Issues, Florida Chapter

Toxics

The Toxics Committee works to protect water and air; groundwater, soils, habitat quality, and public health.

Threats and Opportunities

OPPORTUNITIES IN 2006 INCLUDE PRO-ACTIVE TOXICS-RELATED ADVOCACY, ESPECIALLY THE EVER INCREASING THREAT OF MERCURY CONTAMINATION; Similar to the Arsenic in Playgrounds issue of recent years, and other safe standards for safe disposal of contaminated waste. Both Federal and state Bush administrations are attempting to redefine Mercury contamination in order to weaken public health and safety protections which are already too weak and lagging behind the science which has linked mercury and other toxics to increasing health disasters. Decreased reporting by agencies has continued to systematically hide what we assumed the public has the "Right to Know" about the prevalence of serious contaminants in water bodies, sludge, air emissions, agricultural practices, etc.

Additional issues will require close co-ordination with issue committees fighting for clean water, safe drinking water, and stopping the coal rush, as well as our ongoing linkage with issues of Environmental Justice.

Goals

To stop the worst legislation, including the Performance based Permitting and Class Action Deform legislation; also to publicize the failures of regulatory programs in recent years.

To advocate a bill modeled after Maine’s requirement for Dental Amalgam Separator Systems.

To introduce Sierra activists directly to Environmental Justice victims seeking to organize for reforms, clean up, etc.

To help different Issue Committees use each other’s resources, materials, troops, etc. in better co-ordination

Legislation

Coal and energy; coastal, red tide; mercury, public health protections should at least surface in 2006 legislation, even if not passing into major bills.

Agencies

Clean up will again be weakened; contaminated properties will be marketed without cleanup; and it is highly probable that agencies will attempt further redefinition of pollution standards to make the public record dishonestly cover up real toxic threats to our communities, health and ecosystems which are low on their list of priorities. EPA is trying to weaken the Right to Know protections.

Other Actions

We will help write articles and speeches for Sierra leaders, and friendly elected officials; we will monitor legislation and major agency weakening. We will publicize some of Sierra’s litigation and show the failures of government agencies to control corporate pollution. We will work with other Sierra activists on red tide and phosphate isues. We will help publicize new research on other evolving issues, including toxic dumping in Taylor County, bacterial killers, mercury sources from medical/dental businesses, pesticides, brownfields, dioxin, multi-use incinerators (e.g., Cement Plants) and stormwater pollution.

Recent Achievements

What can you do?

Sierrans, especially in Florida, have many dramatic stories to keep telling reporters and elected officials. The public is better informed than elected officials generally, whose memory becomes clouded by campaign contributions. We should use the T – Word (Toxics) whenever we can, since industry pr machinery has virtually taken it out of some entire vocabularies, including the Florida legislature. Charts of the Mercury contaminated water bodies is an easy tool for toxics activists. Anti-coal, pro-polluter-pay, and concerns for public health, storm water contamination, algae blooms, and an unregulated health industry all present important messages we should stand proud to proclaim.