Manatee County, located on the Gulf of Mexico in West Central Florida, is home to one of the largest ecosystems of its kind in the world. This area is one of the largest wetlands (2) in the region and forms the headwaters of the rivers in the area that supply about fifteen percent of the water flow in the Peace River watershed. This particular region of Florida is used for fresh water reservoirs, livestock, agriculture, and newly populated residential neighborhoods. This ecologically critical region is populated with pristine rivers, streams, springs, aquifers, ponds and lakes. Both flora and fauna flourish in these unique environmental habitats, from abundant marine life to healthy populations of deer, possibly bear, warthog, along with a host of other wildlife.
However, the phosphate industry decided to purchase this land with the intention of exploiting this region of central Florida, despite the industry’s poor environmental conservation record over the past seven decades. Strip mining will destroy and plunder these regions of central Florida for the phosphate that lies just below the surface. All of the above will be extinguished in open pit mined areas. There will be no fresh water, no pasture for cattle, no agriculture, no marine life, no springs, no aquifers, no wild animals, no flora or fauna. The only thing left from strip mining on earth are radioactive materials, caustics, acids, and destroyed landscapes that are more like a lunar landscape. The aforementioned abandoned phosphate strip mining poisons will be there for decades to come, or until Florida taxpayers pay the cleanup costs. Open pit phosphate mining has no environmentally redeemable qualities. Historically, industry officials are environmentally unreliable, clandestinely dumping millions of tons of toxic waste, and building their business models on scrupulous business practices.
This particular area of central Florida is the area where the Florida phosphate industry decided to mine the valuable phosphate ore in the area. Phosphate industry officials expressed confidence in the EPA’s ability to reclaim the land to support beneficial use after mining operations end. Interestingly, the EPA issued permits, but Manatee County officials required more details about the project and delayed open-pit mining for the time being. Each permit requested by phosphate officials was twice denied by Manatee County after the EPA issued permits to begin mining. Manatee and Sarasota counties and countless smaller lawsuits against the phosphate industry continue to fight so that the environmental health of Central Florida is not destroyed by phosphate.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, DEP, stated that the submitted plans for strip mining provided no accurate information, no proof of financial responsibility, and no acceptable reclamation policy. (1) These particular items are of concern because the phosphate industry historically leaves all of the environmental havoc it causes to taxpayers to cover cleanup costs. Manatee County denied permits were denied and forced phosphate industry officials back to court. The State of Florida in conjunction with Manatee County will retain phosphate industry officials from new open pit mining in Manatee County until all required reports are submitted for county review and approval. After all, the phosphate industry has already forced Manatee County taxpayers to cover the cost of removing an abandoned phosphate fertilizer plant near the Port of Manatee at a cost of $144 million.
Manatee County is fighting a losing battle due to financial difficulties (no federal dollars) with phosphate officials over new strip mining in the Myakka River watershed, which is also one of the largest watersheds in the state. . The 2,500 acres of basin adjacent to current mining in the Myakka Basin is where the eight-year environmental court battle will play out.
The Florida phosphate industry is a financial giant that will not stop strip mining in Florida until it is financially damaging to do so. Citizens of Florida can also help environmentalists in the state with their votes and funding. Central Florida environmental resources such as the Manatee County Commission, Peace River Initiative, Sarasota-Shelby County Botanical Gardens, and Manasota-88 are local to the Central Florida region and accept donations for the preservation of ecological systems Unique to Central Florida.
Reference
1. Altman permit. ourphosphaterisk.com/permitting/altman-permit.
2. Michael Gallen, Manatee County Commissioner | Sarasota Bay sarasotabaytoday.com/2012/10/michael-gallen-manatee-county-commissioner/.
