|
Home >
Legislative Tracker
> Rock Miners cap $$ on water treatment plant for Miami-Dade Co. Lake Belt Area
Water:
Rock Miners cap $$ on water treatment plant for Miami-Dade Co. Lake Belt Area
Our Position: oppose
Bill Number: SB1306/HB1039
Sponsor:
Legislative Session: 2006
7/5/06: Approved by Governor; Chapter No. 2006-13 on Wednesday, May 24, 2006 9:43 AM
5/23/06: Governor Bush signed bill into law.
5/14/06: PASSED: 5/5/06: Rock Miners: No CAP: SB1306/HB1039: The Rock Mining Cap has been deleted from the Miami-Dade County Lake Belt bill. Now the financing of the new water treatment plant will be negotiated in the future, because the CAP of $112 million was removed from the bill. Congratulations to the Miami Sierra group, including Rod Jude and Alan Farago for winning the issue with last minute, strategic grass roots pressure!
5/5/06: The House voted on the version they received from the Senate, and it has now been ordered enrolled. Here is the House vote.
5/4/06:HB1039 Passed the Senate as amended; YEAS 40 NAYS 0 on Thursday, May 04, 2006 12:14 PM; the $112 million dollar cap has been deleted and replaced with the amount of the actual moneys necessary to design and construct the water treatment plant upgrade, as determined in an open, public solicitation process.
HB1039 has bounced back to the House for another vote because the Senate amended the language.
4/30/06: We have learned that the County is not for or against this legislation. That they anticipate it will cost more money and that they will have to absorb it by raising the taxpayers amount or make the Companies pay more as they have implied they would do. And no doubt, the challenge to make the Company pay for the additional funding, will be burdened by the Citizens who have fought to "hold the line" thus far. Help the Miami Group and the Everglades and make your calls.
From Miami Group Sierra Club:
By its activities, dredging for fossilized coral in Everglades wetlands, the rock mining industry has caused unlimited liability to Miami-Dade's drinking water supply.
But through a back room deal in the last week of the Florida legislature, the industry wants politicians to cap its exposure to the costs of a new treatment plant or upgrade while citizens will have to carry the ongoing costs for a new treatment facility forever.
We get industrialized water instead of what nature freely provided. We get unlimited liability and the industry gets to cap its exposure.
Help stop this legislation, until the public gets a better deal from the rock mining industry in Miami-Dade.
There should be no cap or exemption on the requirement for the industry to fund costs of a new water treatment facility.
The industry should fund all bonding expenses, ongoing operations, at whatever water standards, now or in the future, needed to guarantee public health and protection of the environment.
The Miami Herald has a long story today by Curtis Morgan, but has not yet provided a link on its website...
ACTION ALERT
Call your Florida legislators now!
HB 1039 and SB 1306
Mining disaster for taxpayers
HOLD THE LINE CAMPAIGN recruited more than 130 community, civic, neighborhood and conservation organizations and municipalities to the cause of maintaining the urban development boundary in Miami-Dade County.
We succeeded, in part, because of your willingness as a citizen to be involved and to educate decision-makers about YOUR priorities.
WE NEED YOU NOW, AGAIN!
Last week you helped protect the urban development boundary.
THIS WEEK the Florida Legislature is taking up bad legislation promoted by Senator Rudy Garcia ((850) 487-5106 garcia.rudy.web@flsenate.gov) to shield an industry that is imposing enormous costs on all Miami-Dade residents and taxpayers: rock mining in West Dade.
This legislation seeks to limit the costs to rock miners for new Miami-Dade water treatment plant upgrades. The upgrades are the direct result of inaction by Miami-Dade county commissioners. WILL YOU LET THE STATE LEGISLATURE BAIL THEM OUT?
UNLESS YOU PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY, YOU WILL PAY AND PAY AND PAY. IT IS NOT FAIR.
For many years, rock miners in Miami-Dade denied that their operations would have any significant detrimental impacts to Miami-Dade's drinking water.
Environmentalists knew that not only was our drinking water threatened, but the Everglades too-we lacked the science and funding to prove our points until finally, even county government could no longer ignore the threats.
Recent data proves the drinking water supply for the entire county-that's more than 2 million residents!-is at risk because of rock mining, not to mention the Everglades.
But now that it has turned out the way environmentalists said it would, guess who is going to foot the bill for a new water treatment upgrades?
THE NEW LEGISLATION promoted by rock miners seeks to CAP its costs and PUT YOU ON THE HOOK FOR THE REST.
IT IS NOT FAIR. The industry is responsible for putting our health and environment at GREAT RISK.
It's a good thing that the rock miners acknowledge they should build a new water treatment plant. It's a very bad thing that decision makers would cap their expense.
If Everglades wetlands had not been destroyed to make rock mines, we wouldn't need an industrial facility to treat our drinking water.
Currently, House Bill 1039 sponsored by Representative Rene Garcia is available on the internet to read
Senate Bill 1306 sponsored by Rudy Garcia is available.
Click here for SB1306 bill history.
Click here for HB1039 bill history.
The current House version reads: "the collection of (sic. The rock miner's) fee shall cease once the total amount of proceeds collected for this fee reaches $112 million or the amount of the actual moneys necessary to design and construct the treatment plant upgrade, whichever is LESS."
We say, NO CAP! The industry must fund all costs, including bond costs and ongoing operations.
Rock mining companies-mostly owned by big public or foreign corporations-need to pay ALL THE COSTS associated with their irresponsible threats to the environment and our drinking water.
Contact: Your Senator click here
Contact your House member and tell them even though the House voted and sent their version to the Senate, you oppose this legislation.
State HOUSE Southeast Florida Delegation
State SENATE Southeast Florida Delegation
Governor Jeb Bush:
Via Email: jeb.bush@myflorida.com
Phone/Fax: Phone: 850/488/7146, Fax: 850-487-0801
Mailing Address:
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Tell them:
- It is a good thing that the rock mining industry will upgrade new water treatment in Miami-Dade's Lake Belt but:
- Rock miners should pay ALL the costs of construction and on-going operation for new treatment upgrades;
- House Bill 1039 and Senate Bill 1306 should NOT include the fee cap for new water treatment upgrades. Taxpayers should not be left to cover the long-term operating costs after these rock-mining fees run out.
Your water tax bills are going up, because local county commissioners have ignored for years the costs of unsustainable growth like rock mines in West Dade.
Billions of dollars in unfunded infrastructure deficits have piled up, and for what purpose? To deliberately mask the real costs of unsustainable growth.
NOW the county is trying to reconcile decades of mismanagement and, typically, serious decisions with enormous costs to taxpayers are being made, out of sight and out of view of the public.
MAKE YOUR CALLS NOW! Hold the Line on unfair treatment of taxpayers and ask your elected officials to take care of our needs first!
Status
7/5/06: Approved by Governor; Chapter No. 2006-13 on Wednesday, May 24, 2006 9:43 AM
|
