Hello everybody, I created this online forum so its easier for activists like you to express you concern, voice your opinion, organize your thoughts and define an issue agenda for the enviromental battles that you want to engage in.

As a fisrt objective I want you all to define what are the 2 most important isssues at hand. What are the names of the bills, and who has to be contacted to make a difference.

Good luck on your battles!

Keep me posted.

Azur Moulaert

-- Azur Moulaert (azur@edf.org), April 26, 2000

Answers

Thanks Azur

This is the basic E-mail to send to Florida Legislators to stop bad bills being passed now.

George Jeffrey

From our site: =======================================

E-Mail Florida Legislature =========================

This page is written ASCII so that it will keep margins when you copy it into your E-Mail to Florida Legislators. This page: http://sites.netscape.net/georgecjeffrey/email

The general homepage for Florida bad bills has links to Florida Legislator E-mail addresses and telephone numbers: http://sites.netscape.net/georgecjeffrey/badbills

Florida Bills Discussion Forum: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=FLAction

Typical E-mail: ===========================

To: Florida Legislators

We oppose the large number of anti- health, anti-safety and anti-environment bills and bill sections in this year 2000 Florida Legislature.

We do not want mega hog farms and toxic waste in our backyard in a tourist state.

We want polluter to pay for their damage.

1. An example combination of bad bills to allow mega hog farming is:

SB 1848, SB 1904 & HB 2237 Right to farm in nasty ways SB 2556 Reduce citizens' ability to stop permitting. SB 306 & HB 135 Weakend bill; to protect free speech on issue.

2. The following bad bills will restrict the poor and middle class from free movement into tidal mashes for fishing. These bill will allow landowners and paper mills to install dykes and fill in sensative habitats. These bills will result in lawsuits expensive to the taxpayer.

SB 1824 & HB 1807 Submerged Land grab. SB 306 & HB 135 Weakend bill; to protect free speech on issue. SB 2556 Reduce citizens' ability to stop permitting.

3. Farmers are to be not responsible for toxic chemicals if they follow the label.' History has shown this to be a bad idea.

Horrible amendment was added that gives cleanup immunity to corporate polluters who use pesticides on crops and golf courses simply because they "follow the label."

This means that they are not responsible for the price of cleanup when soil or water becomes contaminated.

HB 2209 & HB 2237 Right to pollute without cost clauses SB 1848, SB 1904 & HB 2237 Right to farm in nasty ways SB 306 & HB 135 Weakend bill; to protect free speech on issue. SB 2556 Reduce citizens' ability to stop permitting.

Additionally 4. Florida lacks a practical legal environment to properly ensure that HMO's pay for detox procedures and other required medicare testing/care for patients who are exposed to toxic chemicals.

The current bills increase the current legal situation of releasing polluters from paying for health care for toxics induced problems.

Then who pays for these health care cases?....the taxpayer or the victim dies without health care.

HB 2209 & HB 2237 Right to pollute without cost clauses SB 1848, SB 1904 & HB 2237 Right to farm in nasty ways SB 306 & HB 135 Weakend bill; to protect free speech on issue. SB 2556 Reduce citizens' ability to stop permitting.

I also oppose delays/inaction on good bills.

The following is a sample list.

Your name

Senate:

Ken Wright appointment Environmental Regulatory Commission... Bad

SB 306 Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), ...watered down

SB 758 Growth Management, "Grow Smart" Council; keep this bill strong... Good

SB 894 Save our Everglades Trust Fund, details to be checked ....Good

SB 1022 Southern Water Use by Sen. Campbell (antithesis of SB 1698)... Good

SB 1406 Brown fields, Pave over that toxic waste, do not clean up.... Bad

SB 1408 Brown fields, Pave over that toxic waste, do not clean up.... Bad

SB 1474 Exemption from permitting; removal of manatee grass...Bad

SB 1693 Clean water .....not yet rated

SB 1698 Southern Water Use Caution Area by Rep. Alexander ....Bad

SB 1710 Forever Florida "Glitch" Support certain amendments; delayed... Good

SB 1824 Sovereignty Submerged Lands Bill ...Bad (passed Senate)

SB 1848 Right to Farm in any way without local control, nasty ways ...Bad Right to Farm Section (Section mirrored in 3 bills) ...All Bad

SB 1896 Clean Air degradation ....Bad

SB 1904 Right to Farm in any way without local control, nasty ways ...Bad (Added to Depart. Of Agriculture Bill)

SB 1976 Rodman Reservoir Recreation Area; no restoration of springs... Bad

SB 2020 Electric Energy Study Commission, stacked against Alt. energy Bad

SB 2140 Demineralization: Aquifer Storage and Recovery Amendment Bad

SB 2162 Mitigation Banking, just released...not yet rated.

SB 2476 Private Property Rights, destroy sensative habitats ...Bad

SB 2494 Study of bad health care in Florida....Good

SB 2556 Anti-Citizen Participation in permitting ...Bad

Florida House:

HB 135 Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), ..... watered down

HB 139 Gut the 1985 Growth Management Act ...Bad

HB 167 Exemption from permitting; removal of manatee grass...Bad

HB 221 Everglades Bill, funding questions but still ...Good

HB 659 Private Property Rights, prevents local govt establish "parks" ...Bad

HB 991 Lake Okeechobee (very polluted lake)....not yet rated

HB1599 Rodman Reservoir Recreation Area; no restoration of springs... Bad

HB 1753 Exempts citrus plants from clean air standards...Bad

HB 1757 Aquifer Storage & Recovery Amendment, Demin. waste disposal Bad

HB 1807 Sovereignty Submerged Lands ....Bad

HB 1951 Rural Development ...Bad?

HB 1957 Save our Everglades Trust Fund, details to be checked ....Good

HB 2209 Cleanup immunity for polluters....Bad Right to pollute without cost clauses

HB 2023 Anti-Citizen; loss of participation in permitting. ...Bad

HB 2237 Right to Farm in any way without local control, nasty ways ...Bad And cleanup immunity for polluters....Bad

HB 2335 Growth Management; Private Property Rights"Grow Smart" Council Provisions ... Bad

HB 2355 Brown fields, Pave over that toxic waste, do not clean up.... Bad

HB 2365 Wetlands Mitigation, details to be checked...

WRM PCB 00-07 Public water (by Alexander) ...Bad

For general questions about this site or to travel to Tallahassee Florida about these bills, contact: georgecjeffrey@juno.com

-- George C. Jeffrey (georgecjeffrey@juno.com), April 27, 2000.