Sierra Club Florida

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Dredging in the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary?
Not this Time!

Last November, the Monroe County FL Planning Commssion voted 4 to 1 to approve to amend the text of the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan to allow dredging of submerged lands with benthic resources. But local activists, and Monroe County Sierrans put out the word about the plan and told the County Board of County Commissioners how they felt. The Commission voted not to approve the change.

Monroe County is home to one of the largest sea grass meadows in the world as well as the largest coral reef in the continental United States. Dredging in the Florida Keys has been banned since 1972. The consequence of all the dredge and fill activities requires the extra protection of the many National & State Parks, Aquatic Preserves, Wildlife Refuges and Marine Sanctuaries that make up the Florida Keys. The FKNMS’s website lists dredging as one of the most prominent pressures that causes degradation of the sanctuary.




Exhibit Underscores Threat to Florida Springs
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville.

An exhibit on Florida Springs opened March 23 and continues through Dec. 15 at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. The exhibit, “Springs Eternal: Florida’s Fragile Fountains of Youth,” includes photographs by John Moran documenting what is described as the crisis facing Florida's springs. The museum is located at 3215 Hull Road — Powell Hall at the University of Florida. More information about the exhibit can be found at Florida History Museum



FPL Turkey Point Expansion Plans Continue
Power Plant Siting Hearings Scheduled for this Summer.

The Power Plant Siting hearing for FPL is scheduled to take this summer and they have just announced the following dates for public comment sessions where non-parties can speak about Turkey Point Units 6&7 siting issues. The issues under question by Sierra Club, Audubon Society, and other local activists include: the transmission corridors within Everglades National Park and along US1, the storing of more nuclear waste on site when the lowland area is not suited for waste storage, and, what new plans need to be put in place in light of the Fukushima plant disaster.

Dates and places of meetings are:
Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Keys Gate Golf and Country Club, Banquet Hall
2300 Palm Drive
Homestead, Florida 33055

Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Miami Airport Convention Center,Room MACC1
711 Northwest 72nd Avenue
Miami

Thursday, July 25, 2013, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Miami Airport Convention Center, Room MACC1
711 Northwest 72nd Avenue
Miami

Beekeepers and Public Interest Groups Sue EPA over
Bee-Toxic Pesticides
Update from CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG.

Four beekeepers and five environmental and consumer groups filed a public interest lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its failure to protect pollinators from dangerous pesticides. The coalition, represented by attorneys for the Center for Food Safety (CFS), seeks suspension of the registrations of insecticides that have repeatedly been identified as highly toxic to honey bees, clear causes of major bee kills and significant contributors to the devastating ongoing mortality of bees known as colony collapse disorder (CCD). The suit not only challenges EPA's handling of the pesticides, but also raises concerns over the agency's practice of "conditional registration" and pesticide labeling deficiencies.

The suit comes on the heels of a challenging season for California's almond farmers, who produce 80% of the world's almonds. Almond growers rely on beekeepers to bring literally billions of bees from across the country to pollinate their orchards. However, many beekeepers are reporting losses of over 50% this year and the shortages have left many California almond growers without enough bees to effectively pollinate their trees. This is a vivid demonstration of why the Plaintiffs are urging EPA to characterize these bee-toxic pesticides as an "imminent hazard" and move swiftly to restrict their use.

The case also challenges the use of so-called "conditional registrations," which expedite the approval process, but also bypass sufficient review. Since 2000, over two-thirds of pesticide products, including clothianidin and thiamethoxam, have been brought to market as conditional registrations. "Pesticide manufacturers use conditional registrations to rush bee-toxic products to market, with little public oversight," said Paul Towers, a spokesperson for Pesticide Action Network. "As new independent research comes to light, the agency has been slow to re-evaluate pesticide products and its process, leaving bees exposed to an ever-growing load of hazardous pesticides."

In addition, the plaintiffs challenge the inadequacies of existing pesticide labels meant to ensure environmental and health protections. "EPA has ignored its responsibility to protect bees by allowing impractical labels and lax enforcement," said Jay Feldman, Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides. "Despite clear evidence and on-the-ground feedback to the contrary, EPA has failed to ensure that bees, birds and ecosystems are protected." The suit was filed in the Northern District Court of California. Plaintiffs include Bill Rhodes of Bill Rhodes Honey (FL).

Two Videos show an "environment under attack"
in Miami-Dade County.

Bradley Stark, SC Miami Group, joined up with creative director, Nick Katzenback and Ed Asner, to create an Anti-nuclear Video. Working with Ed Asner was a real treat for the producers and as Nick describes,
"Ed is just a wonderful guy. He's smart, funny, intellectual and quick-witted. He is a consummate professional who delivered a hefty script with ease and conviction. It was inspiring to work with someone so accomplished and still so passionate."

View the video now at Boondoggle - Sierra Club Florida YouTube

The controversial - and potentially devastating dredging of Biscayne Bay proposed by the Port of Miami has been allowed to start. The judge in a lawsuit to save the bay said that there were plenty of safety measures in place. However, fragile Virginia Key is now overflowing with the dredge material with no other plans in place but to stick it there. Some people feel that the "Battle for Biscayne Bay" is the battle for the heart of Miami. A compelling new video tells the story of how the Port of Miami's "Deep Dredge" will impact the fragile, marine environments surrounding the Port.

See the video at Deep Dredge