Post by kenredux on Dec 5, 2007 14:17:08 GMT -5
Below is described a developing (sic) event down in sunny Florida, but look out your window - something similarly wicked your way comes.
Dear Governor Crist:
Re: "Special exception" to the Levy County plan for the Titan Mine in Gulf Hammock, Florida.
A multinational corporation with a history of environmental abuse has asked for an exception to the comprehensive plan to permit the construction of an enormous limerock mine in a remote rural area of Levy county. The proposed mine will have catastrophic implications for responsible growth management in the region, which includes all of north Florida. The major players in this scheme are trying to avoid public awareness and input.
I recently wrote a letter to the Gainesville Sun concerning this issue. Subsequent to that I attended a planning board meeting at which details of the plan were finally revealed. My report on that meeting follows.
Many of us feel that the DCA has been far to lenient in granting exceptions to the comprehensive plan, thus the interest in passing the “Florida Hometown Democracy” amendment. If the DCA were more responsive to the need of the citizens, rather than to the desires of developers, then such initiatives would not be necessary.
I want you to be aware of the larger implications of this issue, and thank you in advance for taking whatever steps are necessary to derail this clandestine plan to literally pave the paradise that we call home.
Bruce Morgan
Archer, FL 32618
.......................................................................................................
December 4, 2007
Re: Titan mine, Planning Board meeting in Bronson
(Last night I attended a special Planning Board meeting in Bronson at which Plum Creek/Titan/Tarmac America asked for an exception to the Levy County Comprehensive plan for a gigantic limerock mine in Gulf Hammock covering almost 10,000 acres. This is what I saw and heard.)
Gulf Hammock was completely destroyed by Georgia Pacific/Plum Creek a long time ago. The issue now is how to prevent the proposed mine from providing road material to destroy everything further north. Their target market is a 100 mile radius around the mine, so the entire northern half of Florida is at risk. That puts Levy, Alachua, Marion, and Dixie counties directly in the crosshairs! The counties to the south have already been “built out”, so development interests have targeted us!
I damn near started a riot last night in the Bronson courthouse when I talked about the history of Gulf Hammock. The place was full of bearded camo clad Indigenes who used to be Republicans and were not at all happy about the mine.
I used the word "collusion" to describe the inside deal between Jeb and Plum Creek to cut off public hunting access. You should have seen the “good old boy” lawyer's face! He would have silenced me if he could, but the crowd was entirely on my side. I further described the FDOT and planning board as "collaborators and facilitators" of the cancer consuming our State, and begged them not to spread the disease. I got a major ovation at the end of my rant! 100% of the people present were against the “special exception”, so I guess that means it is a done deal!
The planning board "tabled" the motion for an exception to the Comp plan so they can approve it out of the public eye. One of the more obnoxious planning board members was an ignorant ill spoken redneck who had worked in the mining industry for 30 years. He vehemently denied that there was a conflict of interest. Another board member took great exception to the allegations of a reporter (?) Who said they had broken the sunshine law. The same fellow got even more upset when he was busted for passing secret notes to the other board members.
Everyone in the room agreed that the County had tried to sneak the deal in by failing to inform the residents in a timely manner. Almost everyone who was there had learned of the deal only because word of the planning board meeting had been spread by members of the local Hunt club who had learned of it in advance. Actual legal notice to residents had arrived at the last moment, if at all.
They offered hundreds of jobs, and millions of dollars for schools, etc, then in the next breath said it was actually 35 jobs. One of the more astute locals stood up to explain that the children of the mine workers (assuming 2.5 per worker) would require a school that cost more than the entire projected tax revenue. That shut them up!
Equally astute residents questioned that the projected 500 trucks per day would not impact local traffic. The lawyer from Tallahassee explained that all area roads got a A+ rating from the FDOT, and that the projected truck traffic would not in any way impact that rating. Then someone pointed out that the trucks would have to return for more rock, so that the figure was actually 1000 trucks. Then someone pointed out that even with 500 trucks per day that still means that a fully loaded dump truck would have to leave the site and turn onto Hwy 19 every 57 seconds or so. So, there will be no traffic impacts unless you happen to be behind one of the 500 (or 1000) trucks. The consultant then explained that a traffic light at Hwy 19 might actually be a good idea, but that was not his problem.
Most folks were concerned about the inevitable lowering of the water table and salt water intrusion, to which the paid "expert" hydrologist explained that they were mining rocks, not water. As to water quality, it wasn't an issue, and besides, there is nothing to the west (other than the people who live there, a State Preserve, and the Gulf of Mexico!) He also denied the existence of surface streams and caves, despite the fact that the map clearly shows swamps and streams, and the fact that it is pure limestone karst terrain, otherwise they wouldn't want to put a mine there. He explained that he looked for holes but didn't find any, besides, the ruined forest is too thick to walk through, so who knows? (That brought a chuckle from the hunters!) He sunk a number of test wells, and in no case did the pipes miraculously disappear into inexplicable voids, so there must be no voids. So as to sound like an "expert" the hydrologist used the phrase "potentiometric gradient" about a dozen times in an effort to explain that water flows downhill. The locals were not impressed.
Before scooping and crushing the rock they have to set off thousands of blasts. Sirens will be used to alert the unwary to the impending explosions. Nearby residents were concerned about noise and the possibility of structural damage to their homes. The engineering “expert” explained that the seismic consequences would be equivalent to “a person moving quietly about in a room”.
They are bringing a giant dragline down from Canada piece by piece. It is already on site awaiting assembly. The boom is 350' long, the bucket can scoop 90 cubic yards at a time. They plan to dig 100' to 125 feet deep, and to remove 40 acres per year for 100 years. That is only 4000 acres, half the site, so they are lying. The remainder will be used for "mitigation".
This is how mitigation works. First you destroy the entire property, then propose something even worse for half the remaining land, then promise to "restore to a natural condition" the other half that you have previously destroyed (As if that was possible!). Not a bad scam, eh? Even better than selling swampland to Yankees! So I raped your 12 year old daughter? Don't worry, I'll buy her a new dress!
The dragline runs on electricity, lots of it! So of course the nuke plant is absolutely necessary. Perhaps we should add the cost of the new nuke plant to the cost of the mine? Of course not, that bill goes to the taxpayers!
The prime movers behind the whole scheme are the FDOT and Progress energy. FDOT needs the fill to build the Turnpike all the way to Lebanon station so "empty" north Florida can be filled up to provide customers for the energy company! Needless to say it works out well for Plum creek whose land has been rendered otherwise worthless due to their history of environmental abuse. It is a win/win situation for everyone except for the land, water, wildlife, and people of Florida!
Bruce Morgan
Environmental Designs
Archer, FL 32618
www.environmentaldesigns.org
Dear Governor Crist:
Re: "Special exception" to the Levy County plan for the Titan Mine in Gulf Hammock, Florida.
A multinational corporation with a history of environmental abuse has asked for an exception to the comprehensive plan to permit the construction of an enormous limerock mine in a remote rural area of Levy county. The proposed mine will have catastrophic implications for responsible growth management in the region, which includes all of north Florida. The major players in this scheme are trying to avoid public awareness and input.
I recently wrote a letter to the Gainesville Sun concerning this issue. Subsequent to that I attended a planning board meeting at which details of the plan were finally revealed. My report on that meeting follows.
Many of us feel that the DCA has been far to lenient in granting exceptions to the comprehensive plan, thus the interest in passing the “Florida Hometown Democracy” amendment. If the DCA were more responsive to the need of the citizens, rather than to the desires of developers, then such initiatives would not be necessary.
I want you to be aware of the larger implications of this issue, and thank you in advance for taking whatever steps are necessary to derail this clandestine plan to literally pave the paradise that we call home.
Bruce Morgan
Archer, FL 32618
.......................................................................................................
December 4, 2007
Re: Titan mine, Planning Board meeting in Bronson
(Last night I attended a special Planning Board meeting in Bronson at which Plum Creek/Titan/Tarmac America asked for an exception to the Levy County Comprehensive plan for a gigantic limerock mine in Gulf Hammock covering almost 10,000 acres. This is what I saw and heard.)
Gulf Hammock was completely destroyed by Georgia Pacific/Plum Creek a long time ago. The issue now is how to prevent the proposed mine from providing road material to destroy everything further north. Their target market is a 100 mile radius around the mine, so the entire northern half of Florida is at risk. That puts Levy, Alachua, Marion, and Dixie counties directly in the crosshairs! The counties to the south have already been “built out”, so development interests have targeted us!
I damn near started a riot last night in the Bronson courthouse when I talked about the history of Gulf Hammock. The place was full of bearded camo clad Indigenes who used to be Republicans and were not at all happy about the mine.
I used the word "collusion" to describe the inside deal between Jeb and Plum Creek to cut off public hunting access. You should have seen the “good old boy” lawyer's face! He would have silenced me if he could, but the crowd was entirely on my side. I further described the FDOT and planning board as "collaborators and facilitators" of the cancer consuming our State, and begged them not to spread the disease. I got a major ovation at the end of my rant! 100% of the people present were against the “special exception”, so I guess that means it is a done deal!
The planning board "tabled" the motion for an exception to the Comp plan so they can approve it out of the public eye. One of the more obnoxious planning board members was an ignorant ill spoken redneck who had worked in the mining industry for 30 years. He vehemently denied that there was a conflict of interest. Another board member took great exception to the allegations of a reporter (?) Who said they had broken the sunshine law. The same fellow got even more upset when he was busted for passing secret notes to the other board members.
Everyone in the room agreed that the County had tried to sneak the deal in by failing to inform the residents in a timely manner. Almost everyone who was there had learned of the deal only because word of the planning board meeting had been spread by members of the local Hunt club who had learned of it in advance. Actual legal notice to residents had arrived at the last moment, if at all.
They offered hundreds of jobs, and millions of dollars for schools, etc, then in the next breath said it was actually 35 jobs. One of the more astute locals stood up to explain that the children of the mine workers (assuming 2.5 per worker) would require a school that cost more than the entire projected tax revenue. That shut them up!
Equally astute residents questioned that the projected 500 trucks per day would not impact local traffic. The lawyer from Tallahassee explained that all area roads got a A+ rating from the FDOT, and that the projected truck traffic would not in any way impact that rating. Then someone pointed out that the trucks would have to return for more rock, so that the figure was actually 1000 trucks. Then someone pointed out that even with 500 trucks per day that still means that a fully loaded dump truck would have to leave the site and turn onto Hwy 19 every 57 seconds or so. So, there will be no traffic impacts unless you happen to be behind one of the 500 (or 1000) trucks. The consultant then explained that a traffic light at Hwy 19 might actually be a good idea, but that was not his problem.
Most folks were concerned about the inevitable lowering of the water table and salt water intrusion, to which the paid "expert" hydrologist explained that they were mining rocks, not water. As to water quality, it wasn't an issue, and besides, there is nothing to the west (other than the people who live there, a State Preserve, and the Gulf of Mexico!) He also denied the existence of surface streams and caves, despite the fact that the map clearly shows swamps and streams, and the fact that it is pure limestone karst terrain, otherwise they wouldn't want to put a mine there. He explained that he looked for holes but didn't find any, besides, the ruined forest is too thick to walk through, so who knows? (That brought a chuckle from the hunters!) He sunk a number of test wells, and in no case did the pipes miraculously disappear into inexplicable voids, so there must be no voids. So as to sound like an "expert" the hydrologist used the phrase "potentiometric gradient" about a dozen times in an effort to explain that water flows downhill. The locals were not impressed.
Before scooping and crushing the rock they have to set off thousands of blasts. Sirens will be used to alert the unwary to the impending explosions. Nearby residents were concerned about noise and the possibility of structural damage to their homes. The engineering “expert” explained that the seismic consequences would be equivalent to “a person moving quietly about in a room”.
They are bringing a giant dragline down from Canada piece by piece. It is already on site awaiting assembly. The boom is 350' long, the bucket can scoop 90 cubic yards at a time. They plan to dig 100' to 125 feet deep, and to remove 40 acres per year for 100 years. That is only 4000 acres, half the site, so they are lying. The remainder will be used for "mitigation".
This is how mitigation works. First you destroy the entire property, then propose something even worse for half the remaining land, then promise to "restore to a natural condition" the other half that you have previously destroyed (As if that was possible!). Not a bad scam, eh? Even better than selling swampland to Yankees! So I raped your 12 year old daughter? Don't worry, I'll buy her a new dress!
The dragline runs on electricity, lots of it! So of course the nuke plant is absolutely necessary. Perhaps we should add the cost of the new nuke plant to the cost of the mine? Of course not, that bill goes to the taxpayers!
The prime movers behind the whole scheme are the FDOT and Progress energy. FDOT needs the fill to build the Turnpike all the way to Lebanon station so "empty" north Florida can be filled up to provide customers for the energy company! Needless to say it works out well for Plum creek whose land has been rendered otherwise worthless due to their history of environmental abuse. It is a win/win situation for everyone except for the land, water, wildlife, and people of Florida!
Bruce Morgan
Environmental Designs
Archer, FL 32618
www.environmentaldesigns.org
