summer 2007 pelican newsletter, florida sierra club
TRANSCRIPT
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8/9/2019 Summer 2007 Pelican Newsletter, Florida Sierra Club
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The PelicanOfficial Publication of the Sierra Club Florida Chapter
Vol. 39, No. 2Summer Issue
BioMassburnersare not theanswerThomas Bussing, PhDFormer Gainesville Mayor
In taking a long-term
view of our society s
dependence on prof-
ligate use of cheap fossil
fuel, responsible voices in
decades past often posed
the question, What do
we do when it starts to run
out?
Now that climatic change
has usurped the exhaus-
tion of fossil reserves asthe crucial consideration in
long-term energy policy,
we must also confront a
EXPLORE, ENJOY AND PROTECT THE PLANET!
Florida Hometown
Democracy UpdateLesley BlacknerPresident, Florida Hometown
Democracy
In case you still havent
heard, the Sierra Club is
pushing hard to ensure the
Florida Hometown Democracy
Amendment is on the Novem-
ber 2008 statewide ballot, and
has contributed to the effort
$$$ financially and physically
by many volunteers through-out the state collecting ballots.
What is Florida Hometown
Democracy? Its a proposed
amendment to the Florida Con-
stitution that will establish that
before a local government may
adopt a new comprehensive
land use plan or amend a com-
prehensive land use plan (the
binding plans that determine
what kind of development goes
where), the proposed plan or
amendment shall be subject to
a local voter referendum.
It sounds technical, but the
Florida Hometown Democracy
Amendment will drive a stake
CHAPTER CHAIR REPORTBetsy Roberts
Chapter Chair
The work of our Florida Chapter owes
our success to the nearly 300 volun-
teer leaders and officers in our various
entitites 18 local Groups, 21 Chapter
Issue Committees. It seems like such
a short time that our Florida Executive
Committee (FLEXcom) met in Tallahas-
see during the legislative session. Im
glad to see that Susie Caplowe and Dan
Hendrickson survived the wild legisla-
tive session months chasing up and
down the halls of the capital. As always
a great big THANKS to Susie for all her
hard work, keeping up the Tallahassee
Report and the Tracker as well as at-
tending meetings and lobbying. Thanks
to Dave Cullen, who assisted us this ses-
sion, and all the great Issue Chairs and
other volunteers, who helped keep Susie
up to date on issues and made phone
calls and visited with legislators.
March to May always seem focused in
Tallahassee but lots of other things are
going on all over the state. Each group
could tell a story of battles and victories
that have occurred in their area. And we
even got to finish the Leadership Devel-
opment Project with a fun and enthusi-
astic Stategic Team Building training
in May at the Life Enrichment Center.
Those evil coal burning power plants
continue to plague us from Pensacola to
the Everglades. Thanks to Chapter En-
ergy Chair Joy Towles Ezell for working
so hard. If we could just harness your
energy and enthusiasm we wouldnt
need all those power plants.
See UPDATE on Page 2
SeeREPORTon Page 5
SeeBURNERSon Page 4
Floridas once touted Growth Management Act nowhas 20 years of being weakened by the Legislature,Administrative Agencies and local governments.
1000 new residents a day are still moving into theSunshine State.
Laura Denardo, Pelican Perch
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through the heart of developer
power. Let me tell you why.
The Florida Growth Man-
agement Act adopted in the
mid-1980s mandated localcomprehensive planning.
Why? To ensure that roads are
not over-burdened, schools not
over-crammed, green space
preserved, the quality and
character of the Florida we
love was maintained. It was
all well intentioned but it has
failed miserably.
Why? Because proposed
changes to the plans are politi-
cal decisions submitted to the
local city or county commis-
sion. Who too often controlslocal politicians? The devel-
opers. The marriage of local
and state government to the
real estate development indus-
try has produced the growth
machine. Because the chief
goal of local and state govern-
ment is to promote the growth
machine, I often say Florida
has government of the devel-
oper, by the developer and for
the developer.
If you still arent convinced,
take the time to look at the
public hearing agenda of your
city and county council on any
given day. Most of their time
is spent reviewing and approv-
ing yet another construction
project. Look at the histories
and voting records of your
council members. Chances are
many of them just cant say no
to a con-
struction
proposal.
Chances
are that
the growth
machine is
their big-
gest con-
tributor.
Chances
are that
many ofthem make
their liv-
ing in the
growth
machine.
It was
nave at
best to
think that
developer
controlled commissions would
take the broad public interest
to heart when yet another plan
amendment was proposed. But
the staggering disaster that has
befallen Florida over the past
decades was entirely foresee-
able. Floridas land use system
exemplifies what scholar Jared
Diamond calls rational bad
behavior. In his latest book,
Collapse Professor Diamond
explains that when the inter-
ests of the decision-making
elite clash
with the
interests of
the general
citizens,
the elite
are likely
to do things
that profit
themselves,
regardless
of whether
those ac-tions hurt
everybody
else. A
self-ab-
sorbed elite
insulated
from the
conse-
quences of
its actions
is highly destructive to the well
being of society. The elites
Page 2
FloridaChapterElectionRulesElection of not less than
four at -large membersof the Florida ExecutiveCommittee (FLEXCOM)for two-year terms shallbe held according to acalendar prepared an-nually and approved byFLEXCOM. The calendarshall set the dates of: Deadline for appointingthe election committee. Deadline for appointingthe nominating commit-tee. Deadline for notify-ing willing candidates oftheir right and methodfor seeking nominatingpetitions. Nominating committee
report of names of nomi-nees. Deadlines for receipt ofcandidate petitions. Eachpetition candidate mustbe on separate forms, notmultiple candidates on asingle petition. Production of eligiblevoter list. Mailing the ballots (Peli-can). Receipt of returned bal-lots. Date, time and place forcounting the ballots.
The following officerswill be appointed to oneyear terms by FLEXCOMat the last meeting ofthe calendar year: Chair,Vice-Chair for Adminis-tration, Vice-Chair forConservation, Secretary,Treasurer, Council Del-egate, Alternate CouncilDelegate, Members atLarge.The election shall be
held by secret ballot. Theballot shall be mailedin The Pelican to every
member. The ballot shallappear on the oppositeside of the mailing labelso that the eligibility ofthe voter can be verifiedwithout looking at theballot. The ballots shall besorted into three groupsduring verification sin-gle membership, jointmembership and ques-tionable ballot. Followingverification, the labelsshall then be removed orcovered so the ballot will
UPDATEFrom Page 1
What must you do?
Sign the petition. Make copies and getfriends and family tosign if they are regis-tered Florida voters. Join our emailupdate list [email protected].
Visit our website atwww.floridahometown-democracy.com. Send a donation.Act now. This chance tosave Florida from an-other 50 years of devel-oper ruin will not comeagain.
See RULES on Page 8
These real cases of bulldozing, concrete mazes, traffic jams and congestion are here nowand fixin to get worse, so sign the petition today and get five of your friends to sign it,mail it in right away, we only have till February 1, 2008.
See UPDATE on Page 9
BREAKING NEWSBreaking news at press time: The
coal partners announced July 3 thatthey are suspending plant permit-ting on the Taylor Energy Center,and that they now plan to par-ticipate in the dialogue on Floridasenergy future. The final decision onthe coal plant must be confirmed
by the governing boards of the fourutilities, including Disney. Pleasekeep making your calls and send-ing letters and emails to ensure thatthis dirty coal burner never hap-pens. This bad idea is not dead yet,
See NEWS on Page 7
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Disney (Reedy Creek Improvement District) should
call off its involvement in the Taylor Energy Center
Disney World, the City of Tallahassee, the Jacksonville Elec-
tric Authority, and twenty Florida cities served by the Florida
Municipal Agency all have an amazing opportunity to echo
the message of the Florida Public Service Commission (the
PSC voted 4-0 to deny the Never-Glades FPL Coal Burn-
ing Power Plant on June 4th, 2007) by making a smart move
away from coal. Disney, especially, should be distancing
itself from one of the major causes of global warming.
The PSC and Governor Crist have sent a signal heard far and
wide that coal is not an acceptable power source in Florida.
The PSC plainly said that there are better options for Floridas
energy needs than dirty coal-burning plants. The PSC clearlysent the message to all power producers that coal is not cost
effective anywhere, anymore. Its time for the Taylor Energy
Center partners to take notice, and act accordingly.
Joy Towles Ezell, Energy Chair of the Florida Chapter Sierra
Club and Big Bend Group Sierra Club Water/Air Quality
Chair, is asking you to contact Disney President and CEO
Robert A. Iger and tell Iger to remove Disney from its part
in the Taylor Energy Center NOW! You can reach him at
Walt Disney Company, 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank,
CA 91521. Email him at [email protected] or phone
818.560.1000.
Susie Caplowe, Sierra Club Florida Chapter
Legislative Affairs said, Disney can no lon-
ger tout being green while at the same timeparticipating in a dirty coal burning power
plant in Florida.
Signs, signs, everywhere there are signs,
stated Ezell. Can Disney read the signs?
How many signs does Reedy Creek (Disney)
need before removing themselves from the
Taylor Emphysema Center? Do Doc and
Sneezy have to shame Disney into putting on
its glasses and reading the signs?
Here are just a few of the signs:
PSC voted 4-0 against the Glades coal
burner, saying NO COAL to FP&L on June
4, 2007. Disneys little 9.3% seat at the table wont
sway the partners in the big chairs. Case
in point: Buckeye Florida L.P. unexpect-
edly requested that the partners ante up 2 more million $$$
to approve of the TEC buying poison waste water from the
Buckeye pulp mill, dirtying Disneys hands, contaminating
Disney s contract for the duration and possibly placing Disney
in a future filthy legal morass.
On July 13, 2005, Tallahassee commissioners voted 4-1
(Allan Katz opposed) to participate in the Taylor County coal
plant through its permitting phase. Up to $6.4 million has
been authorized; (Tallahassee Democrat, March 29, 2007).
Tallahassee has already spent $3.1 million in tax dollars, and
is now facing the impending financial doom that may come
with the changes to property taxes. Disney should get out
now, before this entire coal burner debacle affects its stock
price and attendance at Disney World.
Originally billed as the cheapest option (by $5 million), an
energy plan that includes the coal plant now appears to exceed
the cost of a natural gas plant option by $78 million - out of a
total of $4.5 billion over 30 years - because of rising construc-
tion costs and a modeling error. If it was significant when
it was $5 million in (coal-plant advocates) favor, how come
$78 million isnt significant when its now to their detriment,
said Steve Urse, a member of the Big Bend Climate Action
Team, which opposes the proposed coal plant because of
health and environmental concerns (Tallahassee Democrat,
March 29, 2007). This is not the cheapest plan for Disney,
either. Disney should be leading the way with renewables,conservation, and smart energy not by being involved in a
dirty coal-burning power plant, said Joy Ezell.
The City of Tallahassee tried to reject this toxic effluent
sharing idea, but Buckeye and TEC are not listening. This
means that Disney is dirtying its hands by being partner to
Buckeye s toxic wastewater reuse ploy, possibly implicating
Disney and the other consortium partners in the dumping and
burning of Buckeyes hazardous wastes.
Governor Crist strongly supports the PSC in its decision to
deny the coal plant. He has questioned the continued use of
burning coal in energy production. As we seek to address
the challenges presented by global climate
change, leadership of the caliber demonstrated
today by the Public Service Commission will
be essential to our success, said Crist Fur-
ther, Governor Crist has placed an emphasis
on dealing with climate change, and has said
that hes not happy about having more coal
plants proposed (Tallahassee Democrat, May
25, 2007).
The future holds costs for carbon, defini-
tively adding more costs for the TEC, without
being able to determine exactly how much
more that will cost. Disney should be very
concerned.
Water shortages loom upon all of us. Expect-
ed spring rains never arrived, making waterconservation a subject in everyones thoughts,
except for the power company executives,
who think only about ever-increasing prof-
its. Disney has readily admitted that the lack
of water is affecting future growth plans in Central Florida.
North Florida is facing its worst drought in many years and
water, like air, is something we all share. If its scarce in one
area, you can be sure that it will be scarce in all of Florida.
The world has recognized that global warming is real, and
that carbon dioxide is a major contributor to greenhouse gases
- two very notable issues. Emerging technologies and anti-
pollution legislation may make the coal option more expen-
sive. Disney should really be green and make a solid com-
mitment not to add to global warming. The PSC indicated concerns about increased coal car rail
traffic on its way to Taylor County, all the way from the Port
of Jacksonville through several protesting North Florida coun-
ties.
The DCA has provided signs: The project still faces a hur-
dle on the state level: the Florida Department of Community
Affairs has raised objections and could file a legal challenge
to block approval (Tallahassee Democrat, June 5, 2007).
Does Disney want the embarrassment of becoming involved
in a legal battle with the state?
More signs: DCA has raised concerns about 25% of the
site being wetlands and half being in the flood plain (Tal-
Page 3
Neither Disney nor Florida can afford
the costs of a massive new coal plantA coalburn-ingpowerplant.
Disney canno longer toutbeing greenwhile at thesame timeparticipatingin a dirty coalburning powerplant inFlorida.
Susie CaploweSierra Club Florida
Chapter LegislativeAffairs
See COAL on Page 4
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dangerously twisted answer to that
rhetorical question that has been
promoted as a response to the crisis
a veritable greenwash for con-tinuing our current extravagant use
of energy.
First came a reckless and on-going
promotion of ethanol and biodie-
sel as the way to fuel our vehicles
without changing our habits. This
program has been exposed as chiefly
an avenue for generous agribusi-
ness subsidies and also as a way to
deplete cropland, plow up conser-
vation lands and disrupt our food
system for the convenience of keep-
ing all our cars and trucks running
as before all this without reducingour net usage of fossil fuel.
Now comes another nostrum for
the public to be seduced by the
generation of green electricity
from biomass fuels.
The proponents are well intended,
but nave. Their vision is of captur-
ing some imagined waste stream
of deadwood and branches that can
provide megawatts of electric power
if harvested and trucked to power
plants for burning.
Such a plan is advancing here in
Gainesville, with little scrutiny of
the true long-term implications of
such a system on our land.
Our elected officials are mov-
ing forward thinking that the plant
can subsist on waste wood, but a
significant amount of the identified
available wood that they hope to
capture is from developers clear-
ing land hardly a sustainable
practice.
The rest of the supply stream
would be piggybacked on existing
pulpwood operations.
In advancing this plan, our com-
missioners have failed to consider
that depleting woodlands of the
soil-building residue of the normal
sylvan system across a large swath
of our region spells long-term doom
for a forest that has been here for
thousands of years.
They also seem to ignore the fact
that municipal solid waste (MSW) is
identified as an attractive fuel for
the burners they are hoping to build.
While the commissioners think
they are getting greener, the power
plant people are looking to be
burning a municipal waste stream
as well, a stream that is already in
trucks, and has to go somewhere.
At least these industry proponents
are honest about their goal.
But incineration in Florida has a long
and sordid history, and to see the sametype of plant constructed ostensibly
for burning wood waste should
raise concerns for those who want
our clean air protected. We are being
targeted as a partner for the Munici-
pal-Solid-Waste-burning industry.
Even without the disturbing link
with the solid waste burners, we are
left with the bottom-line premise
for building such a plant simply
to begin consuming all that can be
grown, so that we can continue to
have more electrical power and
increased consumption.This is not a green program. It is
a program to transfer the appetite for
power that we acquired from cheap
fossil fuel to the consumption of our
last resource, the biological systems
of the planet.
A better future lies in confronting
face-on our real need a need for
greater efficiencies and for signifi-
cant reductions in our use of energy,
and for building up our capacity
using truly clean and renewable
energy, such as solar.
Page 4
lahassee Democrat June 5,
2007). Many Taylor County
residents remember seeing
the proposed construction
site under water several times
during their lifetimes. Disney
customers would not like tosee photographs of its coal
burner under water.
The Department of Com-
munity Affairs also has raised
concerns about the availabil-
ity of water and sewer at the
site (Tallahassee Democrat,
June 5, 2007). Again, Disney
should be very concerned.
According to the EPA s Tox-
ics Release Inventory, the air
quality in Taylor County is
already the 57th worst in the
nation. The slogan: Disney
gets the power, Taylor Coun-
ty kids get asthma wont
play well with Disney cus-
tomers and stock holders.
Dollar sign: Taylor County
could lose Federal Highway
funds because a dirty coal
burner could send the County
beyond the federal level of
non-attainment. Does Disneywant to be held accountable?
Warning sign: We wont
accept your toxic wastes.
Madison County said no
to accepting the hazardous
waste by-products from TEC
at the Aucilla Landfill, which
Taylor County uses, located
just south of Greenville in
Madison County. On May 16,
2007, the Madison County
Commission voted to send
a letter to the Aucilla Land-
fill Authority objecting to a
proposal to dispose of toxic
wastes, including centrifuge
cake and filters from TEC. A
copy of that letter was sent
to the Taylor County Com-
mission, commented Barry
Parsons, a Madison County
member of the Big Bend
Group of the Sierra Club.
Will Disney accept the toxicwastes?
Gary Lloyd, Chair of the
Big Bend Group of the Sierra
Club, said, Disney should
get out of this bad deal, espe-
cially in view of the publics
negative perception of the
coal plant, the statements
recently made by Governor
Crist and the decision by the
PSC to turn down the need
for the Glades coal burner.
Disney should pull out of the
TEC deal before Disney &
Reedy Creek stockholders
are doomed to spending more
and more dollars on an Ed-
sel-era coal burner. Disney
should be thinking of what its
customers will do when they
learn of Disneys involve-
ment in accelerating global
warming. Neither Disney nor
Florida can afford the costs of
a massive new coal plant.
COALFrom Page 3
Contact:
Joy Towles Ezell 850.843.1574, FloridaChapter Sierra Club En-ergy Chair Susie Caplowe 850.567.2448, FloridaChapter Sierra Club
Legislative Affairs
BURNERSFrom Page 1
STOP THE COAL RUSH!
Joy Towles Ezell and Susie Caplowe
The Florida Public Services Commissionvoted on June 5th to reject a proposal for one
of the largest new coal-fired power plants in
the United States. The PSC, voting 4-0, with
Commissioner Nancy Argenziano absent, de-
nied a petition filed by Florida Power & Light
to build a massive 1960 megawatt coal plant
next to Lake Okeechobee at the headwaters
of the Everglades. The proposed plant would
likely have been one of the largest single new
sources of carbon dioxide in the nation,
accelerating climate change that is already
harming Florida, its residents, and its ecosys-
tems. In rejecting FP&L s petition, the PSCagreed with environmental intervenors that
Florida can meet its energy needs with clean-
er, less costly options. The PSC determined
that the proposed plant was not cost-effective,
particularly because it will expose Florida
ratepayers to significant future costs for car-
bon dioxide emissions.
Hats off to all the Sierra activists who trav-
eled to Tallahassee to speak before the PSC
Environmental groups Sierra Club, Save Our
Creeks, Florida Wildlife Federation, Environ-
mental Confederation of Southwest Florida,
Natural Resources Defense Council, and
individual Ellen Peterson intervened inthe PSC needs determination proceedings,
represented by Earthjustice.
The environmental intervenors argued that
Florida can meet its energy needs by improv-
ing energy efficiency and relying on clean
renewable sources of energy. They also
argued that the PSC must consider the inevi-
table costs that will be imposed on coal plants
when the federal government acts to regulate
carbon emissions.
Rhonda Roff, Sierra Club member from
ONE dirty coal burner
DOWN and more to go!
See STOP on Page 5
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The Chapter NominatingCommittee is seeking the
names of candidates who are
interested in serving on the
Florida Chapter Executive
Committee (FLEXCOM).
Nine members of FLEX-
COM are elected at large
from the Chapter. Five posi-
tions are up for
election this fall. These nine
elected members, along with
a representative from each
of our 18 groups, constitute
FLEXCOM. FLEXCOMmeets at least four times a
year and provides leadership
and direction for all Chapter
conservation and lobbying
activities; political endorse-
ments; developing the
annual budget; coordinat-
ing the annual conservation
conference; and publication
of the statewide newsletter,
The Pelican.
The newly-elected mem-
bers will serve a two-year
term, beginning January
2008.
They will also be expected
to attend the Mini-FLEX-
COM meeting in November
for election of officers and
also a transition meeting
between the old and the new
FLEXCOM that occurs in
December.
Chapter officers are elected
from the FLEXCOM,
including Chair, Conserva-
tion Chair, Administrative
Chair, and Council Delegateand Alternate. According to
our bylaws, the Secretary
and Treasurer do not have
to be elected officers. They
may be appointed by FLEX-
COM, though we usually
appoint an elected officer.
The Nominating Commit-
tee is seeking candidates
who meet the following
criteria:
Members of the Club, in
good standing, as of Decem-
ber 31, 2006. Willing to attend and
participate in four (at least)
FLEXCOM meetings a year
and serve on any appropriate
committees.
Demonstrate knowledge of
Sierra Club history, culture
and legal requirements of
the Chapter.
Able to accept a leadership
position on FLEXCOM.
Another chronic situation is the
Everglades. All we are asking
for is to let the water flow. If we
could elevate I-75 for 11 mileswe would have a good start.
Thanks Drew Martin and Jona-
than Ullman for all your work on
this issue.
Many think coastal pollution
is just on the coast, but all the
rivers and lakes suffer from algal
blooms and toxics. New issue
chair Don Chaney along with
National staff Stuart DeCew,
based in Sarasota right now, will
be seen in more and more places
around the state working on these
issues. Welcome to additionalNational Staffers, Chris Costello
in Sarasota and Marti Daltry in Ft
Myers working on coastal prob-
lems and panther issues.
It does seem that so many of
our problems never go away.
How long have we been fighting
phosphate? Its still there and
still a big issue. The Ona Mine in
Manatee County is affecting the
Peace River. Congrats to local
Chairperson Sue Reske and many
other Charlotte folks fighting this
together.
Our Florida Chapter of the Sier-
ra Club would be nothing without
all you wonderful activists. Ev-
eryone of you deserves a big pat
on the back and all the support
you can get. So many of the is-
sues are local and regional so we
need to work with each other and
in coalition with other groups. It
is seldom that one person alone
accomplishes much, it is groups
of people working together.
Thanks for all you do.
Page 5
Hendry County, and Presi-
dent of SING (Save It Now
Glades) participated in the
public testimony and provid-
ed excellent documentation
for the record regarding water
usage, toxic fly ash, mercury
in the fish, and the power
plant s potential negative
impact on the Everglades, the
environment, wildlife, and
people. She said, Despite the
back door manipulation by
the local elected officials con-
cerning the land use designa-
tion, and the lack of adequate
public notice to the people,
thank goodness the truth has
prevailed. Now you can tell
the FP&L coal burner folks
to pack up their bags and go
home!
Susie Caplowe, Florida
Chapter Sierra Club Govern-
mental Affairs said, Florida
can meet its energy needs
through 30% conserva-
tion and energy efficiency
measures. That was our
daily message to the Florida
Legislature when they were
promoting advanced cost
recovery for a power planttechnology that cannot
capture and sequester carbon
as the industry has claimed.
The Florida PSC did right
by Florida citizens today and
voted down the dirty coal
burning power plant that
would have kept the state
in the dark ages. We have a
new day and new beginnings
to truly seek clean energy
alternatives and conservation
measures.
Joy Towles Ezell, Energy
Chair of the Florida Chapter
Sierra Club, ecstatic over the
news that the NeverGlades
coal burner had been turned
down, said This message
from the PSC should be
heard clearly by all power
companies in Florida who are
proposing coal fired power
plants. The PSC was listening
to all the issues, including theenvironmental and health
cost issues brought forth
during the proceedings. We
are thankful that the PSC has
made the right decision.
The Taylor Energy Center,
another coal burner proposed
by the Florida Municipal
Power Agency, Reedy Creek
Improvement District (Dis-
ney), the Jacksonville Elec-
tric Authority, and the City of
Tallahassee, (which, if built,
could ultimately produce
a total of 3200 megawatts)
will be coming back to the
PSC for a decision in a few
months. We are encouraged
by the PSC vote to deny the
need for this dirty coal burn-
er, and hope that this vote is
duplicated in all upcoming
coal fired power plant
decisions in Florida.
Sierra Club staff attorneyJoanne Spalding lauded the
PSC decision, stating, In
rejecting FP&Ls Everglades
coal plant, the PSC recog-
nized that Florida residents
cannot afford the costs of a
massive new coal plant that
will emit millions of tons of
carbon dioxide and hundreds
of pounds of mercury each
year, harming the Everglades
and exacerbating the impacts
of climate change.
STOPFrom Page 4
REPORTFrom Page 1 Chapter Nominating
Committee Call for Candidates
DEADLINE IS JULY 27
2007 FloridaSierra Election Calendar
July 27 Deadline for nominations to nom-inating committee July 30 Nominating committee report toFLEXCOM of committee nominees Aug. 10 Deadline for receipt of petitioncandidate petitions (either by mail or fax)to the Nom.Com.Chair, Betsy Roberts Aug. 17 Deadline for receipt of originalpetition candidate petitions to Nom.Com.
Chair, Betsy Roberts (mandatory). Aug. 24 Deadline for delivery of ballot in-formation and candidate statements to thePelican. Sept. 15 Mail Pelican with ballots forChapter election Oct. 26 Closing date of election, ballotsdue by midnight Oct. 27 Count ballots Nov. 2-4 Fall Conservation Conference,mini-FLEXCOM election of officers
See CALL on Page 6
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6/12
Understand their responsibility for the
Chapters financial health.
Be familiar with conservation, political
and regional issues of Florida.
Represent a geographical diversity from
around the state.
Able to work cooperatively with activists
who have differing viewpoints.
Able to work productively both at and in
between FLEXCOM meetings.
Understand group dynamics and organi-
zational processes and structures.
The Nominating Committee will be ac-
cepting nominations through July 27. Any
member interested in being considered for
the upcoming fall election can contact any
member of the committee (see below).
We will ask all candidates to complete a
short form for our review. Any interested
person who seeks nomination but is not
nominated by the committee will have the
opportunity to run by petition.
Contact info:
Betsy Roberts, [email protected]
941-922-9518
Karen Orr, [email protected]
352-375-3927
Ervin Duncan, [email protected]
904-261-7539
Page 6
CALLFrom Page 5
Susie Caplowe
Chapter Lobbyist
Thank you to all the Chap-ter Issue Chairs, Legislative
Liaison Helen Spivey, and
activists for all the assistance
with the bill analyses, posi-
tion papers and messages you
delivered for the environment
during the Florida legisla-
tive session. Thank you for
plugging in by receiving and
reading our online legislative
Tallahassee Report and visiting
our legislative online web-
site www.florida.sierraclub.
org/tracker We could hear theexcitement you all generated
when we entered the offices of
targeted legislators and they
would tell us to stop the calls,
stop the emailsthe constant
buzz you all generated was
awesome. Please accept our
heartfelt message of gratitude
for all your local battles you
wage and all the messages you
deliver for the environment
during the Florida legislative
session. Dont ever give up.
Against the odds, Sier-
rans Celebrate Legisla-
tive Successes this yearWe were successful this past
session by defeating the gen-
eral theme the developer and
industry lobbyists were weav-
ing thru numerous pieces of
legislation. In particular those
special interest bills designed
to prevent and impact local
governments from having
stronger environmental protec-tions and safeguards for the
communities quality of life
than what the state agencies
are capable of doing was found
among legislation that per-
tained to wetlands permitting,
aggregate mining companies,
and fertilizer ordinances and
rules.
We were successful when the
Tampa Electric Co (TECO)
hired thirty lobbiests to grease
legislation which would allow
their consumers subsidy of
the boondoggle IGCC coal
plant slated for Polk County in
coming years, ONLY Sierra
stood up and told the truthabout the coal reliant scheme,
while other environmental
groups actively supported the
coal plant or stood silent and
remained neutral on the bill.
Only Representatives Su-
san Bucher and Maria Sachs
showed the courage to vote
against the bill.
Sierras allies on various is-
sues helped slowed down and
stopped numerous anti-envi-
ronmental bills and amend-
ments, and negotiated andlobbied for pro-democracy
and pro-environmental legisla-
tion. Especially important was
the coalition work through
the Save the Voters Voice, the
Florida Coal Council, League
of Women Voters of Florida,
Panhandle Citizens Coalition,
Florida League of Conserva-
tion Voters, and our host of the
Environmental Interest Groups
weekly meeting. We signed
onto a veto letter for SB900,
the bad anti-citizen initiativepetition gathering bill that
would have made it difficult
for citizens to gather petitions.
That letter involved more than
20 organizations; the Governor
listened and vetoed this bad
bill.
Our organizations attacked
the Growth Management bills
from all sides, even though
they were secretly written near
the end of session and all but
promised quick passage. TheDCA and Governors of-
fice helped water down the
anti-oversight weakening of
Floridas Growth Management
laws. Sierrans responded
quickly when the overnight
legislation finally appeared.
While the Florida Forever ef-
forts were able to elevate some
issues of land management,
the legislature was not willing
to even address the request
to speed up the purchase of
targeted environmental lands.
Your vocal support of the lands
programs, the Everglades and
wetlands and river cleanups
helped the ultimate victorywhich will dedicate hundreds
of millions to restoration proj-
ects not previously funded by
the legislature.
When the business lobby-
ists pressured to stop Citizen
Initiatives to amend our State
Constitution, most legislators
cowed under the pressure and
stepped aside, even though
Senators stopped some of the
worst bills in difficultand
rare committee votes.
When one bad bill arose fromits supposed grave on the last
day of session, only two dozen
legislators in the House voted
against it, despite earlier prom-
ises. Their excuse was the busi-
ness scorecards they expect to
be used against them in future
elections. As a result, SB 900
was so bad, the Chamber of
Commerce couldnt save it
from a gubernatorial veto.
Wetlands Protection Pro-
grams All over Florida were
Protected by Strategic Lob-
bying: Governor and Coun-
ties Respond to Stop Anti-
Wetlands Legislators
Our daily effort and multiple
prong strategies to stay on top
of these themes and defeat
them is always an opportunity
and a challenge. We were able
to modify the local govern-
ment pre-emption language
and took the sting out or got
the local pre-emption languagetotally removed. Our media
and grass roots lobbying were
effective in focusing attention
on the provisions. We worked
with leadership in the House
and Senate (particularly the
Senate). We were welcomed
by President Pruitt and his staff
and the senators that made
up the Presidents leadership
team.
The Governors Office has a
very accessible staff and we
worked together keeping each
other informed of various bills
progress and changes. Gover-
nor Crist himself made several
strong statements to reportersstating that if bills made it to
his desk with local government
pre-emption that would impact
the ability to protect wetlands,
he would probably have to
veto something like that and as
a result, the developer lobby-
ists promptly removed their
extreme language and subse-
quently the bad wetlands bills
died.
Sub-set of some of the
legislative bills this past
session:Here is a brief summary of
some of the bills this session;
you can read more by visiting
our website to save space on
paper, we ask that you access
our website and look these
bills up to learn more about
what these bills do. Again, we
want to thank all of you read-
ers of the online Tallahassee
Report for responding to our
regular calls for action regard-ing numerous bills that were
good and bad. Here is a quick
summary of what passed and
failed. To read more about
them, please go to our Tracker.
www.florida.sierraclub.org/
tracker
HB957: Wetlands Delega-
tion: The two worst bills were
defeated: A repeat offender
year after year is the wet-
lands delegation of 5 acres or
less from the Army Corps of
Engineers to the Departmentof Environmental Protection.
Attached to this bill was the
local government pre-emp-
tion language that would have
prevented local governments
from having their own internal
program that would localize
and provide stronger wetlands
protections, (like the County
of Hillsborough Environmen-
Post 2007 Legislative Session Update
See SESSIONon Page 7
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7/12
Page 7
tal Protection Commission (EPC), which
recently voted, without a public hearing,
to eliminate the valued program). Well,
we managed to get the local governmentpre-emption language out of the legisla-
tion, only to have the boating industry
lobbyists attach an amendment that would
have allowed for expansion of a marina
in a MANATEE protection zone. Then,
working with Save the Manatee Club, we
managed to kill that bill completely.
HB985:.Transportation and Infrastruc-
ture: (Signed by the Governor and is now
law). Construction Aggregate Materials
Study (HB7121/ SB2784/ SB2804) is
now found in HB985,along with other
bills, for which this bill became a legisla-tive train: It privatizes toll roads; Rural
areas are in danger with such proposals as
the Heartland Turnpike in Central Florida
. It eliminates current requirements that
proposed new turnpike segments prove
financial feasibility. (When the proposed
new Heartland Turnpike was analyzed in
February under the existing financial fea-
sibility requirements, most of the Heart-
land routes did NOT meet the financial
feasibility test); this bill encourages a link
between future real estate growth and
funding of roads and toll roads; it throws
careful planning and growth management
laws out the window.
The transportation TRAIN was the most
stapled piece of environmental legislation
AGAIN (For the last several years, the
largest and latest bill to come together was
the train of transportation bills). HB 985
totaled 139 pages, was related to at least
14 other bills this session, and was com-
posed of 57 different sections; during the
last 2 weeks of session, legislators filed
more than 46 amendments to the bill. (In
all there were nearly 120 amendments
filed to HB 985 and companion bill SB1928).
Growth management HB7203 (signed
by the Governor).
At the 11th hour, the Senate added
Affordable Housing language as a tribute
to Representative Mike Davis, who has
led the bills for Affordable Housing year
after year. However, the rest of the bill
continues to be problematic: 1. Legisla-
tors softened the pilot projects, exempting
out several local governments from DCA
oversight (Pinellas and Broward Coun-
ties, and Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and
Hialieah); 2. If a developer can show that
they will meet concurrency for schools in
5 years, the one year test for concurrency
is no longer applicable; 3. If an airport
wants to expand its facilities, they dont
have to worry about the increased traf-
fic on the roads, and therefore, they dont
have to expand the roads. 4. It revises
the formula for calculating proportionate
share, for infrastructure costs, and assures
developers no backlog charge; 5. It allows
development agreements to last from
10 to 20 years maximum; 6. It includes
language for transportation concurrency
backlogs, which would require careful
monitoring to avoid unnecessary roads
and sprawl. Senator Constantine amended
his bill SB2134 and the compromised
bill passed under the number 7203.
HB549: Governor Crist signed Coal
Burning Power Plants/Integrated Gasifica-
tion Combined Cycle (IGCC). We were
the only environmental group speaking
out against this technology. The science is
out on this. The capture and sequestration
of carbon dioxide does not exist. These
coal plants are still coal plants (and we
dont have coal in Florida), and they still
release the famous greenhouse, climate
changing, global heating gas, carbon
dioxide. Thank you to our excellent
Chapter Energy Committee, Chaired byJoy Towles Ezell, from Perry Florida. Her
leadership is inspiring. Sierras mantra is
There is no such thing as Clean Coal.
ENERGY LEGISLATION VETOED
BY GOVERNOR CRIST HB 7123:
After several weeks of testimony and
amendments, the legislative trains fell vic-
tim to several replacement bills (strike ev-
erything after the enacting clause amend-
ments). The resulting legislation was
a hodge-podge which included several
good provisions, and several not-so-good
provisions, but left many policy makingdecisions scattered among disjointed agen-
cies and study commissions. Because of
the lack of comprehensive focus, and the
delay which would result in implementing
significant new policy changes, the Gover-
nor chose to veto the bill and package a set
of reforms in its place.
Some of the good provisions in the ener-
gy bill will need to be part of the ongoing
solution to Floridas energy and climate
change crisis, including:
Tax exemptions for renewable energy
devices; elimination of current disincen-
tives and restrictions against conservation
and energy efficiency in state law; ag-
gressive efficiency and green building
standards for all public facilities through-
out the state, and various reforms involv-
ing solar power, CHP (combined heat &
power/ distributive generation), apublic
benefits fund, net metering, and a state-
wide renewables portfolio.
Sierra Energy activists, and those from
other environmental allies, are working to
keep raising the standards toward Energy
Efficiency and Conservation, as well as
selected alternatives and new clean energy
industries. Solar and other technologies
are now part of our daily advocacy in Si-
erra, as well as in local governments, and
utility planners and policymakers. (PLUG
IN yourself, through our websites andlistserves, so you can become a part of the
new, exciting Sierra programs.)
As written in our letter to the Governor,
responding to the veto, Sierra Club stated,
We understand that the funding for sev-
eral provisions, including incentives for
solar energy and building green schools,
remains in the budget and can continue
without this scrambled legislation. This
legislation was not the way to create a
comprehensive and co-ordinated energy
policy to direct the state in the coming
critical months and years.
If you are not currently subscribed toour online Tallahassee Report, just email
[email protected] and type add
me to the TR into the subject line. Join
our grass roots lobbying program which
is only effective because of volunteers
from around the state. At the beginning
of this 2007 legislative session, the TR
stated, You dont have to be an expert
to let a legislator know which bills and
amendments are important or threatening
to you and your family. They can only
absorb brief messages and will appreci-
ate the difference between your sincere
concerns as a volunteer, and the business-as-usual lobbying of the money-driven
special interests. Call and email and visit
the home offices of as many legislators
as you have timePrint off parts of the
trackerwhich will help you convince the
legislator and/or the legislators staffers, of
the merits or dangers of a particular mea-
sure. You dont have to prove anything,
except your sincerity. Thank you for
the teamwork!
SESSIONFrom Page 5
but withyour help,we can saygoodbye todirty coaland insteadhave aclean, smartenergy future.
NEWSFrom Page 2
When only 4 people (aside from those who were paid to represent the
power companies) spoke in favor of the plant at the recent land use
hearing, with over 60 voicing their firm objections, along with serious
objections raised at the Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing, it
became very obvious that a filthy coal plant is not acceptable in Taylor
County. The PCSs decision denying the Glades coal burner, with the
praise of Governor Crist, was an unmistakable sign that the partner-
ship s coal proposal is in trouble. Florida must move beyond dirty coal
and develop a smart energy plan one that includes solar, wind, and
current power. The Florida Sierra Club looks forward to playing a part
in developing a progressive clean energy plan for the state.
Joy Towles Ezell
Florida Sierra Club Energy Chair
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remain secret. Each joint mem-bership is entitled to two votes.The ballots will contain the state-ment: Ballots must be mailed to:. . . Ballots may not be submittedat the last meeting of the calen-dar year. The ballot will containthe closing date of the electionas the deadline for receiving theballot.Voters shall be eligible if they
are members as of the date ofthe ordering of labels. Labels forthe mailing of The Pelican shallbe handled so that a record ofthe ordered labels is maintained.If a member does not receive aPelican, the membermay submit a ballot with theirmembership information (themembers name, address, mem-
bership number, membershipexpiration date, member signa-ture and an indication whetherthe membership is single or jointmust appear on the tear-off por-tion of the ballot) on the oppositeside of the ballot. The electioncommittee shall check the eligibil-ity of the vote using the record ofthe ordered labels.Petition candidates shall be nom-
inated consistent with the bylawsand the election calendar. Theballots shall contain all committee-nominated and petition candidatesplaced in alphabetical order by lastname, then first name, and thenmiddle name.A minimum of 50 signatures is re-quired to become a petition candi-date. Each petition candidate mustbe on separate forms, not multiplecandidates on a single petition.Petition candidates can fax signedpetition forms to the NominationCommittee chair by establisheddeadline. Within seven days fol-lowing established deadline, theoriginals previously faxed to theNomination Chair, must be re-ceived by the Nomination Chair. Ifall originals for said petition candi-date are not received on deadline,
said petition candidate does notqualify to run for the FLEXCom.Ballots will be mailed to a mem-
ber of the election committeedesignated by the election com-mittee. The Election Committeeshall have representation from atleast three groups.Ballots will be counted prior to
the last FLEXCOM meeting of theyear. Each candidate may ob-serve the counting of the ballotsor send a representative to thecounting. The results of the countwill be made available to all can-didates and posted to the
Chapter Leaders e-mail list assoon as possible following thecount.Both nominating committee can-
didates and petition candidatesfor at-large members of FLEXCOMshall be members of Sierra Clubsince December 31 of the preced-ing year. The membership date
of nominees will be determinedfrom the database available tovolunteers (MUIR), provided thatone exists. The membership chairwill check by name, and if thatfails will request the membershipnumber from the candidate. Themembership chair will then checkby membership number and ZIPcode, by the on-line memberlookup function.Petition signers must be mem-
bers on the date they sign thepetition. Petitions must includethe membership numbers tofacilitate in verifying member-ship. The membership chair shallbe responsible for verifying themembership. Candidates will beallowed to place a statement inthe Pelican that contains the bal-lot. The statement shall be nomore than 125 words in length.Candidate statements shall be re-viewed for accuracy by the nomi-nating committee chair.Campaigning is allowed. Cam-
paign materials shall be so iden-tified. Articles not identified ascampaign materials by or aboutindividual nominees shall not bepublished in group or chapternewsletters, after publication of
nominees and prior to an elec-tion, unless they relate to theordinary performance of theduties of the nominee as a Clubmember. All candidates shall bepermitted an equal opportunityto address Sierra Club meet-ings concerning their campaigns.Any written campaign materialshall be identified by source andshall be circulated to the electioncommittee chair and to all othercandidates with sufficient time topermit candidate response.Club entities shall not endorse
candidates, but Club members,acting on an individual basis andnot acting in an official capacity,shall be permitted to endorse andspeak for a candidate. Newslettereditors shall not be permitted toendorse a candidate in the news-letter. Appointment of FLEXCOMofficers shall take place at the lastFLEXCOM of the year followingthe election committee report .The new at-large members shallhave a vote in the election ofofficers. The outgoing at -largemembers will not have a vote inthe election of officers. The newofficers will take office at the firstFLEXCOM of the next year.
RULESFrom Page 2
Martha Wellman, longtime environmentalistand Sierra Club member,died May 1, 2007. Sheserved on the ExecutiveCommittee of the BigBend Group and heldvarious Chapter positionsof Sierra Club over the
years. Recently she wasthe Groups fundraiserand also held a positionon the National Fundrais-ing Committee. Marthaand her life long partner,Jim Johnson, enjoyedbirding and traveledthroughout the country to
view new birds. In ad-dition to loving the out-doors and birding. Marthaenjoyed swimming, read-ing, and the arts.Memorial contributions
in Marthas name may bemade to the Sierra ClubMemorial Gifts Program,
85 Second Street, 2ndFloor, San Francisco, CA94105. In the memowrite: Martha Wellman,Florida Chapter.If you would like to send
Jim a card: Jim Johnson,3533 Trillium Court, Tal-lahassee, FL 32312.
MARTHA WELLMAN
3300
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wreck society and keep on doing it be-
cause, as Professor Diamond says, they
are typically concentrated (few in number)
and highly motivated by the prospect ofreaping big, certain, and immediate prof-
its, while the losses are spread over large
numbers of individuals.
Bingo. Professor Diamond is explain-
ing Floridas growth machine. Here in
Florida we have a powerful development
elite who control land use politics and,
accordingly, benefit at the expense of the
losers: the citizenry, not to mention whole
ecosystems. Theres so much money at
stake, and all they need is a few votes on
the commission to make the next bundle.
At the end of the day, land use is politics.
Floridians must change the politics of
growth. We must make future growth ac-
countable to the people who must actually
live with the consequences of what hap-
pens. Thats why the Florida Hometown
Democracy Amendment is essential.
We have until the end January, 2008 to
collect 611,000 verified petitions in order
to make the November 08 ballot. We
now have about 400,000 petitions. The
Florida Chamber of Commerce has vowed
to destroy us with a $65,000,000 cam-
paign. Yes, thats millions. The growth
machine will do ANYTHING to defeat
this historic reform, including cranking
up a Trojan horse petition with the name
Florida Growth Management Initiative
Giving Citizens the Right to Decide Lo-
cal Growth Management Plan Changes.
Dont be fooled. As my stepfather used to
say, You arent making progress unless
someones ticked off at you. The growth
machine has mobilized because it knows
that this reform is the real thing.
What must you do? Sign the petition.
Make copies and get friends and fam-
ily to sign if they are registered Florida
voters. Join our email update list at
[email protected]. Visit our web-
site at www.floridahometowndemocracy.
com. Please send a donation. Call us at
866-779-5513 for petitions. Talk with
everyone about the petition. Many Sier-
rans have not yet signed the peititon. If
you are a registered Florida voter, there is
no excuse. Act now. This chance to save
Florida from another 50 years of devel-
oper ruin will not come again.
Lesley Blackner is a member of Sierra
Club and the President of Florida Home-
town Democracy.
UPDATEFrom Page 2
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Page 10
Editor: Ashlie Hood
Published by the Florida Chapter of the SierraClub, 319 E. Park Avenue, Tallahassee FL.32301
Address all inquiries to:Florida Chapter PO Box 10705Tallahassee FL 32302
The Pelican is mailed three times per yearto members of Sierra Club in the state ofFlorida. Annual membership dues include$1.00 for the chapter newsletter.
Send address changes to:Sierra Club Member ServicesPO Box 52968Boulder CO 80322-2968or e-mail:[email protected].
Send articles (in Microsoft Word format viae-mail) and requests for advertising rates
to the Pelican Committee:
Betsy Roberts: [email protected] Glenn: [email protected] Orr: [email protected] Shaffer: [email protected]
Articles may be edited by the committeefor space and clarity.
Next deadline: August 24, 2007
THE PELICAN VOL. 39, NO. 2
PELICAN SUMMARY OF 06 ELECTIONS
Dan HendricksonMember Florida Chapter
Political Committee
Florida Sierrans endorsed
& campaigned for dozens of
victorious political candidates
in the fall elections, includ-
ing Congressional, legislative
& local officials. Political
committees in virtually every
group around the state were
active in interviewing &
endorsing candidates dur-
ing the months leading up to
the November elections. In
federal races, Sierra endorsed
the successful Bill Nelson
reelection campaign, as well
as two successful new Con-
gressional Representatives,
Ron Klein and Kathy Castor,
in House Districts 22 and 11
(Kathy is a Sierra member);
we lost two other open seats,
vs Bilirakis in D. 9 & the still
contested D13 seat where
Christine Jennings came up
only a few hundred short amid
unexplainable undervoting in
her best precincts.
At the State level, Sierra was
3-0 in our endorsed Senate
candidates: Congratulate new
senators Charlie Justice, Arthe-
nia Joyner and Ted Deutch.
In the State House, we won 8
endorsed races, plus various
incumbents who ended up with
no serious opposition (at all
levels of elected office). Ten of
our endorsed challengers lost
in House races. Our endors-
ees lost both the governor &
attorney general races, and we
lost the vote over constitu-
tional amendment 3 which we
opposed because it will seri-
ously limit citizens rights tochange the state constitution in
the future. In September, our
endorsed candidates for Gov-
ernor won both political party
primariesJim Davis for the
Democrats and now Governor
Charlie Crist, Republican, a
Sierra member whose leader-
ship and appointments have
already been a welcome change
in Florida policymaking.
Locally, Sierrans won key
victories, which have now
given us majorities in some
local commissions!
The new Greater Charlotte
Harbor Group won their first
two endorsements ever. In
Wakulla County, we helped
win two hotly contested races,
including reelection for Com-
missioner and Sierra member
Howard Kessler. Big Bend,
Northeast, Loxahatchee and
other groups won key races,
and Sierra activists supported
and helped win local ballot
measures in all ends of the
state.To plug in to this next two
year cycle of electoral activi-
ty, contact your local political
committee, Excom members
or Chapter Political Com-
mittee members Curt Levine
(Chair), Karen Orr (Vice
Chair), John Koch, Betsy
Roberts, Dan Hendrickson or
new committee member Karl
Nurse.
Sierrans help win elections around the state
Nuclear Power is not the
Answer to Climate Change
Mark OncavageSierra Club Radiation Committee
The need to reduce green-
house gases has become
apparent, as CO2 satura-
tion of the atmosphere andoceans continues to increase.
Unfortunately, mankind has
not learned how to contain
wastes generated by either
fossil or nuclear power
plants. Adding new nuclear
reactors will not reduce
CO2 emissions. Adding new
nuclear reactors will create
many new liabilities without
achieving any climate change
benefits.
The problems created by
switching to nuclear en-ergy include environmental,
health, reliability, cost, and
security risks.
One of the main problems
in increased use of this form
of energy is the disposal of
its highly radioactive waste.
Onsite storage puts reactor
wastes at dangerous loca-
tions. Many sites are adja-
cent to public water supply
sources. Many are adjacent to
food producing areas. Many
are in hurricane, tornado,
earthquake, and flood zones.
Many are near large popula-
tion centers. Added to this
is increased security risks.
Nuclear reactors and their
waste storage facilities are
avowed targets of terrorists.This type of waste remains
toxic for a very long time.
For example, the EPA pro-
posed a compliance period
for radioactive leaks at the
Yucca Mountain storage site
for 10,000 years. Scientists
from the National Academy
of Sciences testified that peak
radiation at Yucca Mountain
would not occur for hundreds
of thousands of years. The
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
then ruled that the compli-ance period for leakage at
Yucca Mountain will be
1,000,000 years!
This is a very expensive
form of energy. Cost over-
runs, defaults, cancellations,
abandoned projects, and other
costs devastated the early
construction boom of the
nuclear industry. The Three
Mile Island accident in 1978
SeeANSWER on Page 11
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Page 11
was the final blow. No
new nuclear reactors have
been ordered in the United
States since 1978.
Duke Energy-Carolinashas asked the North Caro-
lina Utilities Commission
to recover $125 million in
development costs even
before the companys deci-
sion to build a new nuclear
reactor is made.
Nor is it reliable. During
the heat wave of 2004, re-
actors in France, Germany,
and Spain had to reduce
electrical generation and/or
shut down nuclear op-
erations due to insufficient
cooling capacity. Nuclear
electricity may be unreli-
able when needed the
most.
Nuclear energy does
little to reduce greenhouse
gases. The United States is
the worlds biggest emitter
of greenhouse gases. Add-
ing any type of electrical
generation does not reduce
the amount of greenhouse
gases being generated un-less fossil fueled plants are
shut down or the gases are
sequestered. Large genera-
tors of electricity own both
coal burning and nuclear
plants. These companies
may not be willing shut
down their coal-burning
plants to prevent climate
change.
Rather than looking a
nuclear solution to global
warming, efficiency and
conservation programs cansuccessfully reduce electric
demand and greenhouse
gas emissions.
ANSWERFrom Page 10
Betsy Roberts
Chapter Chair and
Susie Caplowe
Chapter Legislative Affairs
The Florida Legislature created the Gov-
ernors Commission on Volunteerism and
Community Service in 1994 to pass through
and administer federal grants to the Florida
AmeriCorps and
National Service pro-
grams.
The commissions
mission also encour-
ages citizen volunteer-
ism and promotes
volunteerism fordisaster preparedness
and response. Sierra
Club Florida com-
mends Governor Crist
for this initiative that
expands the commissions mission to include
environmental concerns. The commission
is developing a new initiative appropriately
named Serve to Preserve Florida.
The essence of this new project is to engage
Floridians in all aspects of preserving Flori-
das environment. The organization will func-
tion like a clearinghouse for local and state
activities that need help with projects such as
coastal cleanup, tabling events, exotic plant
removal along water ways or hiking paths and
trail maintenance. The purpose of the Gover-
nors initiative is to encourage citizens to get
involved and volunteer, not just environmen-
tal activists. This effort will help expand the
environmental volunteer base by providing
information that will enable all Floridians to
participate in the initiative.
What a difference an administration
makes!
The Sierra Club feels that most of Governor
Crists agency appointments have beenexcellent, and give a stronger voice to the
environment. And the Governor has elevated
the importance of the environment through
his recognition that global warming is real
and to emphasis this, they have been orga-
nizing a Global Climate Summit to be held
in Miami on July 12-13, 2007 . Governor
Schwarzenegger and Robert Kennedy, Jr will
be keynote speakers.
To register go to: http://www.myfloridacli-
mate.com/
Governor Crists new Serve to
Preserve Florida Volunteer Florida
Gov. Charlie Crist
By Betsy RobertsChapter Chair
Those of us lucky enough to at-
tend the LDP (leadership develop-
ment project) have now complet-
ed the year long pioneer project.
We should give a great big thank
you to Dan Hendrickson for our
involvement. He worked very
hard to educate participants on
the advantage of being one of the
first chapters participating (along
with one California chapter and
the chapters in Washington state
and New Mexico). The LDP grew
out of the NPLA survey (a.k.a.
the Harvard Study) many of
us took a few years ago, asking
us many questions about our in-
volvement and interests at group
and chapter levels of Sierra.
Multiple members from Big
Bend, Northeast, Suncoast, Volu-
sia-Flagler, Tampa Bay, Manatee-
Sarasota, Northwest and CentralFlorida groups, and representa-
tives from several other groups,
as well as our elected chapter
leaders joined national trainers
Marshal Ganz, Ruth Wageman,
Greg Casini, Liz Pallato, Joan
Willey and other instructors
from other chapters. We met 4
weekends in different locations
from May 2006 to May 2007.
Each group had their own leader
and stayed together throughout
the workshops. The dynamics
changed when one member was
missing or another was added.
Some ongoing coaching and
planning and problem-solving
was available in between the
actual training sessions.
Most of the Sierra Leaders have
attended numerous trainings
over the years but this was a
completely different approach.
The workshops began on Friday
nights and ended Sunday after-
noons.There was a lot of talking
and laughing.The weekends were
very interactive and non-judg-
mental, so we felt free to express
ourselves. We learned how to
effectively engage and keep
activists and leaders, through
our stories, personal approaches,
changes in meeting agendas, and
other skilled approaches.
The first weekend workshop
was introductory and we learned
about relationships and their
importance in motivating others.
We began with telling our story
and how important the personal
touch is with encouraging othersto become involved. There were
readings to assist in observing
how others throughout history
have engaged and motivated, us-
ing their unique leadership skills.
The second workshop built on
the first and focused on building
the community; instead of telling
just a personal story, we told our
public story to motivate others.
Throughout, the importance of
relationships and getting to really
know those we are working with
and hoping to engage was appar-
ent. We did some readings and
continued our interactions with
the others in the group.
In the third workshop, we con-
tinued to grow and build on what
we have learned from the previ-
ous workshops. Now that we have
engaged these wonderful activists
and leaders, we worked on getting
the structure of our team in place.
Our stories turned to the Story
of Now, what we chose and the
methods used to get to the choice.
We found that celebrating is an
important aspect of the story.
Leadership Development Programboosts Florida Chapter Sierra Club
SAVE THE DATE
Dont miss this Falls
Florida Chapter Conser-
vation Conference, to
be held Friday-Sunday,
November 2-4.
Well feature programs
and discussions on Flori-
das environmental chal-
Fall 2007
Conference
November2-4
SeeDATE on Page 12 SeePROGRAMon Page 12
Celebrating honorsour successes andthe participants ofthe success or fail-ure, if that be thecase. To succeedmore, we learnedhow important
strategy is, notjust having a goal,but the path toachieve that goal.The importance of
sharing the goal isvital to the successand therefore it isimportant to deter-mine that all par-ticipants are on the
same page.
-
8/9/2019 Summer 2007 Pelican Newsletter, Florida Sierra Club
12/12
Celebrating honors our successes and the
participants of the success or failure, if that
be the case. To succeed more, we learned how
important strategy is, not just having a goal,
but the path to achieve that goal. The impor-
tance of sharing the goal is vital to the success
and therefore it is important to determine that
all participants are on the same page.
Our final workshop was sad in a way: it
would be sad to not see the same friends and
share ideas and laughter with them at the
workshops; but graduation is always a move
forward. Again, we used the lessons from the
previous workshops to determine our time-
lines, commitment and accountability. As in
all the workshops, we broke into our working
groups and reported back for input and ap-
plause. We made norms for our groups, such
as being respectful and not going overtime,
and came up with a real plan for our team to
use back home. This could be as simple as
changing a meeting agenda, or more difficult
such as using a more interactive approach to
planning a red tide campaign.
I have been around Sierra for a number of
years and held many positions. I found the
approach we learned at LDP very helpful and
easily usable. Hopefully, you will continue to
see the results of this intense experience for
the thirty-some of us who were able to take
advantage of the opportunity!
PROGRAMFrom Page 11
lenges such as: Energy, Global Warming,
Growth, Public Lands and Wildlife, as
well as training sessions and outings.
The Conference will be at beautiful Pine
Lake Retreat in central Florida. Pine Lake
Retreat is located on U.S. Hwy. 27 just
south of Leesburg and the Florida Turn-
pike.
Housing options include chalets, lodges
and tent camping.
The cafeteria has great food and the
meeting rooms are spacious and fully
equipped. The camp is loaded with activi-
ties and sports fun for the whole fam-
ily.
So mark your calendar now for this
weekend of learning, sharing and fun.
More details and a registration form will
be in the next Pelican. Check out www.
pinelakeretreat.com for more information
on Pine Lake. Get in touch with Ben
at [email protected] (850) 297-2052 if
you have any questions or if you have any
DATEFrom Page 11
Yes, I remember that fund appealletter from the Florida Chapter of the
Sierra Club. That was back in March
and I didnt respond right away. Just
put it aside so I could get to it later.
Well, now its later and I cant findit.
Is this you, too? Well, you can
still contribute to one or both of our
funds:
Florida Chapter General Fund. This
is not tax-deductible because funds
support our effective advocacy and
lobbying efforts.
Florida Chapter Political Commit-
tee (PAC). This is not tax-deduct-
ible because this money is used for
political
activities.
Write a separate check for each
fund and make it payable to the spe-
cific fund. Include your full name,
address, ZIP code and phone num-
ber. If your political contribution
exceeds $100, you must also includeyour occupation.
Send to:
Florida Sierra Fund
c/o Don S. Lieb
21 Kingsbridge Crossing Drive
Ormond Beach FL 32174
If you have already sent in a dona-
tion, we thank you for
your support!
Chapter Fund Appeal Its
Not Too Late To Donate
Florida Chapter Sierra ClubThe PelicanPO Box 10705Tallahassee, FL 32302
NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDTallahassee, FLModern Mailers
Permit 236
FLORIDA CHAPTER,
AWARDS PROGRAM
Volunteers are essential to
the work of the Sierra Club.
Florida Sierra Club would
like to say thank you and
recognize these volunteers
through the honors and
awards program. The dead-
line for submission of nomi-
nations is July 27 and the
awards are presented at the
Chapters annual Conserva-
tion Conference in Novem-
ber. To see the list of awards
and nominate someone go
to: http://florida.sierraclub.
org/awards.asp
If you have questions,
please contact Mary-
Slater Linn, chair of the
Awards Committee at
[email protected] or 407-
481-4398.
NOMINATIONS NEEDED FOR SIERRA CLUB HONORS AND AWARDS