There is a critical public meeting today at Florida International University on FPL's plans for Everglades National Park.
A meeting is being held today for public discu
ssion on Florida Power and Light's proposed western county corridor for new power lines. These lines are for their unapproved nuclear power reactors at Turkey Point. The eastern aspect of their plan includes running poles up US1 from Palmetto Bay all the way to Downtown Miami.
ssion on Florida Power and Light's proposed western county corridor for new power lines. These lines are for their unapproved nuclear power reactors at Turkey Point. The eastern aspect of their plan includes running poles up US1 from Palmetto Bay all the way to Downtown Miami.FPL is attempting to swap an utility corridor it owns inside the 109,000 acre East Everglades Expansion Area (in Everglades National Park) for a new corridor on the east side of the park. This new corridor that FPL wants is still inside current park boundaries. If permitted, one of Florida's unique natural areas will gain a new industrial viewscape consisting of three sets of power lines carrying up to 500,000 volts of electricity across towers as high as 150 feet (15 stories tall). The lines would connect proposed new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point to points north.
Their strategy seems to require that they have the entire support infrastructure in place before they are given approval for the new nuclear plants. FPL can then argue that they have already spent massive amounts of money (yours), so they "must have" the plants approved. Whatever FPL's ultimate goal is, whether it is build the nukes or simply have the public fund their northbound corridor upgrade, there needs to be serious public input into the line corridors. Everglades National Park is a national treasure which should be protected from industrial intrusion.
And while tomorrow's meeting does not concern the eastern part of the plan, our US1 corridor is not a place for poles of giant magnitude. If you live in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest or any of the other affected communities, you need to speak with your elected officials for details and information on what they are doing about the pole placement.
If you decide to go:
Florida International University's Main Campus
Stadium Club
11200 SW 8th Street, Miami
5:30 PM (formal presentation at 6:30 - public comments to follow until 8:30 p.m.)
For more information about power lines and the map for the meeting, please click here.
Please also review my prior post of Sunday, June 12, entitled “Opportunity for public input: The National Park Service is seeking your input on acquisition of lands owned by FPL within the East Everglades Expansion Area of Everglades National Park” (Click on title to review) This was generated from a National Park Service (NPS) notice regarding the initiation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate options and potential impacts for acquiring lands owned by the Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) within the East Everglades Expansion Area (Expansion Area) of Everglades National Park addressed to “Friends of Everglades National Park”
Please also review my prior post of Sunday, June 12, entitled “Opportunity for public input: The National Park Service is seeking your input on acquisition of lands owned by FPL within the East Everglades Expansion Area of Everglades National Park” (Click on title to review) This was generated from a National Park Service (NPS) notice regarding the initiation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate options and potential impacts for acquiring lands owned by the Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) within the East Everglades Expansion Area (Expansion Area) of Everglades National Park addressed to “Friends of Everglades National Park”
Mr. Flinn,
ReplyDeletePlease allow me to clarify some of the facts of the proposed land exchange.
•In 2007, at the request of Everglades National Park, state and federal agencies worked collaboratively with FPL to identify an option that would help resolve the land ownership issue created by the park expansion in 1989. The proposed solution was an exchange of lands to move any future transmission lines out of the park at no expense to taxpayers or FPL customers.
•In 2008 through a multi-agency, public/private effort including South Florida Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and FPL, developed a solution.
•In 2009 federal legislation was enacted authorizing the land exchange and changing of the Everglades National Park eastern boundary so future lines would not be in the park.
The Environmental Impact Statement underway now by the National Park Service is the final step in this process.
Additionally, there seems to be a misunderstanding about the State Site Certification Process that considers both the proposed power plant and the associated transmission lines at the same time. Your comment that this process somehow short circuits public involvement or makes a certain outcome inevitable is incorrect.
FPL is committed to delivering services to our customers in an environmentally responsible manner and is open and willing to find the approach that satisfies all parties. we firmly believe that the land exchange that has been agreed upon by multiple state and federal agencies, and authorized by federal law will best meet the mutual objectives of all entities.
M. J. "Manny" Rodriguez, P.E.
Miami-Dade Regional Director
Florida Power & Light Company
Manny_J_Rodriguez@fpl.com
Additionally, there seems to be a misunderstanding about the State Site Certification Process that considers both the proposed power plant and the associated transmission lines at the same time. Your comment that this process somehow short circuits public involvement or makes a certain outcome inevitable is incorrect.
ReplyDeleteMr. Rodriquez:
As someone who has followed FPL for the past zillion years, let me say one thing: There is no misunderstanding that FPL will work to short circuit public involvement or work to make a certain outcome inevitable. That is why you all have lobbyists and why your Public Affairs staff quell public discord at every opportunity.
FPL has been been playing the community for years. Community people tend to go with the flow because taking on FPL is intimidating and find it time consuming to challenge FPL.
However, I find it very strange that your corporation would spend the money to do the infrastructure for power plants that don't exist.
Don't you think most prudent business people get the approvals for their main project so they know they are going to need to create infrastructure before they spend the funds on it?
I suspect that FPL will have plenty of time to design and build-out the feeder lines after approval of the nukes. However, FPL and the state of Florida seems to be acting like the nuke project is a done deal.
Given that FPL has probably scooped up over $250 million in prepaid contributions by the general public for the Unapproved Nukes, I have to wonder what kind of water is being served by FPL in Tallahassee to the folks who are charged with protecting the consumer .