Federal Judge Impatient on Everglades Cleanup

Chief U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno, according to the Miami Herald, "made it clear Tuesday that his patience was nearing an end -- both with delays in the controversial land deal and the glacial pace of the cleanup."

And Judge Moreno said:

"When is it ever going to end? I guess `When is it ever going to begin?' is the better question.''
The judge said he would issue rulings later on pending motions, some of which he had put on hold while the South Florida Water Management District pursued a land deal with the U.S. Sugar Corp.

The Urban Environment League is a member of the Everglades Coalition, "an alliance of 53 local, state and national conservation and environmental organizations dedicated to full restoration of the greater Everglades ecosystem, from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes into Lake Okeechobee, through the "River of Grass", out to Florida Bay and the Keys. Through consensus the Everglades Coalition is dedicated to:

* Advocating for the restoration, protection and enhancement of the greater Everglades ecosystem;
* Supporting and providing education and public understanding regarding all aspects of the Everglades ecosystem;
* Supporting and sponsoring research in the protection, restoration and enhancement of the Everglades ecosystem;
* Facilitating the coordination of information resources, strategies and efforts among Everglades Coalition members."

UEL says, "Kudos to Governor Crist!"

Crist shakes up South Florida Water Management District Board!

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed two new members to the South Florida Water Management District and confirmed that he demanded assurances from the newcomers that they would support his plan for a $536-million purchase of U.S. Sugar property for Everglades restoration.

Crist appointed Anne "Sandy" Batchelor-Robjohns, 56, of Miami Beach, co-CEO of The Batchelor Foundation, and environmental and land use lawyer Glenn Waldman, 49, of Weston. Crist also reappointed Shannon Estenoz, 42, a research assistant at FAU, to a new four-year term. Batchelor-Robjohns will replace Gladys Perez on the five-member governing board, and Waldman will replace Michael Collins.

Crist's litmus-test approach to the water-board appointments recalls his insistence that new appointees to the Public Service Commission take a skeptical view of a major rate increase sought by Florida Power & Light.

"I did that personally. Damn right," Crist said. "The litmus test is, you'll protect the Everglades. You'll protect the environment. You'll protect the water down there. It is the Water Management District."

Go to The Everglades Coalition Meeting January 8th or 9th

The UEL is a member of the Everglades Coalition. Although the conference goes from January 7 - 10, one day will suit most tastes. Take a ride to attend their conference in Palm Beach Gardens. It is $100 for the day if you register early (before Dec. 10th). You will learn a lot and meet some fascinating people. Here is a brief description of the event:

The Coalition's Annual Conference seeks to raise critical, timely issues for in-depth debates in an open, accessible forum. Attended by decision-makers from federal, state, local and tribal governments, agency representatives, stakeholders and a vast array of public and private interests, the conference is the largest annual forum for debate of Everglades conservation and restoration.

Here is Friday and Saturday's program so you can choose a day for the trip to Palm Beach Gardens (hit on the image and it will enlarge):

Get to know Urban Environment League Board Members

Paul Schwiep has been a UEL Board Member for half a dozen years. Paul is also a member of the Transportation Trust, which is overseeing our Miami Dade County Bond money. He has received many awards for his volunteer efforts including the one mentioned in the graphic at top: From the Everglades Coalition in 2008. The Barley Award is one the Coalition's highest honors.

The UEL is also a member of the Everglades Coalition, recognized for its work with Hold the Line.

$360 million stimulus for Everglades Restoration spurs South Fl. Environmental Justice conference

Several south Florida organizations have joined together to sponsor an environmental justice conference, Saturday, June 20, 2009 in the Broward County main library auditorium, beginning at 10 a.m.

Billed as “A Mobilizing Conference for Environmental Justice, Conservation and ‘We The People,’” conference organizers are hoping for a frank discussion with officials from the U. S Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), managers of the $22.8 billion Everglades Restoration projects.

Environmental justice (EJ) and conservation activists want to know specifics as to how the $360 million Recovery Stimulus Act funding the Obama administration is sending for Everglades Restoration, will impact socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and communities.
For example, the Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project (Lake Okeechobee) and the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) large reservoir construction, are two projects that will seriously impact low income and minority communities. The people want to know just how environmental justice issues are being dealt with.

At issue is what one activist called “the prostitution of congressional intent,” regarding how laws such as WRDA 2000, NEPA and Presidential Executive Order 12898, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, have been side-stepped or fudged. Those provisions were designed to protect the interests of the poor, near-poor and minority populations, “including individuals with limited English proficiency.”

Other EJ and conservation issues will be discussed at the conference, including the Wingate Road Municipal Incinerator and Landfill site in Fort Lauderdale, that spewed toxic waste from 1954-78 on mostly black residents of that northwest neighborhood and surrounding vicinity.

Schedule permitting, famed EJ sociologist Robert Bullard, Ph.D., affectionately called “the father of environmental justice,” and author of 12 books including Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality, may be able to fly in to address the conference.

The conference will feature panel discussions with lots of time allotted for audience participation. A primary conference goal is to organize through mobilization and coalition building, initially in the tri-county area of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Conference organizers say that EJ and conservation, not separately, but as one, is the civil rights movement of the 21st century.

Conference co-sponsors area: Operation Green Leaves/South Florida Community Partners; Florida Atlantic University, Department of Urban and Regional Planning; Broward Libraries Division, Department of Outreach Services; the Wilderness Society; and the South Florida Times.