashion with utility representatives. "I told Natalie, Commissioner Argenziano's position was very clear -- I was not to talk to anyone who is regulated,'' Harris told the Herald/Times.

State law prohibits PSC commissioners from discussing a pending rate case with utility officials but it specifically excludes PSC staff from the ban. PSC officials told the Herald/Times that it does not save PIN messages.

Miami media law expert Tom Julin said that the PSC's failure to keep a record of the PIN messages sent via staff BlackBerrys could be a violation of the state's public records law.

Harris said Smith was the only utility representative who asked for his PIN number and he said he doesn't recall ever receiving a message from her.

Argenziano said she was disappointed in Harris but thought he understood the guidelines. "He's not a bad person,'' she said. "But why would you let a utility person do that?''

Another PSC commissioner, Nathan Skop, told the Herald/Times Sunday that he had a standing policy in his office not to give out PIN numbers to regulated utilities. "To the best of my knowledge, neither my aide nor I have every given it out to a regulated entity,'' he said.

Documents given to the Herald/Times showed that Commission Chairman Matthew Carter's aide, William Garner, had given out Garner's PIN and Edgar's aide had given out the aide's PIN as well. Carter told the Herald/Times that he was not aware that his aide's PIN had been shared with FPL. Edgar said she was not aware of receiving any PIN messages from Smith. Commissioner Katrina McMurrian, nor her aide, Lorena Holley, could be reached for comment.

Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@MiamiHerald.com.

Similar Stories:
[click links below for full story]
•Public Service Commission lobbyist steps down
In the last two weeks:
-The Florida Department of Law Enforcement began investigating the PSC for potential ethics violations.

-The Herald/Times revealed that an FPL executive had asked for and received private BlackBerry messaging codes for one commissioner and two staff members, a communication method that avoids a paper trail.

- FPL executives defied a PSC order to reveal how much the company pays its top executives.

-FPL chief Armando Olivera told the PSC that his company wanted to use part of its rate increase to buy a $31 million executive jet.

• Public Service Commission lobbyist flagged for 'poor judgment'
"As state police investigate the Public Service Commission for possible ethics violations, an inspector general found Wednesday that the agency's lobbyist used "poor judgment'' and may have violated rules by attending a party at the home of a Florida Power & Light executive during a pending rate case.

Although the PSC inspector general could not prove whether lobbyist Ryder Rudd broke PSC rules on gifts and communication by attending the Kentucky Derby party, a state senator and a PSC commissioner immediately called for his ouster.

"The inexcusable conduct of this employee undermines the public trust and confidence in the regulatory process and impugns the integrity of this commission,'' Commissioner Nathan Skop wrote in a statement. "This is a clear cut ethics problem and perception issue.''

"Training Center Similar to Venus Proposal Idea Shot Down In Ocala" and other articles on the Eagle privatized 'National Security' proposal

2009-09-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/jul/30/la-training-center-idea-shot-down-in-ocala/

By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: July 30, 2008

SEBRING - A week after Seth Ellis proposed a live-fire training center near Venus, the Marion County Commission turned down a combined law enforcement and search-and-rescue facility near Ocala.

More than 200 residents packed the auditorium for the commissioner's meeting, according to a July 16 story in the Star-Banner.

Ocala Lumber President Henry J.G. Moxon tried to withdraw his application for a special use permit, but the commissioners refused his request and voted to turn down the facility, which would have a mile-long airstrip, rifle ranges, explosive storage, a vehicle track and an indoor shooting range on 2,500 acres currently zoned for agriculture use.
Moxon did not provide Marion County with details on which agencies would train there, or why aircraft would be operating there.

"That won't be very similar to what we have planned," Ellis said. "We don't have a mile-long airstrip."

His plans do include a 5,500-foot runway.

"But it may not be blacktopped," Ellis said. "It may be shell or something."

On July 15, Ellis proposed to build the Eagle National Security Training Center on 7,700 acres, near the Highlands-Glades county line.

In a written statement, Eagle proposed to locate a "first responder" facility on Southern Farms, and requested the Highlands County staff to expedite the permitting.

"Expedited permitting allows a development to speed up the state of Florida, DEP, Water Management District, etc. review process, and perhaps the county review process, said the agenda item, signed by Highlands County's chief planner, Jim Polatty, and County Administrator Michael Wright.

The resolution the county commissioners adopted said the Eagle Center would provide at least 100 full-time jobs after year three of operations, and up to 240 jobs after year five. Ellis told the commissioners the jobs could start with 250, and total 1,000.

Ellis is a CPA and the former president and CEO of ICx Digital Infrared Imaging, sensors which detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive weapons. He sold the company to ICx Technologies Inc. of Arlington, Va. Ellis is also a partner with GatorMezz, a fund that loans money to medium-sized, Florida-based companies.

Ellis said he was back in Highlands County last week to look over Southern Farms. Ron Eagle hired Sunshine Management, a company co-owned by Ellis, Gen. Paul Serjan and others, to plan, develop and operate the Venus project.

"We toured the property," said Ellis, speaking from a Washington airport. "We stayed at Inn on the Lakes, and had a little strategy session."

They also sketched plans for the 7,700 acres. Next, Ellis said, he must conclude financing for the project.

How much will it cost?

"A lot of zeros," Ellis said. $10 million? $100 million?

Ellis wouldn't be pinned down. "But you were a lot closer on the second figure."

Each of the five county commissioners was also contacted by the generals, said Don Bates and Edgar Stokes.

Both commissioners said they favor facility.

"So far, I'm for it," Stokes said. "It's a good thing for the county. They'll do a lot of business with the county. They'll create a lot of jobs. It's a pretty big thing. And it's way out there in the corner of the county, so it shouldn't bother anybody."

Gary Pinnell can be reached at gpinnell@highlandstoday.com or 863 386-5828
----------------------------------------

The links to other articles about this topic:

Training Center project grounded, but expected to fly
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2009/may/29/la-training-center-project-grounded-but-expected-t/
County tries to resolve Eagle Center snafu
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2009/jun/03/la-county-tries-to-resolve-eagle-center-snafu/
Venus neighbors to protest war games facility
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2009/aug/14/la-venus-neighbors-to-protest-war-games-facility/
Commissioners suspend Eagle training discussion
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2009/aug/19/la-commissioners-suspend-eagle-training-discussion/news/

County OKs expediting permit process for Eagle National July 16 2008
http://www.newssun.com/BCC-approves-expidited-permitting-of-security-center
Commissioners direct staff to work out training center plan
http://www.newssun.com/0605-eb-eagle-training
Possible zoning issues for Eagle Training Center
http://www.newssun.com/0707-eb-county-eagle-develeopment-problems
Training center foes speak to commission
http://www.newssun.com/news/0818-eb-eagle-training-center