WalMart to Be Built on Florida Rain Forest Land

The Miami Herald reports that the University of Miami has come to an agreement with Ram to develop 40 acres of a rain forest preserve. The land will be used for a Walmart, LA Fitness center, Chik-fil-A, Chili’s restaurants and other box retail stores. Needless to say, environmentalists are not happy.

“You wonder how things end up being endangered? This is how. This is bad policy and bad enforcement. And shame on UM,” said attorney Dennis Olle, a board member of Tropical Audubon and the North American Butterfly Association, who wrote to Florida’s lead federal wildlife agent Friday demanding an investigation.

The proposed land for development contains many endangered plants and species. Conservationists were sent in last month to rescue plants and other rare life. They found more than what they bargained for.

To their surprise, rescuers picking their way through the forest in June and earlier this month found a trove of rare plants outside land staked off for preservation, including the tiny, endangered polygala smallii, a small flowering herb. They also spotted rare butterflies, including the Bartram’s hairstreak, one of the butterflies expected to be named to the endangered species list this summer, and the Atala hairstreak, which almost went extinct in the middle of the 20th century.

Environmental protection is next to nonexistent under the Rick Scott administration. The oil industry wants to drill in the Everglades. Even the environmentally unfriendly Jeb Bush was never that bold.

Guacapocalypse Now: Chipotle Warns Investors of Climate Change

Chipotle Inc. has warned investors that climate change may change the ingredients of items on its menu.

“Increasing weather volatility or other long-term changes in global weather patterns, including any changes associated with global climate change, could have a significant impact on the price or availability of some of our ingredients,” the popular chain, whose Sofritas vegan tofu dish recently went national, said in its annual report released last month. “In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients.”

Chipotle fans can take heart. There is no looming guacamole crisis. Side note: I never thought I would type that last sentence.

But there's no reason for Chipotle fans to panic, says company spokesman Chris Arnold. He tells us that the warning included in the SEC filing is just a routine disclosure of risk factors that could impact business.

"There is no looming 'guacapocalypse' and I wouldn't read too much into this," Arnold tells The Salt in an email.

Chipotle Inc. has been committed to green business policies. The Chipotle restaurants in your area buy produce from local organic farmers. In Tampa, Chipotle has teamed up with Truck Farm Tampa to educate people on organic food. You can learn more about Truck Farm Tampa by contacting visiting www.truckfarmtampa.com.

Lawrence Summers Blast From the Past

This is the letter Lawrence Summers wrote about the financial benefits of more pollution. Summers penned this disaster when he was the chief economist of the World Bank. Clink the image to enlarge.

19 Year Old Teen Rides Whale Shark

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

I strongly do not recommend anyone trying this. Chris Kreis, spotted a whale shark swimming beside the boat he was on. He decided to dive in and rode on the fin of the shark. Whale sharks weigh 50 tons and can eat a human being in one gulp.

Whale sharks are rarely seen by humans. Kreis explains this is the reason he dived off the boat.

"It went through my mind, yeah, I might not be able ever to do it again," Kreis told NBC. "So I did it. It was incredible."

I have no doubt that it was an incredible experience and I'm willing to cut Kreis some slack because of his age. But people, don't swim with whale sharks. They aren't pets.

Earth Day: Who Wants to Eat Mutant Shrimp?

It be be years before we will know the full extent of the damage of the Gulf Coast oil spill. Republicans in the House of Representatives and Obama administration appointee Ken Feinberg have done nothing to speed up the payment process BP fines being used for clean-up. We are now finding mutant fish (pictured above) and eyeless fish in the Gulf. Oil is still washing up on the Louisiana coast. This travesty is allowed to continue because BP America contributes to the campaigns of both political parties.

Daily Kos is running a petition with the mutant shrimp photo. The petition will be sent to Speaker John Boehner's office.

To Speaker John Boehner:

It is time for the House of Representatives to join the Senate in passing legislation mandating that fines paid by BP go toward clean up and restoration of the Gulf Coast.

Amen.

Happy Earth Day

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner has some tips on how to save energy and water.

* Switch to paperless billing and join the mail opt-out list to eliminate unsolicited mailings and reduce paper use. Visit the Federal Trade Commission website. * Leave reusable grocery bags in the car so they are handy when you go shopping and you can reduce the use of plastic bags. * Switch your ceiling fan direction to clockwise in the warmer months and counterclockwise in the cooler months to distribute the warm and cool air where it is needed and reduce your energy consumption. For more energy tips visit HERE.

Green options for you to consider:

* Installing a water-saving shower head * Converting to energy efficient light bulbs for your home * Recycling- set up curbside pick up * Making consumer choices that reduce waste * Volunteering to clean our beaches, roadways and parks

The USF Botanical Gardens will hold an Earth Day event today.

Happy Earth Day.

Profile in Courage: Marco Rubio

It is getting harder for Sen. Marco Rubio to defend his opposition to the Dream Act. Felipe Matos pens a must-read op-ed detailing Rubio's hypocrisy.

Trying to cover over your anti-immigrant opposition to the DREAM Act, your support for Arizona's racist SB-1070 and other anti-Latino legislation by meeting with one DREAM Act student is cynical and manipulative. As many parents say, "You can't cover the sun with one finger," Mr. Rubio. The majority of Latinos in the United States support the DREAM Act and you don't. I would be ashamed of myself if I was a child of immigrants who supported anti-immigrant legislation and opposed the DREAM Act and other pro-Latino legislation. Ashamed.

Rubio's concern is staying in public office. Rubio may be viewed as a tea party spokesman. The truth is Rubio is a career politician. Rubio has served in government since the nineties. Politicians that stay in the game that long are not couragious. A few emamples.

Rubio ran from his support of the PIPA legislation after the internet blackout protest.

In 2010, Rubio backed BP paying into a restoration fund. Now that the BP spill is out of the news, Rubio feels safe to protect oil interests. Rubio claims that BP paying for the damage.

"It's unfortunate to see a good idea to help people along the Gulf Coast be turned into another Washington tax-and-spend feeding frenzy," Rubio said.

Rubio talks about policy with the depth of Frank Luntz talking points. The good Senator wants you to believe that BP paying for the damage it caused to Florida's beaches is a "tax and spend frenzy." Mr. Rubio, do you know who will pay for the restoration of Gulf Coast beaches, if BP doesn't pay? The taxpayers whom live on the Gulf Coast.

Dumbass Burns Down Tree 'Older Than Jesus'

Seminole County, Florida. Sarah Barnes, 26-year-old burned down a 3,500 year-old cypress tree. Barnes and a friend were smoking methamphetamine inside the tree and started the fire. It wasn't hard for law enforcement to catch Barnes. She recorded the fire on her cell phone and told friends, "I can't believe I burned down a tree older then Jesus." Neither can I.

WFTV has a video story. The tree was the fifth oldest tree in the world. Barnes lit the fire because she wanted light.

Michele Bachmann Supports Everglades Drilling

Transcript:

"The United States needs to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy and more dependent upon American resourcefulness. Whether that is in the Everglades, or whether that is in the eastern Gulf region, or whether that's in North Dakota, we need to go where the energy is," she said. "Of course it needs to be done responsibly. If we can't responsibly access energy in the Everglades then we shouldn't do it.

"From there, though, that doesn't mean that the two have to be mutually exclusive. We can protect the environment and do so responsibly, but we can also protect the environment and not kill jobs in America and not deny ourselves access to the energy resources that America's been so blessed with."

The reporter should ask Bachmann to explain how that oil wells could be build in the Everglades without affecting the water or ecosystem. Roads and shipping docks will have to be built to transport the oil. How could that be done without damaging the wetlands. The state of Florida bought land from U.S. Sugar to restore the wetlands. Bachmann's proposal runs counter to years of Florida environmental policy.

Update: Sen. Bill Nelson responds to Bachmann's Everglades position.

"We don't need to be drilling for oil and gas in the middle of the Everglades," he said. "There is a 150-year supply of natural gas on land in non-environmentally sensitive areas from Louisiana to New York. So to go in the middle of the Everglades and to spoil the river of grass just because somebody wants to, that's not a wise thing to do."

The Tea Party Emails Bill Nelson

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack awarded $100 million to Florida for Everglades restoration. This sent tea party activist "The Rogue Patriot" into a tizzy. Mr. Patriot sent an email to Sen. Bill Nelson voicing his displeasure over "Communist horsecrap" plan by "the United Nations" to spread their "collective Marxist Agenda."

Hilarity ensues under the fold.

Read more »

John Mica Hearts Water Pollution

Rep. John Mica is the sponsor of the Clean Water for Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011. What the bill does is strips the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate clean water standards. Mica is doing this under the pretense of state rights.

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to preserve the authority of each State to make determinations relating to the State’s water quality standards, and for other purposes.

Clean Water for Cooperative Federalism Act passed in the House of Representatives.

As it is written, the bill would roll back several provisions of the Clean Water Act, and essentially bans the EPA from noting whether or not a proposed project would be detrimental to lakes, streams or wetlands. The bill would also significantly impact the agency’s ability to comment on federal permits affecting water quality or public health.

Mica's bill will probably never get a vote. I don't say that because I am confident that Senate Democrats will stand up for environmental rights. The current Senate is so dysfunctional that nothing gets passed. Even when there is bipartisan consensus, Sen. Jim DeMint will place a hold on a bill.

Mica's bill does point out how radical the Republican Party has become on environmental protection. The GOP is no longer the conservationist party of Teddy Roosevelt.

Friday Cat Blogging

There are only 400 Sumatran tigers left on the planet. WWF is one of the organizations trying to save the habitats of these tigers.

It is estimated that only around 400 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild. The Sumatran tiger and the other five surviving tiger subspecies – the Amur, Malayan, Bengal, Indochinese and South China – number as few as 3,200, compared to 100,000 a century ago. WWF is working to build the political, financial and public support to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.

Charlie Crist's Left Turn

Former Gov. Charlie Crist continues is swift to the Left. Crist recently spoke at the St. Petersburg Hands Across the Sand event. The goal of Hands Across the Sand is to prevent oil drilling off the coast of Florida.

Electric Car Stations Coming to Tampa

The Hillsborough County Commission approved the building of ten commercial electric car charging stations in the county. Commissioner Mark Sharpe explained that it will help boost businesses.

"We've got a number of Tampa Bay businesses that are going to be investing in electric cars and selling them, but they want to make sure that before they start selling electric cars, we've got the stations in place. The people that buy the cars want to know that there's accessibility to stations, so it requires everyone working together," said Sharpe. "This is a great opportunity for the business community to benefit."

The environment will also benefit.

A Win For Florida's Environment

Gov. Rick Scott fought against the EPA clean water standards for the Everglades. U.S. District Judge Alan Gold has taken away Florida's right to handout pollution discharge permits and given the right to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gold's ruling comes down hard against Florida.

"Protection of the Everglades requires a major commitment which cannot be simply pushed aside in the face of financial hardships, political opposition, or other excuses," Gold wrote. "These obstacles will always exist, but the Everglades will not — especially if the protracted pace of preservation efforts continues at the current pace."

Gold was not pleased with Scott fight to allow more phosphorus in the water.

As further proof of the state's resistance to EPA water quality standards, Gold cited Gov. Scott's recent instructions to the DEP to petition the EPA to rescind its limits on nutrients in Florida waters - basically limits on how much phosphorus, mostly from farm runoff, is allowed in Florida waters.

Gold noted an executive order signed by Scott in January, which suspends all rule-making by state agencies, would likely hamper the state environmental agency's ability to create rules to enforce water quality standards.

It appears the federal government will have to step in to enforce clean water regulations. What I like to know is how does Rick Scott think allowing more phosphorus into the water will create new jobs? Is Scott aware phosphorus is used to make nerve agents?

Scott & Bondi Really Heart BP

I predicted that Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi would not sue BP. Turns out my presiction is correct. The Buzz Bondi will let the Wednesday deadline to file a lawsuit against Transocean pass.

Scott is still talking like litigation is still a possibility. Let's make this clear. Scott has no interest in suing Transocean or BP. Apparently, the interests of Transocean are more important than the financial and environmental damage done to Florida. Transocean is not strapped for cash. The executives awarded themselves bonueses for safety. Never mind that workers were killed on the Deep Horizon rig.

Fact: Scott and Bondi have appointed no attorney to handle legal action against BP or Transocean. Attorney Steve Yerrid was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to handle litigation. Yerrid was let go when his term expired. Yerrid emailed Scott three times and never received a response. Bondi's office never asked for documents from Yerrid.

Scott and Bondi are going to let a billion dollars slip away. Do you really believe they are no the side of Floridians?

Bonuses at Transocean

Transocean is the owner of the Deep Horizon oil rig. 13 workers on the Deep Horizon rig were killed. Millions of barrels of oil were killed. Wild life died because of the environmental damage. Coastal tourism declined because of tourists staying away from Florida. Which means it is time for Transocean to award its top five executives with safety bonuses.

A table in the SEC filing shows bonuses awarded to Steven Newman, Ricardo Rosa, Eric Brown,Arnaud A.Y. Bobillier, Ihab M. Toma and Cheryl Richard. Transocean tells the SEC if you forget that pesky Deep Horizon explosion, it was a great year for safety.

notwithstanding the tragic loss of life in the Gulf of Mexico, we achieved an exemplary statistical safety record as measured by our total recordable incident rate ("TRIR") and total potential severity rate ("TPSR"). As measured by these standards, we recorded the best year in safety performance in our Company's history, which is a reflection on our commitment to achieving an incident free environment, all the time, everywhere.

The executives are also getting a raise for a job well done. One can not live on corporate bonus money alone.

Mr. Newman - $900,000

Mr. Rosa(1) - $450,000

Mr. Brown - $468,000

Mr. Bobillier(1) - $392,000

Ms. Richard - $355,000


This brings failing upwardly to a new level.

Jim Norman Hates Clean Air

In 2009, ESPN did an investigative story on air quality in ice hockey rinks. ESPN found that nearly 200 people got sick from breathing in carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide or ultrafine particles. One of the rinks that had problems was Tampa Bay Skating Academy.

One of those rinks was in Tampa, Fla., where the East Lake High School hockey team took the ice in January for a practice at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy. Players struggled to breathe during practice and as the night wore on, their symptoms worsened.

"I was playing normal, and then halfway through practice, my chest started feeling weird," said East Lake player Alex Miller. "I had trouble breathing."

Ice-resurfacing machines that run either on propane or natural gas are safe when properly maintained. But poorly maintained machines can release high levels of emissions that are even more dangerous in rinks with poor ventilation.

Florida Sen. Mike Fasano has proposed SB 202. The legislation would allow local government to check rinks that have reported respiratory problems. Sen. Jim Norman is attempting to kill the bill.

Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, said no. Norman worried it could affect large private entities like the St. Pete Times Forum: "Our mission is to have less government. I don't want to have more government."

Fasano said he did not envision the bill being an issue for large arenas like the Times Forum, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He suspects the arena tests its ice frequently. "You know me, I'm a hockey fan," he said, "so I'm at the games as many times as possible. I don't go away (from) there feeling numb or faint."

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, owns an ice-skating rink in Ellenton. He jumped to the bill's defense, saying air-quality tests are inexpensive and rink owners wouldn't mind inspections after the Oldsmar incident. "As an owner of an ice skating rink, I would be supportive of this bill," he said.

Norman can only think in "less government" slogans. It is bad when Mike Bennett is to the left of Norman.

Bill McCollum's Anti-Global Warming Movie

Outgoing Attorney General Bill McCollum sent a memo out to Florida Cabinet members Charlie Crist, Alex Sink and Charles Bronson disputing the science of global warming. McCollum urged his fellow a pseudo-documentary called The Great Global Warming Swindle. The director According to the The Buzz, Martin Durkin is a Marxist. Below is the trailer.



Some of the experts Durkin interviews are a hoot. Piers Corbyn is a meteorologist and owner of Weather Action. WA makes forecasts a year in advance. WA went on the stock market. Corbyn allowed people to place bets on the weather. Bad move.

Weather Action - one of the unlikelier stock market debutantes of recent years - is to take shelter in private ownership once more after a two-year buffeting of the sort that would normally merit a warning to shipping.

The forecasting service is selling its PLC status as a "shell" for £273,540 minus the £1 that founder Piers Corbyn will pay to get back his unorthodox weather bureau.

In a final twist to the Weather Action story, the shares - which had slumped from the 79p issue price to 24p - rocketed 370% to close at 90p once it was announced yesterday that Weather Action would no longer own, er, Weather Action.

Asked if he was hurt, Mr Corbyn replied: "Yes and no."

Professor Ian Clark has been involved with the think tank the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The think tank is funded by Texaco, Inc, Amoco Foundation, Inc. and a host of other environmentally unfriendly corporations.

Professor Bill Ball has worked for the Natural Resource Stewardship Project and The Friends of Science. Last time I blogged about the former, the NRSP didn't have their web site up. That is still the case. A University of Calgary found auditor report found the Friends of Science do not conduct scientific research.

Barry Cooper solicited research money from the University of Calgary. The auditor report FoS Science was using funding to run political and anti-global warming ads. FoS told potential donors that they could get a tax right off by donating through the University of Calgary. The school sent a cease and desist letter to FoS. The audit report could not conclude if the research done by FoS with U of C money was legitimate.

These are the so-called experts from the documentary McCollum wants other elected officials to watch. Below are the memos McCollum sent out.

McCollum Anti-Global Warming Memo

More on Castor's Gulf Coast Bill

Kathy Castor is the sponsor of the Gulf of Mexico Economic and Environmental Restoration Act of 2010. The bill will address payment to the victims of the BP spill and environment clean-up. The Tampa Tribune editorial board has voiced it's support of the bill.

Some fishermen and hoteliers, meanwhile, have gone under or taken tremendous economic hits as Americans changed vacation plans to avoid the predicted damage. Across the country people have stopped buying Gulf shrimp, oysters and game fish, even though tests have, for the most part, indicated most of the catch is safe. The Gulf Coast "brand" has been damaged.

But Castor's bill would help pay for the efforts of the Gulf Coast states affected by the spill â Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana â to rebrand the region. The message is simple: The beaches are beautiful, the water clean and the food safe.

The Tampa Tribune is asking Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson to sponsor a Senate version of the bill. Rubio went on the CNN show The Situation Room to proclaim his support for offshore drilling as oil from the Deep Horizon pipe gushed into the ocean on a video screen behind him.



Sen. Nelson has a good environmental record. Nelson is Castor's best option in the Senate.

One thing the Obama administration can do is get rid of Kenneth Feinberg. People have become increasing unhappy with the way Feinberg as handled claims against BP. The Obama administration can restore confidence by sending Feinberg back to the Treasury Department. Feinberg has only paid out $44.1 million of the $20 billion from BP's compensation fund. Feinberg has been accused of being more concerned with protecting BP's interest than that of Gulf Coast residents. The Castor bill would speed up the claims process.