Plus, Fla’s changing energy policy
Scientists are puzzled at what’s killing certain species of fish in the Florida Keys and making others behave oddly, how gambling money from Indian reservations in Florida would go to preserving land and wildlife, plus Florida lawmakers are poised to overhaul state energy policy and regulation. It’s all in this week’s Environmental and Engineering Digest.
A stingray swimming upside down in the Florida Keys, February 2024. Courtesy, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust
Florida Fish Floundering: There’s something wrong with some of the fish in Florida’s Lower Keys. Dozens of endangered sawfish have died, along with goliath grouper, tarpon, and stingrays – either dead or behaving erratically. As early as November, local fish and wildlife groups began receiving reports of strange phenomena, such as stingrays swimming upside down in circles and finding fish dead or swimming in strange patterns when exposed to bright lights. Sightings have become more frequent with scientists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and universities now involved in the search for why. So far, scientists have eliminated low oxygen, ocean temperature, and salinity as root causes, but they did find heightened levels of a toxic algae found in ciguatera – a toxin that is rarely fatal to fish but can cause illness in those farther up the food chain, including humans who eat a contaminated fish. It is even more abnormal that this would affect such a wide variety of fish species. Scientists say it’s more difficult to establish some kind of causality with so many variables at play.x
Wolfe Creek Forest in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Courtesy, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
Gambling for the Florida Wildlife Corridor: A bill is poised for final passage in the Florida Legislature this week that would use money from the state’s gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida to fund expansion of the state’s wildlife corridor and other environmental projects. SB 1638 would allocate at least $450 million of the $500 million a year from casino revenue to buy and maintain land in the corridor, remove invasive species, and provide flood control planning. It would also fund continuing efforts to convert properties using septic tanks to sewer systems and create the Local Trail Management Grant Program to help local governments maintain the Florida Greenways and Trails System.x The 2021 gambling compact allows the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to online sports betting and certain games in its casinos in exchange for paying the state $2.5 billion over the first five years of the 30-year deal.
Overhauling State Energy Laws: New legislation is also moving ahead that would change regulation and policy language of Florida’s energy laws – including removing references to greenhouse gas emissions, banning offshore wind turbines, and relaxing regulation of natural gas pipelines. The Senate Agriculture, Environment and General Government Appropriations Committee approved a revised version of SB 1624 that now mirrors HB 1645, which passed the Florida House on Friday and is now before the Senate for consideration. Current parts of state law make direct refence to lessening dependence on foreign oil, finding ways to slow greenhouse gas emissions and implementing greener energy technologies, but these bills would change the language substantially. The new language only makes mention of an “adequate, reliable, and cost-effective supply of energy” for the state’s future. While proponents say this verbiage can easily fall in line with more sustainable solutions, some legislators expressed concern about banning wind turbines offshore and inland within one-mile of the coasts, noting that evolving technology may one day make wind-energy more practical for Florida..
LMA Newsletter of 3-4-24
