summer 2007 pelican newsletter, florida sierra club

8/9/2019 Summer 2007 Pelican Newsletter, Florida Sierra Club

1/12

The PelicanOfficial Publication of the Sierra Club Florida Chapter

Vol. 39, No. 2Summer Issue

BioMassburnersare not theanswerThomas Bussing, PhDFormer Gainesville Mayor

In taking a long-term

view of our society s

dependence on prof-

ligate use of cheap fossil

fuel, responsible voices in

decades past often posed

the question, What do

we do when it starts to run

out?

Now that climatic change

has usurped the exhaus-

tion of fossil reserves asthe crucial consideration in

long-term energy policy,

we must also confront a

EXPLORE, ENJOY AND PROTECT THE PLANET!

Florida Hometown

Democracy UpdateLesley BlacknerPresident, Florida Hometown

Democracy

In case you still havent

heard, the Sierra Club is

pushing hard to ensure the

Florida Hometown Democracy

Amendment is on the Novem-

ber 2008 statewide ballot, and

has contributed to the effort

$$$ financially and physically

by many volunteers through-out the state collecting ballots.

What is Florida Hometown

Democracy? Its a proposed

amendment to the Florida Con-

stitution that will establish that

before a local government may

adopt a new comprehensive

land use plan or amend a com-

prehensive land use plan (the

binding plans that determine

what kind of development goes

where), the proposed plan or

amendment shall be subject to

a local voter referendum.

It sounds technical, but the

Florida Hometown Democracy

Amendment will drive a stake

CHAPTER CHAIR REPORTBetsy Roberts

Chapter Chair

The work of our Florida Chapter owes

our success to the nearly 300 volun-

teer leaders and officers in our various

entitites 18 local Groups, 21 Chapter

Issue Committees. It seems like such

a short time that our Florida Executive

Committee (FLEXcom) met in Tallahas-

see during the legislative session. Im

glad to see that Susie Caplowe and Dan

Hendrickson survived the wild legisla-

tive session months chasing up and

down the halls of the capital. As always

a great big THANKS to Susie for all her

hard work, keeping up the Tallahassee

Report and the Tracker as well as at-

tending meetings and lobbying. Thanks

to Dave Cullen, who assisted us this ses-

sion, and all the great Issue Chairs and

other volunteers, who helped keep Susie

up to date on issues and made phone

calls and visited with legislators.

March to May always seem focused in

Tallahassee but lots of other things are

going on all over the state. Each group

could tell a story of battles and victories

that have occurred in their area. And we

even got to finish the Leadership Devel-

opment Project with a fun and enthusi-

astic Stategic Team Building training

in May at the Life Enrichment Center.

Those evil coal burning power plants

continue to plague us from Pensacola to

the Everglades. Thanks to Chapter En-

ergy Chair Joy Towles Ezell for working

so hard. If we could just harness your

energy and enthusiasm we wouldnt

need all those power plants.

See UPDATE on Page 2

SeeREPORTon Page 5

SeeBURNERSon Page 4

Floridas once touted Growth Management Act nowhas 20 years of being weakened by the Legislature,Administrative Agencies and local governments.

1000 new residents a day are still moving into theSunshine State.

Laura Denardo, Pelican Perch


2/12

through the heart of developer

power. Let me tell you why.

The Florida Growth Man-

agement Act adopted in the

mid-1980s mandated localcomprehensive planning.

Why? To ensure that roads are

not over-burdened, schools not

over-crammed, green space

preserved, the quality and

character of the Florida we

love was maintained. It was

all well intentioned but it has

failed miserably.

Why? Because proposed

changes to the plans are politi-

cal decisions submitted to the

local city or county commis-

sion. Who too often controlslocal politicians? The devel-

opers. The marriage of local

and state government to the

real estate development indus-

try has produced the growth

machine. Because the chief

goal of local and state govern-

ment is to promote the growth

machine, I often say Florida

has government of the devel-

oper, by the developer and for

the developer.

If you still arent convinced,

take the time to look at the

public hearing agenda of your

city and county council on any

given day. Most of their time

is spent reviewing and approv-

ing yet another construction

project. Look at the histories

and voting records of your

council members. Chances are

many of them just cant say no

to a con-

struction

proposal.

Chances

are that

the growth

machine is

their big-

gest con-

tributor.

Chances

are that

many ofthem make

their liv-

ing in the

growth

machine.

It was

nave at

best to

think that

developer

controlled commissions would

take the broad public interest

to heart when yet another plan

amendment was proposed. But

the staggering disaster that has

befallen Florida over the past

decades was entirely foresee-

able. Floridas land use system

exemplifies what scholar Jared

Diamond calls rational bad

behavior. In his latest book,

Collapse Professor Diamond

explains that when the inter-

ests of the decision-making

elite clash

with the

interests of

the general

citizens,

the elite

are likely

to do things

that profit

themselves,

regardless

of whether

those ac-tions hurt

everybody

else. A

self-ab-

sorbed elite

insulated

from the

conse-

quences of

its actions

is highly destructive to the well

being of society. The elites

Page 2

FloridaChapterElectionRulesElection of not less than

four at -large membersof the Florida ExecutiveCommittee (FLEXCOM)for two-year terms shallbe held according to acalendar prepared an-nually and approved byFLEXCOM. The calendarshall set the dates of: Deadline for appointingthe election committee. Deadline for appointingthe nominating commit-tee. Deadline for notify-ing willing candidates oftheir right and methodfor seeking nominatingpetitions. Nominating committee

report of names of nomi-nees. Deadlines for receipt ofcandidate petitions. Eachpetition candidate mustbe on separate forms, notmultiple candidates on asingle petition. Production of eligiblevoter list. Mailing the ballots (Peli-can). Receipt of returned bal-lots. Date, time and place forcounting the ballots.

The following officerswill be appointed to oneyear terms by FLEXCOMat the last meeting ofthe calendar year: Chair,Vice-Chair for Adminis-tration, Vice-Chair forConservation, Secretary,Treasurer, Council Del-egate, Alternate CouncilDelegate, Members atLarge.The election shall be

held by secret ballot. Theballot shall be mailedin The Pelican to every

member. The ballot shallappear on the oppositeside of the mailing labelso that the eligibility ofthe voter can be verifiedwithout looking at theballot. The ballots shall besorted into three groupsduring verification sin-gle membership, jointmembership and ques-tionable ballot. Followingverification, the labelsshall then be removed orcovered so the ballot will

UPDATEFrom Page 1

What must you do?

Sign the petition. Make copies and getfriends and family tosign if they are regis-tered Florida voters. Join our emailupdate list [email protected].

Visit our website atwww.floridahometown-democracy.com. Send a donation.Act now. This chance tosave Florida from an-other 50 years of devel-oper ruin will not comeagain.

See RULES on Page 8

These real cases of bulldozing, concrete mazes, traffic jams and congestion are here nowand fixin to get worse, so sign the petition today and get five of your friends to sign it,mail it in right away, we only have till February 1, 2008.

See UPDATE on Page 9

BREAKING NEWSBreaking news at press time: The

coal partners announced July 3 thatthey are suspending plant permit-ting on the Taylor Energy Center,and that they now plan to par-ticipate in the dialogue on Floridasenergy future. The final decision onthe coal plant must be confirmed

by the governing boards of the fourutilities, including Disney. Pleasekeep making your calls and send-ing letters and emails to ensure thatthis dirty coal burner never hap-pens. This bad idea is not dead yet,

See NEWS on Page 7


3/12

Disney (Reedy Creek Improvement District) should

call off its involvement in the Taylor Energy Center

Disney World, the City of Tallahassee, the Jacksonville Elec-

tric Authority, and twenty Florida cities served by the Florida

Municipal Agency all have an amazing opportunity to echo

the message of the Florida Public Service Commission (the

PSC voted 4-0 to deny the Never-Glades FPL Coal Burn-

ing Power Plant on June 4th, 2007) by making a smart move

away from coal. Disney, especially, should be distancing

itself from one of the major causes of global warming.

The PSC and Governor Crist have sent a signal heard far and

wide that coal is not an acceptable power source in Florida.

The PSC plainly said that there are better options for Floridas

energy needs than dirty coal-burning plants. The PSC clearlysent the message to all power producers that coal is not cost

effective anywhere, anymore. Its time for the Taylor Energy

Center partners to take notice, and act accordingly.

Joy Towles Ezell, Energy Chair of the Florida Chapter Sierra

Club and Big Bend Group Sierra Club Water/Air Quality

Chair, is asking you to contact Disney President and CEO

Robert A. Iger and tell Iger to remove Disney from its part

in the Taylor Energy Center NOW! You can reach him at

Walt Disney Company, 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank,

CA 91521. Email him at [email protected] or phone

818.560.1000.

Susie Caplowe, Sierra Club Florida Chapter

Legislative Affairs said, Disney can no lon-

ger tout being green while at the same timeparticipating in a dirty coal burning power

plant in Florida.

Signs, signs, everywhere there are signs,

stated Ezell. Can Disney read the signs?

How many signs does Reedy Creek (Disney)

need before removing themselves from the

Taylor Emphysema Center? Do Doc and

Sneezy have to shame Disney into putting on

its glasses and reading the signs?

Here are just a few of the signs:

PSC voted 4-0 against the Glades coal

burner, saying NO COAL to FP&L on June

4, 2007. Disneys little 9.3% seat at the table wont

sway the partners in the big chairs. Case

in point: Buckeye Florida L.P. unexpect-

edly requested that the partners ante up 2 more million $$$

to approve of the TEC buying poison waste water from the

Buckeye pulp mill, dirtying Disneys hands, contaminating

Disney s contract for the duration and possibly placing Disney

in a future filthy legal morass.

On July 13, 2005, Tallahassee commissioners voted 4-1

(Allan Katz opposed) to participate in the Taylor County coal

plant through its permitting phase. Up to $6.4 million has

been authorized; (Tallahassee Democrat, March 29, 2007).

Tallahassee has already spent $3.1 million in tax dollars, and

is now facing the impending financial doom that may come

with the changes to property taxes. Disney should get out

now, before this entire coal burner debacle affects its stock

price and attendance at Disney World.

Originally billed as the cheapest option (by $5 million), an

energy plan that includes the coal plant now appears to exceed

the cost of a natural gas plant option by $78 million - out of a

total of $4.5 billion over 30 years - because of rising construc-

tion costs and a modeling error. If it was significant when

it was $5 million in (coal-plant advocates) favor, how come

$78 million isnt significant when its now to their detriment,

said Steve Urse, a member of the Big Bend Climate Action

Team, which opposes the proposed coal plant because of

health and environmental concerns (Tallahassee Democrat,

March 29, 2007). This is not the cheapest plan for Disney,

either. Disney should be leading the way with renewables,conservation, and smart energy not by being involved in a

dirty coal-burning power plant, said Joy Ezell.

The City of Tallahassee tried to reject this toxic effluent

sharing idea, but Buckeye and TEC are not listening. This

means that Disney is dirtying its hands by being partner to

Buckeye s toxic wastewater reuse ploy, possibly implicating

Disney and the other consortium partners in the dumping and

burning of Buckeyes hazardous wastes.

Governor Crist strongly supports the PSC in its decision to

deny the coal plant. He has questioned the continued use of

burning coal in energy production. As we seek to address

the challenges presented by global climate

change, leadership of the caliber demonstrated

today by the Public Service Commission will

be essential to our success, said Crist Fur-

ther, Governor Crist has placed an emphasis

on dealing with climate change, and has said

that hes not happy about having more coal

plants proposed (Tallahassee Democrat, May

25, 2007).

The future holds costs for carbon, defini-

tively adding more costs for the TEC, without

being able to determine exactly how much

more that will cost. Disney should be very

concerned.

Water shortages loom upon all of us. Expect-

ed spring rains never arrived, making waterconservation a subject in everyones thoughts,

except for the power company executives,

who think only about ever-increasing prof-

its. Disney has readily admitted that the lack

of water is affecting future growth plans in Central Florida.

North Florida is facing its worst drought in many years and

water, like air, is something we all share. If its scarce in one

area, you can be sure that it will be scarce in all of Florida.

The world has recognized that global warming is real, and

that carbon dioxide is a major contributor to greenhouse gases

- two very notable issues. Emerging technologies and anti-

pollution legislation may make the coal option more expen-

sive. Disney should really be green and make a solid com-

mitment not to add to global warming. The PSC indicated concerns about increased coal car rail

traffic on its way to Taylor County, all the way from the Port

of Jacksonville through several protesting North Florida coun-

ties.

The DCA has provided signs: The project still faces a hur-

dle on the state level: the Florida Department of Community

Affairs has raised objections and could file a legal challenge

to block approval (Tallahassee Democrat, June 5, 2007).

Does Disney want the embarrassment of becoming involved

in a legal battle with the state?

More signs: DCA has raised concerns about 25% of the

site being wetlands and half being in the flood plain (Tal-

Page 3

Neither Disney nor Florida can afford

the costs of a massive new coal plantA coalburn-ingpowerplant.

Disney canno longer toutbeing greenwhile at thesame timeparticipatingin a dirty coalburning powerplant inFlorida.

Susie CaploweSierra Club Florida

Chapter LegislativeAffairs

See COAL on Page 4


4/12

dangerously twisted answer to that

rhetorical question that has been

promoted as a response to the crisis

a veritable greenwash for con-tinuing our current extravagant use

of energy.

First came a reckless and on-going

promotion of ethanol and biodie-

sel as the way to fuel our vehicles

without changing our habits. This

program has been exposed as chiefly

an avenue for generous agribusi-

ness subsidies and also as a way to

deplete cropland, plow up conser-

vation lands and disrupt our food

system for the convenience of keep-

ing all our cars and trucks running

as before all this without reducingour net usage of fossil fuel.

Now comes another nostrum for

the public to be seduced by the

generation of green electricity

from biomass fuels.

The proponents are well intended,

but nave. Their vision is of captur-

ing some imagined waste stream

of deadwood and branches that can

provide megawatts of electric power

if harvested and trucked to power

plants for burning.

Such a plan is advancing here in

Gainesville, with little scrutiny of

the true long-term implications of

such a system on our land.

Our elected officials are mov-

ing forward thinking that the plant

can subsist on waste wood, but a

significant amount of the identified

available wood that they hope to

capture is from developers clear-

ing land hardly a sustainable

practice.

The rest of the supply stream

would be piggybacked on existing

pulpwood operations.

In advancing this plan, our com-

missioners have failed to consider

that depleting woodlands of the

soil-building residue of the normal

sylvan system across a large swath

of our region spells long-term doom

for a forest that has been here for

thousands of years.

They also seem to ignore the fact

that municipal solid waste (MSW) is

identified as an attractive fuel for

the burners they are hoping to build.

While the commissioners think

they are getting greener, the power

plant people are looking to be

burning a municipal waste stream

as well, a stream that is already in

trucks, and has to go somewhere.

At least these industry proponents

are honest about their goal.

But incineration in Florida has a long

and sordid history, and to see the sametype of plant constructed ostensibly

for burning wood waste should

raise concerns for those who want

our clean air protected. We are being

targeted as a partner for the Munici-

pal-Solid-Waste-burning industry.

Even without the disturbing link

with the solid waste burners, we are

left with the bottom-line premise

for building such a plant simply

to begin consuming all that can be

grown, so that we can continue to

have more electrical power and

increased consumption.This is not a green program. It is

a program to transfer the appetite for

power that we acquired from cheap

fossil fuel to the consumption of our

last resource, the biological systems

of the planet.

A better future lies in confronting

face-on our real need a need for

greater efficiencies and for signifi-

cant reductions in our use of energy,

and for building up our capacity

using truly clean and renewable

energy, such as solar.

Page 4

lahassee Democrat June 5,

2007). Many Taylor County

residents remember seeing

the proposed construction

site under water several times

during their lifetimes. Disney

customers would not like tosee photographs of its coal

burner under water.

The Department of Com-

munity Affairs also has raised

concerns about the availabil-

ity of water and sewer at the

site (Tallahassee Democrat,

June 5, 2007). Again, Disney

should be very concerned.

According to the EPA s Tox-

ics Release Inventory, the air

quality in Taylor County is

already the 57th worst in the

nation. The slogan: Disney

gets the power, Taylor Coun-

ty kids get asthma wont

play well with Disney cus-

tomers and stock holders.

Dollar sign: Taylor County

could lose Federal Highway

funds because a dirty coal

burner could send the County

beyond the federal level of

non-attainment. Does Disneywant to be held accountable?

Warning sign: We wont

accept your toxic wastes.

Madison County said no

to accepting the hazardous

waste by-products from TEC

at the Aucilla Landfill, which

Taylor County uses, located

just south of Greenville in

Madison County. On May 16,

2007, the Madison County

Commission voted to send

a letter to the Aucilla Land-

fill Authority objecting to a

proposal to dispose of toxic

wastes, including centrifuge

cake and filters from TEC. A

copy of that letter was sent

to the Taylor County Com-

mission, commented Barry

Parsons, a Madison County

member of the Big Bend

Group of the Sierra Club.

Will Disney accept the toxicwastes?

Gary Lloyd, Chair of the

Big Bend Group of the Sierra

Club, said, Disney should

get out of this bad deal, espe-

cially in view of the publics

negative perception of the

coal plant, the statements

recently made by Governor

Crist and the decision by the

PSC to turn down the need

for the Glades coal burner.

Disney should pull out of the

TEC deal before Disney &

Reedy Creek stockholders

are doomed to spending more

and more dollars on an Ed-

sel-era coal burner. Disney

should be thinking of what its

customers will do when they

learn of Disneys involve-

ment in accelerating global

warming. Neither Disney nor

Florida can afford the costs of

a massive new coal plant.

COALFrom Page 3

Contact:

Joy Towles Ezell 850.843.1574, FloridaChapter Sierra Club En-ergy Chair Susie Caplowe 850.567.2448, FloridaChapter Sierra Club

Legislative Affairs

BURNERSFrom Page 1

STOP THE COAL RUSH!

Joy Towles Ezell and Susie Caplowe

The Florida Public Services Commissionvoted on June 5th to reject a proposal for one

of the largest new coal-fired power plants in

the United States. The PSC, voting 4-0, with

Commissioner Nancy Argenziano absent, de-

nied a petition filed by Florida Power & Light

to build a massive 1960 megawatt coal plant

next to Lake Okeechobee at the headwaters

of the Everglades. The proposed plant would

likely have been one of the largest single new

sources of carbon dioxide in the nation,

accelerating climate change that is already

harming Florida, its residents, and its ecosys-

tems. In rejecting FP&L s petition, the PSCagreed with environmental intervenors that

Florida can meet its energy needs with clean-

er, less costly options. The PSC determined

that the proposed plant was not cost-effective,

particularly because it will expose Florida

ratepayers to significant future costs for car-

bon dioxide emissions.

Hats off to all the Sierra activists who trav-

eled to Tallahassee to speak before the PSC

Environmental groups Sierra Club, Save Our

Creeks, Florida Wildlife Federation, Environ-

mental Confederation of Southwest Florida,

Natural Resources Defense Council, and

individual Ellen Peterson intervened inthe PSC needs determination proceedings,

represented by Earthjustice.

The environmental intervenors argued that

Florida can meet its energy needs by improv-

ing energy efficiency and relying on clean

renewable sources of energy. They also

argued that the PSC must consider the inevi-

table costs that will be imposed on coal plants

when the federal government acts to regulate

carbon emissions.

Rhonda Roff, Sierra Club member from

ONE dirty coal burner

DOWN and more to go!

See STOP on Page 5


5/12

The Chapter NominatingCommittee is seeking the

names of candidates who are

interested in serving on the

Florida Chapter Executive

Committee (FLEXCOM).

Nine members of FLEX-

COM are elected at large

from the Chapter. Five posi-

tions are up for

election this fall. These nine

elected members, along with

a representative from each

of our 18 groups, constitute

FLEXCOM. FLEXCOMmeets at least four times a

year and provides leadership

and direction for all Chapter

conservation and lobbying

activities; political endorse-

ments; developing the

annual budget; coordinat-

ing the annual conservation

conference; and publication

of the statewide newsletter,

The Pelican.

The newly-elected mem-

bers will serve a two-year

term, beginning January

2008.

They will also be expected

to attend the Mini-FLEX-

COM meeting in November

for election of officers and

also a transition meeting

between the old and the new

FLEXCOM that occurs in

December.

Chapter officers are elected

from the FLEXCOM,

including Chair, Conserva-

tion Chair, Administrative

Chair, and Council Delegateand Alternate. According to

our bylaws, the Secretary

and Treasurer do not have

to be elected officers. They

may be appointed by FLEX-

COM, though we usually

appoint an elected officer.

The Nominating Commit-

tee is seeking candidates

who meet the following

criteria:

Members of the Club, in

good standing, as of Decem-

ber 31, 2006. Willing to attend and

participate in four (at least)

FLEXCOM meetings a year

and serve on any appropriate

committees.

Demonstrate knowledge of

Sierra Club history, culture

and legal requirements of

the Chapter.

Able to accept a leadership

position on FLEXCOM.

Another chronic situation is the

Everglades. All we are asking

for is to let the water flow. If we

could elevate I-75 for 11 mileswe would have a good start.

Thanks Drew Martin and Jona-

than Ullman for all your work on

this issue.

Many think coastal pollution

is just on the coast, but all the

rivers and lakes suffer from algal

blooms and toxics. New issue

chair Don Chaney along with

National staff Stuart DeCew,

based in Sarasota right now, will

be seen in more and more places

around the state working on these

issues. Welcome to additionalNational Staffers, Chris Costello

in Sarasota and Marti Daltry in Ft

Myers working on coastal prob-

lems and panther issues.

It does seem that so many of

our problems never go away.

How long have we been fighting

phosphate? Its still there and

still a big issue. The Ona Mine in

Manatee County is affecting the

Peace River. Congrats to local

Chairperson Sue Reske and many

other Charlotte folks fighting this

together.

Our Florida Chapter of the Sier-

ra Club would be nothing without

all you wonderful activists. Ev-

eryone of you deserves a big pat

on the back and all the support

you can get. So many of the is-

sues are local and regional so we

need to work with each other and

in coalition with other groups. It

is seldom that one person alone

accomplishes much, it is groups

of people working together.

Thanks for all you do.

Page 5

Hendry County, and Presi-

dent of SING (Save It Now

Glades) participated in the

public testimony and provid-

ed excellent documentation

for the record regarding water

usage, toxic fly ash, mercury

in the fish, and the power

plant s potential negative

impact on the Everglades, the

environment, wildlife, and

people. She said, Despite the

back door manipulation by

the local elected officials con-

cerning the land use designa-

tion, and the lack of adequate

public notice to the people,

thank goodness the truth has

prevailed. Now you can tell

the FP&L coal burner folks

to pack up their bags and go

home!

Susie Caplowe, Florida

Chapter Sierra Club Govern-

mental Affairs said, Florida

can meet its energy needs

through 30% conserva-

tion and energy efficiency

measures. That was our

daily message to the Florida

Legislature when they were

promoting advanced cost

recovery for a power planttechnology that cannot

capture and sequester carbon

as the industry has claimed.

The Florida PSC did right

by Florida citizens today and

voted down the dirty coal

burning power plant that

would have kept the state

in the dark ages. We have a

new day and new beginnings

to truly seek clean energy

alternatives and conservation

measures.

Joy Towles Ezell, Energy

Chair of the Florida Chapter

Sierra Club, ecstatic over the

news that the NeverGlades

coal burner had been turned

down, said This message

from the PSC should be

heard clearly by all power

companies in Florida who are

proposing coal fired power

plants. The PSC was listening

to all the issues, including theenvironmental and health

cost issues brought forth

during the proceedings. We

are thankful that the PSC has

made the right decision.

The Taylor Energy Center,

another coal burner proposed

by the Florida Municipal

Power Agency, Reedy Creek

Improvement District (Dis-

ney), the Jacksonville Elec-

tric Authority, and the City of

Tallahassee, (which, if built,

could ultimately produce

a total of 3200 megawatts)

will be coming back to the

PSC for a decision in a few

months. We are encouraged

by the PSC vote to deny the

need for this dirty coal burn-

er, and hope that this vote is

duplicated in all upcoming

coal fired power plant

decisions in Florida.

Sierra Club staff attorneyJoanne Spalding lauded the

PSC decision, stating, In

rejecting FP&Ls Everglades

coal plant, the PSC recog-

nized that Florida residents

cannot afford the costs of a

massive new coal plant that

will emit millions of tons of

carbon dioxide and hundreds

of pounds of mercury each

year, harming the Everglades

and exacerbating the impacts

of climate change.

STOPFrom Page 4

REPORTFrom Page 1 Chapter Nominating

Committee Call for Candidates

DEADLINE IS JULY 27

2007 FloridaSierra Election Calendar

July 27 Deadline for nominations to nom-inating committee July 30 Nominating committee report toFLEXCOM of committee nominees Aug. 10 Deadline for receipt of petitioncandidate petitions (either by mail or fax)to the Nom.Com.Chair, Betsy Roberts Aug. 17 Deadline for receipt of originalpetition candidate petitions to Nom.Com.

Chair, Betsy Roberts (mandatory). Aug. 24 Deadline for delivery of ballot in-formation and candidate statements to thePelican. Sept. 15 Mail Pelican with ballots forChapter election Oct. 26 Closing date of election, ballotsdue by midnight Oct. 27 Count ballots Nov. 2-4 Fall Conservation Conference,mini-FLEXCOM election of officers

See CALL on Page 6


6/12

Understand their responsibility for the

Chapters financial health.

Be familiar with conservation, political

and regional issues of Florida.

Represent a geographical diversity from

around the state.

Able to work cooperatively with activists

who have differing viewpoints.

Able to work productively both at and in

between FLEXCOM meetings.

Understand group dynamics and organi-

zational processes and structures.

The Nominating Committee will be ac-

cepting nominations through July 27. Any

member interested in being considered for

the upcoming fall election can contact any

member of the committee (see below).

We will ask all candidates to complete a

short form for our review. Any interested

person who seeks nomination but is not

nominated by the committee will have the

opportunity to run by petition.

Contact info:

Betsy Roberts, [email protected]

941-922-9518

Karen Orr, [email protected]

352-375-3927

Ervin Duncan, [email protected]

904-261-7539

Page 6

CALLFrom Page 5

Susie Caplowe

Chapter Lobbyist

Thank you to all the Chap-ter Issue Chairs, Legislative

Liaison Helen Spivey, and

activists for all the assistance

with the bill analyses, posi-

tion papers and messages you

delivered for the environment

during the Florida legisla-

tive session. Thank you for

plugging in by receiving and

reading our online legislative

Tallahassee Report and visiting

our legislative online web-

site www.florida.sierraclub.

org/tracker We could hear theexcitement you all generated

when we entered the offices of

targeted legislators and they

would tell us to stop the calls,

stop the emailsthe constant

buzz you all generated was

awesome. Please accept our

heartfelt message of gratitude

for all your local battles you

wage and all the messages you

deliver for the environment

during the Florida legislative

session. Dont ever give up.

Against the odds, Sier-

rans Celebrate Legisla-

tive Successes this yearWe were successful this past

session by defeating the gen-

eral theme the developer and

industry lobbyists were weav-

ing thru numerous pieces of

legislation. In particular those

special interest bills designed

to prevent and impact local

governments from having

stronger environmental protec-tions and safeguards for the

communities quality of life

than what the state agencies

are capable of doing was found

among legislation that per-

tained to wetlands permitting,

aggregate mining companies,

and fertilizer ordinances and

rules.

We were successful when the

Tampa Electric Co (TECO)

hired thirty lobbiests to grease

legislation which would allow

their consumers subsidy of

the boondoggle IGCC coal

plant slated for Polk County in

coming years, ONLY Sierra

stood up and told the truthabout the coal reliant scheme,

while other environmental

groups actively supported the

coal plant or stood silent and

remained neutral on the bill.

Only Representatives Su-

san Bucher and Maria Sachs

showed the courage to vote

against the bill.

Sierras allies on various is-

sues helped slowed down and

stopped numerous anti-envi-

ronmental bills and amend-

ments, and negotiated andlobbied for pro-democracy

and pro-environmental legisla-

tion. Especially important was

the coalition work through

the Save the Voters Voice, the

Florida Coal Council, League

of Women Voters of Florida,

Panhandle Citizens Coalition,

Florida League of Conserva-

tion Voters, and our host of the

Environmental Interest Groups

weekly meeting. We signed

onto a veto letter for SB900,

the bad anti-citizen initiativepetition gathering bill that

would have made it difficult

for citizens to gather petitions.

That letter involved more than

20 organizations; the Governor

listened and vetoed this bad

bill.

Our organizations attacked

the Growth Management bills

from all sides, even though

they were secretly written near

the end of session and all but

promised quick passage. TheDCA and Governors of-

fice helped water down the

anti-oversight weakening of

Floridas Growth Management

laws. Sierrans responded

quickly when the overnight

legislation finally appeared.

While the Florida Forever ef-

forts were able to elevate some

issues of land management,

the legislature was not willing

to even address the request

to speed up the purchase of

targeted environmental lands.

Your vocal support of the lands

programs, the Everglades and

wetlands and river cleanups

helped the ultimate victorywhich will dedicate hundreds

of millions to restoration proj-

ects not previously funded by

the legislature.

When the business lobby-

ists pressured to stop Citizen

Initiatives to amend our State

Constitution, most legislators

cowed under the pressure and

stepped aside, even though

Senators stopped some of the

worst bills in difficultand

rare committee votes.

When one bad bill arose fromits supposed grave on the last

day of session, only two dozen

legislators in the House voted

against it, despite earlier prom-

ises. Their excuse was the busi-

ness scorecards they expect to

be used against them in future

elections. As a result, SB 900

was so bad, the Chamber of

Commerce couldnt save it

from a gubernatorial veto.

Wetlands Protection Pro-

grams All over Florida were

Protected by Strategic Lob-

bying: Governor and Coun-

ties Respond to Stop Anti-

Wetlands Legislators

Our daily effort and multiple

prong strategies to stay on top

of these themes and defeat

them is always an opportunity

and a challenge. We were able

to modify the local govern-

ment pre-emption language

and took the sting out or got

the local pre-emption languagetotally removed. Our media

and grass roots lobbying were

effective in focusing attention

on the provisions. We worked

with leadership in the House

and Senate (particularly the

Senate). We were welcomed

by President Pruitt and his staff

and the senators that made

up the Presidents leadership

team.

The Governors Office has a

very accessible staff and we

worked together keeping each

other informed of various bills

progress and changes. Gover-

nor Crist himself made several

strong statements to reportersstating that if bills made it to

his desk with local government

pre-emption that would impact

the ability to protect wetlands,

he would probably have to

veto something like that and as

a result, the developer lobby-

ists promptly removed their

extreme language and subse-

quently the bad wetlands bills

died.

Sub-set of some of the

legislative bills this past

session:Here is a brief summary of

some of the bills this session;

you can read more by visiting

our website to save space on

paper, we ask that you access

our website and look these

bills up to learn more about

what these bills do. Again, we

want to thank all of you read-

ers of the online Tallahassee

Report for responding to our

regular calls for action regard-ing numerous bills that were

good and bad. Here is a quick

summary of what passed and

failed. To read more about

them, please go to our Tracker.

www.florida.sierraclub.org/

tracker

HB957: Wetlands Delega-

tion: The two worst bills were

defeated: A repeat offender

year after year is the wet-

lands delegation of 5 acres or

less from the Army Corps of

Engineers to the Departmentof Environmental Protection.

Attached to this bill was the

local government pre-emp-

tion language that would have

prevented local governments

from having their own internal

program that would localize

and provide stronger wetlands

protections, (like the County

of Hillsborough Environmen-

Post 2007 Legislative Session Update

See SESSIONon Page 7


7/12

Page 7

tal Protection Commission (EPC), which

recently voted, without a public hearing,

to eliminate the valued program). Well,

we managed to get the local governmentpre-emption language out of the legisla-

tion, only to have the boating industry

lobbyists attach an amendment that would

have allowed for expansion of a marina

in a MANATEE protection zone. Then,

working with Save the Manatee Club, we

managed to kill that bill completely.

HB985:.Transportation and Infrastruc-

ture: (Signed by the Governor and is now

law). Construction Aggregate Materials

Study (HB7121/ SB2784/ SB2804) is

now found in HB985,along with other

bills, for which this bill became a legisla-tive train: It privatizes toll roads; Rural

areas are in danger with such proposals as

the Heartland Turnpike in Central Florida

. It eliminates current requirements that

proposed new turnpike segments prove

financial feasibility. (When the proposed

new Heartland Turnpike was analyzed in

February under the existing financial fea-

sibility requirements, most of the Heart-

land routes did NOT meet the financial

feasibility test); this bill encourages a link

between future real estate growth and

funding of roads and toll roads; it throws

careful planning and growth management

laws out the window.

The transportation TRAIN was the most

stapled piece of environmental legislation

AGAIN (For the last several years, the

largest and latest bill to come together was

the train of transportation bills). HB 985

totaled 139 pages, was related to at least

14 other bills this session, and was com-

posed of 57 different sections; during the

last 2 weeks of session, legislators filed

more than 46 amendments to the bill. (In

all there were nearly 120 amendments

filed to HB 985 and companion bill SB1928).

Growth management HB7203 (signed

by the Governor).

At the 11th hour, the Senate added

Affordable Housing language as a tribute

to Representative Mike Davis, who has

led the bills for Affordable Housing year

after year. However, the rest of the bill

continues to be problematic: 1. Legisla-

tors softened the pilot projects, exempting

out several local governments from DCA

oversight (Pinellas and Broward Coun-

ties, and Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and

Hialieah); 2. If a developer can show that

they will meet concurrency for schools in

5 years, the one year test for concurrency

is no longer applicable; 3. If an airport

wants to expand its facilities, they dont

have to worry about the increased traf-

fic on the roads, and therefore, they dont

have to expand the roads. 4. It revises

the formula for calculating proportionate

share, for infrastructure costs, and assures

developers no backlog charge; 5. It allows

development agreements to last from

10 to 20 years maximum; 6. It includes

language for transportation concurrency

backlogs, which would require careful

monitoring to avoid unnecessary roads

and sprawl. Senator Constantine amended

his bill SB2134 and the compromised

bill passed under the number 7203.

HB549: Governor Crist signed Coal

Burning Power Plants/Integrated Gasifica-

tion Combined Cycle (IGCC). We were

the only environmental group speaking

out against this technology. The science is

out on this. The capture and sequestration

of carbon dioxide does not exist. These

coal plants are still coal plants (and we

dont have coal in Florida), and they still

release the famous greenhouse, climate

changing, global heating gas, carbon

dioxide. Thank you to our excellent

Chapter Energy Committee, Chaired byJoy Towles Ezell, from Perry Florida. Her

leadership is inspiring. Sierras mantra is

There is no such thing as Clean Coal.

ENERGY LEGISLATION VETOED

BY GOVERNOR CRIST HB 7123:

After several weeks of testimony and

amendments, the legislative trains fell vic-

tim to several replacement bills (strike ev-

erything after the enacting clause amend-

ments). The resulting legislation was

a hodge-podge which included several

good provisions, and several not-so-good

provisions, but left many policy makingdecisions scattered among disjointed agen-

cies and study commissions. Because of

the lack of comprehensive focus, and the

delay which would result in implementing

significant new policy changes, the Gover-

nor chose to veto the bill and package a set

of reforms in its place.

Some of the good provisions in the ener-

gy bill will need to be part of the ongoing

solution to Floridas energy and climate

change crisis, including:

Tax exemptions for renewable energy

devices; elimination of current disincen-

tives and restrictions against conservation

and energy efficiency in state law; ag-

gressive efficiency and green building

standards for all public facilities through-

out the state, and various reforms involv-

ing solar power, CHP (combined heat &

power/ distributive generation), apublic

benefits fund, net metering, and a state-

wide renewables portfolio.

Sierra Energy activists, and those from

other environmental allies, are working to

keep raising the standards toward Energy

Efficiency and Conservation, as well as

selected alternatives and new clean energy

industries. Solar and other technologies

are now part of our daily advocacy in Si-

erra, as well as in local governments, and

utility planners and policymakers. (PLUG

IN yourself, through our websites andlistserves, so you can become a part of the

new, exciting Sierra programs.)

As written in our letter to the Governor,

responding to the veto, Sierra Club stated,

We understand that the funding for sev-

eral provisions, including incentives for

solar energy and building green schools,

remains in the budget and can continue

without this scrambled legislation. This

legislation was not the way to create a

comprehensive and co-ordinated energy

policy to direct the state in the coming

critical months and years.

If you are not currently subscribed toour online Tallahassee Report, just email

[email protected] and type add

me to the TR into the subject line. Join

our grass roots lobbying program which

is only effective because of volunteers

from around the state. At the beginning

of this 2007 legislative session, the TR

stated, You dont have to be an expert

to let a legislator know which bills and

amendments are important or threatening

to you and your family. They can only

absorb brief messages and will appreci-

ate the difference between your sincere

concerns as a volunteer, and the business-as-usual lobbying of the money-driven

special interests. Call and email and visit

the home offices of as many legislators

as you have timePrint off parts of the

trackerwhich will help you convince the

legislator and/or the legislators staffers, of

the merits or dangers of a particular mea-

sure. You dont have to prove anything,

except your sincerity. Thank you for

the teamwork!

SESSIONFrom Page 5

but withyour help,we can saygoodbye todirty coaland insteadhave aclean, smartenergy future.

NEWSFrom Page 2

When only 4 people (aside from those who were paid to represent the

power companies) spoke in favor of the plant at the recent land use

hearing, with over 60 voicing their firm objections, along with serious

objections raised at the Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing, it

became very obvious that a filthy coal plant is not acceptable in Taylor

County. The PCSs decision denying the Glades coal burner, with the

praise of Governor Crist, was an unmistakable sign that the partner-

ship s coal proposal is in trouble. Florida must move beyond dirty coal

and develop a smart energy plan one that includes solar, wind, and

current power. The Florida Sierra Club looks forward to playing a part

in developing a progressive clean energy plan for the state.

Joy Towles Ezell

Florida Sierra Club Energy Chair


8/12

Page 8

remain secret. Each joint mem-bership is entitled to two votes.The ballots will contain the state-ment: Ballots must be mailed to:. . . Ballots may not be submittedat the last meeting of the calen-dar year. The ballot will containthe closing date of the electionas the deadline for receiving theballot.Voters shall be eligible if they

are members as of the date ofthe ordering of labels. Labels forthe mailing of The Pelican shallbe handled so that a record ofthe ordered labels is maintained.If a member does not receive aPelican, the membermay submit a ballot with theirmembership information (themembers name, address, mem-

bership number, membershipexpiration date, member signa-ture and an indication whetherthe membership is single or jointmust appear on the tear-off por-tion of the ballot) on the oppositeside of the ballot. The electioncommittee shall check the eligibil-ity of the vote using the record ofthe ordered labels.Petition candidates shall be nom-

inated consistent with the bylawsand the election calendar. Theballots shall contain all committee-nominated and petition candidatesplaced in alphabetical order by lastname, then first name, and thenmiddle name.A minimum of 50 signatures is re-quired to become a petition candi-date. Each petition candidate mustbe on separate forms, not multiplecandidates on a single petition.Petition candidates can fax signedpetition forms to the NominationCommittee chair by establisheddeadline. Within seven days fol-lowing established deadline, theoriginals previously faxed to theNomination Chair, must be re-ceived by the Nomination Chair. Ifall originals for said petition candi-date are not received on deadline,

said petition candidate does notqualify to run for the FLEXCom.Ballots will be mailed to a mem-

ber of the election committeedesignated by the election com-mittee. The Election Committeeshall have representation from atleast three groups.Ballots will be counted prior to

the last FLEXCOM meeting of theyear. Each candidate may ob-serve the counting of the ballotsor send a representative to thecounting. The results of the countwill be made available to all can-didates and posted to the

Chapter Leaders e-mail list assoon as possible following thecount.Both nominating committee can-

didates and petition candidatesfor at-large members of FLEXCOMshall be members of Sierra Clubsince December 31 of the preced-ing year. The membership date

of nominees will be determinedfrom the database available tovolunteers (MUIR), provided thatone exists. The membership chairwill check by name, and if thatfails will request the membershipnumber from the candidate. Themembership chair will then checkby membership number and ZIPcode, by the on-line memberlookup function.Petition signers must be mem-

bers on the date they sign thepetition. Petitions must includethe membership numbers tofacilitate in verifying member-ship. The membership chair shallbe responsible for verifying themembership. Candidates will beallowed to place a statement inthe Pelican that contains the bal-lot. The statement shall be nomore than 125 words in length.Candidate statements shall be re-viewed for accuracy by the nomi-nating committee chair.Campaigning is allowed. Cam-

paign materials shall be so iden-tified. Articles not identified ascampaign materials by or aboutindividual nominees shall not bepublished in group or chapternewsletters, after publication of

nominees and prior to an elec-tion, unless they relate to theordinary performance of theduties of the nominee as a Clubmember. All candidates shall bepermitted an equal opportunityto address Sierra Club meet-ings concerning their campaigns.Any written campaign materialshall be identified by source andshall be circulated to the electioncommittee chair and to all othercandidates with sufficient time topermit candidate response.Club entities shall not endorse

candidates, but Club members,acting on an individual basis andnot acting in an official capacity,shall be permitted to endorse andspeak for a candidate. Newslettereditors shall not be permitted toendorse a candidate in the news-letter. Appointment of FLEXCOMofficers shall take place at the lastFLEXCOM of the year followingthe election committee report .The new at-large members shallhave a vote in the election ofofficers. The outgoing at -largemembers will not have a vote inthe election of officers. The newofficers will take office at the firstFLEXCOM of the next year.

RULESFrom Page 2

Martha Wellman, longtime environmentalistand Sierra Club member,died May 1, 2007. Sheserved on the ExecutiveCommittee of the BigBend Group and heldvarious Chapter positionsof Sierra Club over the

years. Recently she wasthe Groups fundraiserand also held a positionon the National Fundrais-ing Committee. Marthaand her life long partner,Jim Johnson, enjoyedbirding and traveledthroughout the country to

view new birds. In ad-dition to loving the out-doors and birding. Marthaenjoyed swimming, read-ing, and the arts.Memorial contributions

in Marthas name may bemade to the Sierra ClubMemorial Gifts Program,

85 Second Street, 2ndFloor, San Francisco, CA94105. In the memowrite: Martha Wellman,Florida Chapter.If you would like to send

Jim a card: Jim Johnson,3533 Trillium Court, Tal-lahassee, FL 32312.

MARTHA WELLMAN

3300


9/12

Page 9

wreck society and keep on doing it be-

cause, as Professor Diamond says, they

are typically concentrated (few in number)

and highly motivated by the prospect ofreaping big, certain, and immediate prof-

its, while the losses are spread over large

numbers of individuals.

Bingo. Professor Diamond is explain-

ing Floridas growth machine. Here in

Florida we have a powerful development

elite who control land use politics and,

accordingly, benefit at the expense of the

losers: the citizenry, not to mention whole

ecosystems. Theres so much money at

stake, and all they need is a few votes on

the commission to make the next bundle.

At the end of the day, land use is politics.

Floridians must change the politics of

growth. We must make future growth ac-

countable to the people who must actually

live with the consequences of what hap-

pens. Thats why the Florida Hometown

Democracy Amendment is essential.

We have until the end January, 2008 to

collect 611,000 verified petitions in order

to make the November 08 ballot. We

now have about 400,000 petitions. The

Florida Chamber of Commerce has vowed

to destroy us with a $65,000,000 cam-

paign. Yes, thats millions. The growth

machine will do ANYTHING to defeat

this historic reform, including cranking

up a Trojan horse petition with the name

Florida Growth Management Initiative

Giving Citizens the Right to Decide Lo-

cal Growth Management Plan Changes.

Dont be fooled. As my stepfather used to

say, You arent making progress unless

someones ticked off at you. The growth

machine has mobilized because it knows

that this reform is the real thing.

What must you do? Sign the petition.

Make copies and get friends and fam-

ily to sign if they are registered Florida

voters. Join our email update list at

[email protected]. Visit our web-

site at www.floridahometowndemocracy.

com. Please send a donation. Call us at

866-779-5513 for petitions. Talk with

everyone about the petition. Many Sier-

rans have not yet signed the peititon. If

you are a registered Florida voter, there is

no excuse. Act now. This chance to save

Florida from another 50 years of devel-

oper ruin will not come again.

Lesley Blackner is a member of Sierra

Club and the President of Florida Home-

town Democracy.

UPDATEFrom Page 2


10/12

Page 10

Editor: Ashlie Hood

Published by the Florida Chapter of the SierraClub, 319 E. Park Avenue, Tallahassee FL.32301

Address all inquiries to:Florida Chapter PO Box 10705Tallahassee FL 32302

The Pelican is mailed three times per yearto members of Sierra Club in the state ofFlorida. Annual membership dues include$1.00 for the chapter newsletter.

Send address changes to:Sierra Club Member ServicesPO Box 52968Boulder CO 80322-2968or e-mail:[email protected].

Send articles (in Microsoft Word format viae-mail) and requests for advertising rates

to the Pelican Committee:

Betsy Roberts: [email protected] Glenn: [email protected] Orr: [email protected] Shaffer: [email protected]

Articles may be edited by the committeefor space and clarity.

Next deadline: August 24, 2007

THE PELICAN VOL. 39, NO. 2

PELICAN SUMMARY OF 06 ELECTIONS

Dan HendricksonMember Florida Chapter

Political Committee

Florida Sierrans endorsed

& campaigned for dozens of

victorious political candidates

in the fall elections, includ-

ing Congressional, legislative

& local officials. Political

committees in virtually every

group around the state were

active in interviewing &

endorsing candidates dur-

ing the months leading up to

the November elections. In

federal races, Sierra endorsed

the successful Bill Nelson

reelection campaign, as well

as two successful new Con-

gressional Representatives,

Ron Klein and Kathy Castor,

in House Districts 22 and 11

(Kathy is a Sierra member);

we lost two other open seats,

vs Bilirakis in D. 9 & the still

contested D13 seat where

Christine Jennings came up

only a few hundred short amid

unexplainable undervoting in

her best precincts.

At the State level, Sierra was

3-0 in our endorsed Senate

candidates: Congratulate new

senators Charlie Justice, Arthe-

nia Joyner and Ted Deutch.

In the State House, we won 8

endorsed races, plus various

incumbents who ended up with

no serious opposition (at all

levels of elected office). Ten of

our endorsed challengers lost

in House races. Our endors-

ees lost both the governor &

attorney general races, and we

lost the vote over constitu-

tional amendment 3 which we

opposed because it will seri-

ously limit citizens rights tochange the state constitution in

the future. In September, our

endorsed candidates for Gov-

ernor won both political party

primariesJim Davis for the

Democrats and now Governor

Charlie Crist, Republican, a

Sierra member whose leader-

ship and appointments have

already been a welcome change

in Florida policymaking.

Locally, Sierrans won key

victories, which have now

given us majorities in some

local commissions!

The new Greater Charlotte

Harbor Group won their first

two endorsements ever. In

Wakulla County, we helped

win two hotly contested races,

including reelection for Com-

missioner and Sierra member

Howard Kessler. Big Bend,

Northeast, Loxahatchee and

other groups won key races,

and Sierra activists supported

and helped win local ballot

measures in all ends of the

state.To plug in to this next two

year cycle of electoral activi-

ty, contact your local political

committee, Excom members

or Chapter Political Com-

mittee members Curt Levine

(Chair), Karen Orr (Vice

Chair), John Koch, Betsy

Roberts, Dan Hendrickson or

new committee member Karl

Nurse.

Sierrans help win elections around the state

Nuclear Power is not the

Answer to Climate Change

Mark OncavageSierra Club Radiation Committee

The need to reduce green-

house gases has become

apparent, as CO2 satura-

tion of the atmosphere andoceans continues to increase.

Unfortunately, mankind has

not learned how to contain

wastes generated by either

fossil or nuclear power

plants. Adding new nuclear

reactors will not reduce

CO2 emissions. Adding new

nuclear reactors will create

many new liabilities without

achieving any climate change

benefits.

The problems created by

switching to nuclear en-ergy include environmental,

health, reliability, cost, and

security risks.

One of the main problems

in increased use of this form

of energy is the disposal of

its highly radioactive waste.

Onsite storage puts reactor

wastes at dangerous loca-

tions. Many sites are adja-

cent to public water supply

sources. Many are adjacent to

food producing areas. Many

are in hurricane, tornado,

earthquake, and flood zones.

Many are near large popula-

tion centers. Added to this

is increased security risks.

Nuclear reactors and their

waste storage facilities are

avowed targets of terrorists.This type of waste remains

toxic for a very long time.

For example, the EPA pro-

posed a compliance period

for radioactive leaks at the

Yucca Mountain storage site

for 10,000 years. Scientists

from the National Academy

of Sciences testified that peak

radiation at Yucca Mountain

would not occur for hundreds

of thousands of years. The

D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

then ruled that the compli-ance period for leakage at

Yucca Mountain will be

1,000,000 years!

This is a very expensive

form of energy. Cost over-

runs, defaults, cancellations,

abandoned projects, and other

costs devastated the early

construction boom of the

nuclear industry. The Three

Mile Island accident in 1978

SeeANSWER on Page 11


11/12

Page 11

was the final blow. No

new nuclear reactors have

been ordered in the United

States since 1978.

Duke Energy-Carolinashas asked the North Caro-

lina Utilities Commission

to recover $125 million in

development costs even

before the companys deci-

sion to build a new nuclear

reactor is made.

Nor is it reliable. During

the heat wave of 2004, re-

actors in France, Germany,

and Spain had to reduce

electrical generation and/or

shut down nuclear op-

erations due to insufficient

cooling capacity. Nuclear

electricity may be unreli-

able when needed the

most.

Nuclear energy does

little to reduce greenhouse

gases. The United States is

the worlds biggest emitter

of greenhouse gases. Add-

ing any type of electrical

generation does not reduce

the amount of greenhouse

gases being generated un-less fossil fueled plants are

shut down or the gases are

sequestered. Large genera-

tors of electricity own both

coal burning and nuclear

plants. These companies

may not be willing shut

down their coal-burning

plants to prevent climate

change.

Rather than looking a

nuclear solution to global

warming, efficiency and

conservation programs cansuccessfully reduce electric

demand and greenhouse

gas emissions.

ANSWERFrom Page 10

Betsy Roberts

Chapter Chair and

Susie Caplowe

Chapter Legislative Affairs

The Florida Legislature created the Gov-

ernors Commission on Volunteerism and

Community Service in 1994 to pass through

and administer federal grants to the Florida

AmeriCorps and

National Service pro-

grams.

The commissions

mission also encour-

ages citizen volunteer-

ism and promotes

volunteerism fordisaster preparedness

and response. Sierra

Club Florida com-

mends Governor Crist

for this initiative that

expands the commissions mission to include

environmental concerns. The commission

is developing a new initiative appropriately

named Serve to Preserve Florida.

The essence of this new project is to engage

Floridians in all aspects of preserving Flori-

das environment. The organization will func-

tion like a clearinghouse for local and state

activities that need help with projects such as

coastal cleanup, tabling events, exotic plant

removal along water ways or hiking paths and

trail maintenance. The purpose of the Gover-

nors initiative is to encourage citizens to get

involved and volunteer, not just environmen-

tal activists. This effort will help expand the

environmental volunteer base by providing

information that will enable all Floridians to

participate in the initiative.

What a difference an administration

makes!

The Sierra Club feels that most of Governor

Crists agency appointments have beenexcellent, and give a stronger voice to the

environment. And the Governor has elevated

the importance of the environment through

his recognition that global warming is real

and to emphasis this, they have been orga-

nizing a Global Climate Summit to be held

in Miami on July 12-13, 2007 . Governor

Schwarzenegger and Robert Kennedy, Jr will

be keynote speakers.

To register go to: http://www.myfloridacli-

mate.com/

Governor Crists new Serve to

Preserve Florida Volunteer Florida

Gov. Charlie Crist

By Betsy RobertsChapter Chair

Those of us lucky enough to at-

tend the LDP (leadership develop-

ment project) have now complet-

ed the year long pioneer project.

We should give a great big thank

you to Dan Hendrickson for our

involvement. He worked very

hard to educate participants on

the advantage of being one of the

first chapters participating (along

with one California chapter and

the chapters in Washington state

and New Mexico). The LDP grew

out of the NPLA survey (a.k.a.

the Harvard Study) many of

us took a few years ago, asking

us many questions about our in-

volvement and interests at group

and chapter levels of Sierra.

Multiple members from Big

Bend, Northeast, Suncoast, Volu-

sia-Flagler, Tampa Bay, Manatee-

Sarasota, Northwest and CentralFlorida groups, and representa-

tives from several other groups,

as well as our elected chapter

leaders joined national trainers

Marshal Ganz, Ruth Wageman,

Greg Casini, Liz Pallato, Joan

Willey and other instructors

from other chapters. We met 4

weekends in different locations

from May 2006 to May 2007.

Each group had their own leader

and stayed together throughout

the workshops. The dynamics

changed when one member was

missing or another was added.

Some ongoing coaching and

planning and problem-solving

was available in between the

actual training sessions.

Most of the Sierra Leaders have

attended numerous trainings

over the years but this was a

completely different approach.

The workshops began on Friday

nights and ended Sunday after-

noons.There was a lot of talking

and laughing.The weekends were

very interactive and non-judg-

mental, so we felt free to express

ourselves. We learned how to

effectively engage and keep

activists and leaders, through

our stories, personal approaches,

changes in meeting agendas, and

other skilled approaches.

The first weekend workshop

was introductory and we learned

about relationships and their

importance in motivating others.

We began with telling our story

and how important the personal

touch is with encouraging othersto become involved. There were

readings to assist in observing

how others throughout history

have engaged and motivated, us-

ing their unique leadership skills.

The second workshop built on

the first and focused on building

the community; instead of telling

just a personal story, we told our

public story to motivate others.

Throughout, the importance of

relationships and getting to really

know those we are working with

and hoping to engage was appar-

ent. We did some readings and

continued our interactions with

the others in the group.

In the third workshop, we con-

tinued to grow and build on what

we have learned from the previ-

ous workshops. Now that we have

engaged these wonderful activists

and leaders, we worked on getting

the structure of our team in place.

Our stories turned to the Story

of Now, what we chose and the

methods used to get to the choice.

We found that celebrating is an

important aspect of the story.

Leadership Development Programboosts Florida Chapter Sierra Club

SAVE THE DATE

Dont miss this Falls

Florida Chapter Conser-

vation Conference, to

be held Friday-Sunday,

November 2-4.

Well feature programs

and discussions on Flori-

das environmental chal-

Fall 2007

Conference

November2-4

SeeDATE on Page 12 SeePROGRAMon Page 12

Celebrating honorsour successes andthe participants ofthe success or fail-ure, if that be thecase. To succeedmore, we learnedhow important

strategy is, notjust having a goal,but the path toachieve that goal.The importance of

sharing the goal isvital to the successand therefore it isimportant to deter-mine that all par-ticipants are on the

same page.


12/12

Celebrating honors our successes and the

participants of the success or failure, if that

be the case. To succeed more, we learned how

important strategy is, not just having a goal,

but the path to achieve that goal. The impor-

tance of sharing the goal is vital to the success

and therefore it is important to determine that

all participants are on the same page.

Our final workshop was sad in a way: it

would be sad to not see the same friends and

share ideas and laughter with them at the

workshops; but graduation is always a move

forward. Again, we used the lessons from the

previous workshops to determine our time-

lines, commitment and accountability. As in

all the workshops, we broke into our working

groups and reported back for input and ap-

plause. We made norms for our groups, such

as being respectful and not going overtime,

and came up with a real plan for our team to

use back home. This could be as simple as

changing a meeting agenda, or more difficult

such as using a more interactive approach to

planning a red tide campaign.

I have been around Sierra for a number of

years and held many positions. I found the

approach we learned at LDP very helpful and

easily usable. Hopefully, you will continue to

see the results of this intense experience for

the thirty-some of us who were able to take

advantage of the opportunity!

PROGRAMFrom Page 11

lenges such as: Energy, Global Warming,

Growth, Public Lands and Wildlife, as

well as training sessions and outings.

The Conference will be at beautiful Pine

Lake Retreat in central Florida. Pine Lake

Retreat is located on U.S. Hwy. 27 just

south of Leesburg and the Florida Turn-

pike.

Housing options include chalets, lodges

and tent camping.

The cafeteria has great food and the

meeting rooms are spacious and fully

equipped. The camp is loaded with activi-

ties and sports fun for the whole fam-

ily.

So mark your calendar now for this

weekend of learning, sharing and fun.

More details and a registration form will

be in the next Pelican. Check out www.

pinelakeretreat.com for more information

on Pine Lake. Get in touch with Ben

at [email protected] (850) 297-2052 if

you have any questions or if you have any

DATEFrom Page 11

Yes, I remember that fund appealletter from the Florida Chapter of the

Sierra Club. That was back in March

and I didnt respond right away. Just

put it aside so I could get to it later.

Well, now its later and I cant findit.

Is this you, too? Well, you can

still contribute to one or both of our

funds:

Florida Chapter General Fund. This

is not tax-deductible because funds

support our effective advocacy and

lobbying efforts.

Florida Chapter Political Commit-

tee (PAC). This is not tax-deduct-

ible because this money is used for

political

activities.

Write a separate check for each

fund and make it payable to the spe-

cific fund. Include your full name,

address, ZIP code and phone num-

ber. If your political contribution

exceeds $100, you must also includeyour occupation.

Send to:

Florida Sierra Fund

c/o Don S. Lieb

21 Kingsbridge Crossing Drive

Ormond Beach FL 32174

If you have already sent in a dona-

tion, we thank you for

your support!

Chapter Fund Appeal Its

Not Too Late To Donate

Florida Chapter Sierra ClubThe PelicanPO Box 10705Tallahassee, FL 32302

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTallahassee, FLModern Mailers

Permit 236

FLORIDA CHAPTER,

AWARDS PROGRAM

Volunteers are essential to

the work of the Sierra Club.

Florida Sierra Club would

like to say thank you and

recognize these volunteers

through the honors and

awards program. The dead-

line for submission of nomi-

nations is July 27 and the

awards are presented at the

Chapters annual Conserva-

tion Conference in Novem-

ber. To see the list of awards

and nominate someone go

to: http://florida.sierraclub.

org/awards.asp

If you have questions,

please contact Mary-

Slater Linn, chair of the

Awards Committee at

[email protected] or 407-

481-4398.

NOMINATIONS NEEDED FOR SIERRA CLUB HONORS AND AWARDS

summer 2007 pelican newsletter, florida sierra club

Documents