Sen. Burt Saunders, chairman of the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee, says he expects to file a bill to establish a pilot program requiring springs protection zones where advanced wastewater treatment and improved septic tanks are required.
This is a good bill, even if it isn't strong enough. Not suprisingly, it was killed last year by developers and ag interests, and they want to do the same this time. Their argument is nonsensical:
Frank Matthews, a lobbyist representing the Association of Florida Community Developers, said the bill would add to the cost of housing at a time when the real-estate market is in a slump.
As always, these people only care about their own short-term financial interests, and everything else be damned. The long-term health of our environment is more important than a minor blip on the economic cycle. Their arguments get worse:
Matthews said Saunders' draft legislation would duplicate the state's current process of establishing pollution limits on waterways.
"We think it's premature," Matthews said. "There is a lot of overlay regulation that already exists or is in place that should satisfactorily address springs."
Obviously, this isn't true. Otherwise we wouldn't have the problem. And Saunders wouldn't be proposing this bill. Let's hope he sticks to it and fights to push this through.
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