Alert – SB 550 Environmental Protection Bill - By Senator Constantine

In the Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means in the Senate today at 2:15 this bill will be heard.  Although it contains a lot of good language, it also contains the same language as HB 1109 Water Supply Bill which reorganizes existing statutes into a new Section VII but only uses part of the legislative intent in the rewrite.  What is NOT in the bill is protection for the environment and the health and safety of the public.

Please email the Senators below and ask that they “remove Section 1 of the Strike-All Amendment OR oppose this bill entirely.”

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Below is the email I sent to this Senate Committee to remove Section 1 of this bill or oppose it entirely.  Feel free to use this language.  The email addresses are provided for the Senators.

Denise Layn

Senators:

Please remove Section 1 of the Strike-All Amendment OR oppose SB 550 entirely.

C4RG’s focus is on the language that is NOT in Section 1 of the bill:

• The legislative intent and policy protecting the environment and public health and safety has been removed as a stated legislative intent from this bill.
• The remaining section of the legislative intent and policy is focused on supplying water for present and future growth only.
• Two of the three pronged approach that Sen. Dockery had worked so hard to balance in 2005 is eliminated.
• Therefore, the omission of this language creates a new legislative intent and policy with regard to our water supply.
• Most assuredly, this would make it much easier for utilities, water management districts, water authorities, ie. Tampa Bay Water, and others to create and move water – and count on them choosing the least expensive source:  groundwater!
• This also makes it easier to distribute water statewide. As you know, South Florida needs the water Northwest Florida has in abundance.  Legislation has been around for years trying to accomplish this.

Thank you for your assistance.

Denise Layne
Executive Director
C4RG, Inc.
813-246-0485