Go to http://citizens4cleanwater.com/ for more info!
Friday, July 25, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Victory for Panther Habitat as Oil Driller Leaves Florida
Environmentalists working
with the Sierra Club’s Florida Panther campaign won a year-long battle Friday
to stop oil drilling in southwest Florida after a Texas-based oil drilling
company announced it will terminate its lease holdings on 115,000 acres.
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| DAH leases in yellow |
Numerous environmental
organizations, including the Sierra Club, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the
Stonecrab Alliance, Preserve our Paradise, and South Florida Wildlands Association, led the fight against drilling
in the environmentally sensitive areas of the Everglades and Big Cypress Watersheds.
The fight began in April
2013 when the Dan Hughes oil company mailed a letter informing residents of a
Naples suburb they were living in a "hydrogen
sulfide evacuation zone" for an exploratory well. The well,
which would be 1,000 feet from residences and less than one mile from the
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, sparked public protests, meetings
with elected officials, and hearings to assess the environmental impacts from the company’s oil wells in the western Everglades. The county was so concerned
about the impacts it challenged a consent order between the drilling company
and the state.
Earlier this year, the
US Environmental Protection Agency held a public forum to address the public's
concerns. Sierra Club generated over 167,000 comments calling for the
exploratory permit to be revoked. Also, in March, the Big Cypress Swamp
Advisory Committee, meeting for the first time in five years, reversed their
initial decision to allow the permit after hearing public testimony. In a 4-1
vote, they recommended denial of the permit.
The concerns with
drilling in the western Everglades are numerous - ranging from water quality
and hydrology to habitat fragmentation and increased panther mortality. For
Florida panthers, whose numbers range from 100 to 180, these wells would have
destroyed primary habitat and fragmented areas that are used for hunting,
denning, and traveling. Increased traffic on
the roads in Golden Gate Estates (large trucks on isolated, small roads) would
have increased the chances of a panther being hit - the leading cause of
panther deaths. Perhaps most importantly, there have been no studies conducted
that show how oil drilling impacts panthers or other wildlife.
The tide turned several
weeks ago when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which
had supported drilling, issued a press release that the driller had used
illegal extraction techniques that mirrored fracking.
Senator Bill Nelson has also been keeping a close eye on the drilling developments in southwest Florida. "We've spent billions of dollars to restore the Everglades... I want to make sure what goes on does not mess that up," Nelson said at a press conference with Sierra Club and others on Monday. Nelson has expressed concerns over public safety, water quality, and impacts to Everglades restoration.
On Tuesday, the oil company
announced it was stopping work on another well in the area minutes before the
Florida DEP announced it would file suit.
This is a great victory
for all the dedicated activists and citizens of southwest Florida. While we
have won this battle, the war on oil drilling is far from over. Two other
companies, Tocala and Burnett, are proposing to do seismic testing (a precursor
to exploratory drilling) on over 200,000 acres in the Big Cypress area. With
millions of dollars invested in the restoration of the Everglades, these
companies pose a salient threat that could undermine the efforts of so many to
protect one of the most unique ecosystems in the world.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Public Officials, Experts & Concerned Citizens Call for Energy Savings, Good Jobs and Clean Air Now!
Last week, over 130 St.
Petersburg and Tampa Bay area residents attended the Citizens’ Hearing for
Clean Energy Solutions, joining public officials in calling for the Florida
Public Service Commission (PSC) to boost energy savings goals, clean air and
clean energy jobs in 2014.
Previously, the Sierra Club formally requested an official PSC field hearing in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, which the PSC denied, prompting Sierra Club and the Sunshine State Clean Energy Coalition to create an alternative forum to ensure public participation. The PSC's decision will set the course for the next ten years.
The seven elected officials who participated in the hearing included State Representative Dwight Dudley, Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, St. Petersburg City Council Member Darden Rice, Safety Harbor Commissioner Andrew Zodrow, City of Seminole Councilor Patty Plantamura, and Gulfport Council Members Michael Fridovich and Yolanda Roman.
“Our Public Service Commission is supposed to make sure Florida consumers get reliable power at the lowest cost, but they’ve all but ignored the fastest, cheapest, safest option to meet our power needs. Energy efficiency lowers power bills, supports our economy and creates jobs here in Florida. The PSC needs to hold the power companies’ feet to the fire and make sure Florida consumers get the savings we need,” said Council Member Rice.
Presenters included Susan Glickman, Florida Director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Lorraine Ross, President of Intech Consulting, and Kelly Martin, Senior Campaign Representative for the Florida Beyond Coal Campaign.
The Citizens' Hearing was captured by a court reporter in order to enter the testimony into the formal proceedings under the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. But the PSC still needs to hear directly from Floridians who demand clean energy that will create jobs, lower bills, and protect the climate.
That’s why, in just two weeks, the Sierra Club and the Sunshine State Clean Energy Coalition will transport people to Tallahassee for a Rally for Energy Savings during the public hearing at the Public Service Commission. Join us to show your support for strong energy savings goals!
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| Sierra Club Florida Staff Director Frank Jackalone welcomes participants. |
Previously, the Sierra Club formally requested an official PSC field hearing in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, which the PSC denied, prompting Sierra Club and the Sunshine State Clean Energy Coalition to create an alternative forum to ensure public participation. The PSC's decision will set the course for the next ten years.
The seven elected officials who participated in the hearing included State Representative Dwight Dudley, Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, St. Petersburg City Council Member Darden Rice, Safety Harbor Commissioner Andrew Zodrow, City of Seminole Councilor Patty Plantamura, and Gulfport Council Members Michael Fridovich and Yolanda Roman.
“Our Public Service Commission is supposed to make sure Florida consumers get reliable power at the lowest cost, but they’ve all but ignored the fastest, cheapest, safest option to meet our power needs. Energy efficiency lowers power bills, supports our economy and creates jobs here in Florida. The PSC needs to hold the power companies’ feet to the fire and make sure Florida consumers get the savings we need,” said Council Member Rice.
Presenters included Susan Glickman, Florida Director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Lorraine Ross, President of Intech Consulting, and Kelly Martin, Senior Campaign Representative for the Florida Beyond Coal Campaign.
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| Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch pledges to engage his fellow commissioners on energy savings. |
The Citizens' Hearing was captured by a court reporter in order to enter the testimony into the formal proceedings under the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. But the PSC still needs to hear directly from Floridians who demand clean energy that will create jobs, lower bills, and protect the climate.
That’s why, in just two weeks, the Sierra Club and the Sunshine State Clean Energy Coalition will transport people to Tallahassee for a Rally for Energy Savings during the public hearing at the Public Service Commission. Join us to show your support for strong energy savings goals!
WHAT: Sunshine State
Clean Energy Coalition Rally for Energy Savings
WHEN: Monday, July 21st
at 11am
WHERE: Public Service
Commission, Tallahassee, FL
To RSVP, please contact
Julia Hathaway at julia.hathaway@sierraclub.org or go to the Sunshine State
Clean Energy Coalition on Facebook:
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