FPL gets key Miami-Dade approval for Turkey Point rock-ming project, despite opposition

Persistent lobbying efforts at the Miami-Dade County over the years paid off for FPL yesterday, as the Miami-Dade County Planning Advisory Board in a 5-3 vote approved an FPL land-use change request that would allow rock-pit mining in the south of the county -- despite strong opposition from environmentalists, farmers, Biscayne National Park and the U.S. Air Force.

The Miami Herald reported today on the approval by the board that sent to the County Commission for its approval or rejection next month a plan by FPL to rock mine near Biscayne Bay in order to provide landfill for the two new Turkey Point 6 & 7 nuclear reactors planned for the power plant.

Red the full Herald story online, here.

Miami-Dade County to hear pros, cons of Turkey Point landfill plans

Front page story this morning in the Miami Herald outlines what's at stake today in the hearing before Miami-Dade Planning Advisory Board for a permit to allow rock mining for landfill purposes related top construction of new Turkey Point nuclear reactors 6 & 7.

According to the story, FPL canals criticized as health risk, by Herald staff writer Curtis Morgan:

Environmental groups, backed by Biscayne National Park, will ask Miami-Dade's Planning Advisory Board on Monday to reject a request key to its Turkey Point plan. The land-use change would clear the way for FPL to dig rock pits in up to 880 acres of nearby farmland as a source of limestone fill for future construction.

The story goes on to say that:

... spiking chloride -- a measure of salt -- in monitoring wells west of FPL's site, and new aerial electromagnetic assessment techniques used by the U.S. Geological Survey, suggest South Miami-Dade's salt concerns are the most serious in South Florida. Salt fronts typically ebb and flow, but preliminary data suggest the salt is moving inland yearly in spots.

Read the Herald story in full online, here.

Turkey Point NRC hearing: residents, environmentalists, workers voice concerns

Two very interesting pieces over the weekend at the Miami Herald on the Turkey Point hearing in Homestead on Thursday evening with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

On Friday, Herald staff writer John Dorschner framed the public hearing in terms of a debate between representatives of some fairly heavy-hitting environmentalist groups, concerned over salt water contamination of the fresh water aquifer underlying Miami-Dade county and damage to Biscayen National Park, versus workers concerned with jobs, jobs, jobs ... who were (surprise!) in favor of the expansion of nuclear units at Turkey Point.

Dorschner's story is online at: Residents get their say on FPL plans for new Turkey Point reactors.

On Sunday, Neighbors section reporter Tania Valderomo reported on the same meeting in the zoned Pinecrest/Bays edition of the paper, focused more on the local residents' concerns about the impact of Turkey Point expansion:

The question on everyone's mind Thursday is how two new nuclear reactors would affect their lives -- from safety at the proposed nuclear power plants to storing nuclear waste to water sources. Residents also wanted to know the effect of the reactors on wildlife and vegetation at neighboring Biscayne National Park.

Valderomo's story can be read online at: Feds start discussion on more nuclear facilities in South Miami-Dade.

Two Turkey Point meetings with NRC on Thursday

Two Turkey Point hearings are set for tomorrow, Thursday April 23rd, with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commisssion.

The first is a meeting for local elected officials "to discuss the role that the NRC will play in the anticipated review of the Florida Power and Light company (FP&L) application for a combined license for the proposed Turkey Point Units 6 and 7."

Local Elected Officials NRC meeting
April 23, 2009 from 1 PM to 2:30 PM
Keys Gate Golf & Country Club Palm Room
2300 SE Palm Drive (SW 344 St), Homestead

The second meeting is from 7 to 8:30 pm Thursday night for the general public, at which NRC staff will provide information on the licensing process for FPL's request for the new reactors at Turkey Point and address concerns about the existing facility.

General Public NRC meeting
April 23, 2009 from 7 PM to 8:30 PM
Keys Gate Golf & Country Club Palm Room
2300 SE Palm Drive (SW 344 St), Homestead

Anyone interested at all in FPL's nuclear power expansion in Miami-Dade and in our State should turn out for this public meeting. And, don't hesitate to let your local officials know what you think about this important issue!

FPL prominent in Eye On Miami roundup on 'Environmental Issues We Are Facing'

Genius of Despair gives a nice (well, frightening, really!) roundup today at Eye on Miami of the pressing environmental issues facing all who live in Miami-Dade.

FPL related exigencies noted, include numbers 1, 2 and 6, which we've taken the liberty of reprinting here:

1. Nuclear and Coal Technologies Need to be Removed from the Renewable Portfolio:
These two technologies will take away funding for development of real renewable energy sources like solar and wind. This week there were important State Senate Committee Hearings on SB 1154 and it will be important to be vocal on this issue.

2. Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve:
At least $10 million for water managers to buy endangered Biscayne Bay wetland is gone, and more than $140,000 has been slashed from the Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas program. As Laura Reynolds (Tropical Audubon) sees it, Biscayne National Park's fragile ecosystem is suffering a slow "death by a thousand cuts." (Hit read more).

Without management, the Bay will degrade. For example boat propeller scarring in shallow sea grass areas of the bay is a problem in the preserve. Boaters disregard markers and just plough through the flats. Eventually, these scars erode and become trenches. For history buffs, who could forget the FP&L debacle of the 1960’s, when hot water was dumped into Biscayne Bay by the Company from their nuclear reactors. Large areas of sea grass and masses of marine organisms – both plants and animals – were killed.

Action: Press county and state officials to protect the bay and South Miami-Dade's fresh water supply.

6. Rock Mining Near Biscayne National Park:
Turkey Point Nuclear Power plant needs to raise the grade to expand and build two more reactors. They need enormous amounts of fill and it is feared that they will excavate near the park, causing saltwater intrusion and endangering our water supply. Also Cemex had a permit application last year to mine 26 million cubic yards on 200 acres very close to the park, at Florida City Quarry. Rock mining near Biscayne National Park will seriously affect water quality in the Park. This is one obvious problem. There is no doubt that marine life in the park will be detrimentally impacted, counter to the Park’s Management Plan.

Do check out the full post: Rundown of Environmental Issues We Are Facing. And be sure to follow Genius's counsel to "write to the Governor about all these issues. Express your concern for the future of the environment in Florida."

South Miami proposes FPL power line alternatives

The Miami Herald reported in its Gables/S. Miami neighbors section Sunday the vote by South Miami Commissioners last week to oppose FPL high-voltage transmission lines coming through their community and propose alternate routes further West.

Commissioners also voted to support bills in the Florida House and Senate that would give communities more power in dealing with utilites over selection of power-line routes.

The vote came nearly two weeks after FPL announced it had selected a preferred route for the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Lines project that would run the 230-KV high-voltage lines supplying electric power from the yet-to-be-built Turkey Point nuclear reactors 6 & 7 right down Highway US-1, through Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.

Read the full Herald story online, here.

FPL requests OK on $1.5 billion 300-mile gas pipeline from Palm Beach to Gainesville

The Sun-Sentinel's Julie Patel reported today that on Tuesday Florida Power & Light proposed to the Florida Public Service commission the construction of "a $1.5 billion underground pipeline that stretches 300 miles from Palm Beach County to Bradford County near Gainesville as early as 2014."

The exact route will be determined after a "comprehensive public outreach process to obtain feedback” about it, FPL said. The pipeline proposal comes during the annual legislative session, where lawmakers are considering requiring utilities to have 20 percent of their energy come from renewable resources such as the sun and wind by 2020.

Read the full post online at the newspaper's House Keys blog, here.

Seaweed clogs St. Lucie reactor 2 cooling pipe, causing shutdown

Reuters reports today that operators at the St. Lucie power plant shut down nuclear reactor 2 "due to lowering condenser vacuum caused by algae and seaweed clogging the cooling water intake."

There are two 839 MW Units 1 and 2 at the station, located on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County. Unit 1 remained in service.

Read the Reuters story online, here.

After heated debate, "clean" energy bill moves out of Senate committee

This morning SB 1154 moved out of the Florida Senate's Communications, Energy and Public Utilities committee "after heated debate," reports the Sun-Sentinel's Julie Patel on the "House Keys" blog.

If the Bill makes it into law it would require 20 percent of Florida's power to be "clean" energy by 2020 -- though nuclear energy would be allowed to constitute a full 25% of that quota, with 50% coming from wind and solar and an additional 25% from biomass and other renewables.

As Patel writes, "FPL has said it supports including new nuclear power to help curb costs and promote fuel diversity."

You bet! And, hey, the bill includes language that would authorize a "Go Green Florida" license plate, to boot!

Read Julie Patel's full blog post on SB 1154, here.

FPL, solar and RECs: higher costs, fewer jobs and less clean energy for consumers

Interesting story last week in the Sarasota Herald Tribune outlines the battle over solar energy looming between big power companies like FPL and consumers, as the legislature is poised to pass a new energy law requiring power companies to generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

The story, by Zac Anderson, points out that State legislators are favoring the system known as renewable energy credits, or RECS, which some business groups and environmentalists believe "would give windfall profits to large energy companies, cost consumers more and generate fewer local jobs and less clean energy."

The REC system would ...

... allow utilities to decide who can sell them solar energy based on a bidding process, resulting primarily in large, centralized solar developments. Opponents of the REC system say an alternative program, called a "feed-in tariff," encourages more small-scale solar development on homes and businesses by setting a price for solar energy that makes it profitable for anyone with open land or roof space. The system also forces electric utilities to buy energy from everyone.

And where does FPL fit in this story? The paper writes:

Florida Power & Light, the state's largest energy provider, criticizes feed-in tariffs as expensive and anti-competitive. So do representatives for large solar companies such as Maryland-based SunEdison, which has begun contracting with utilities to build big solar power plants in Florida. The deals have stirred intense infighting in the solar industry nationwide as small local businesses are pushed aside by larger corporations. Dismissing the Renewable Energy Lab's conclusions, FPL's vice president and chief development officer, Eric Silagy, said, "Any time you get into prescriptive government-set rates, you chill innovation."

And, why would FPL and other energy giants favor RECs? Take a guess ...

The REC system has resulted in substantially higher energy profits in places like New Jersey and the United Kingdom and much higher electricity prices for consumers than the more simplified feed-in tariff policy.

Read the full Sarasota Herald-Tribune story online, here.

Nuclear would get 25% of all new "clean energy" under Florida Senate bill

The Florida Senate's energy and utilities committee is set to hear first thing Tuesday morning Senate Bill 1154, which would define nuclear power as "clean energy" and allow for a full 25% of all new "clean energy" generated in the State to come from nuclear power.

The St. Pete Times reports today that only half of new clean energy in the State as defined by the Senate bill would actually come from wind and solar, with another 25% from biomass, solid waste and other renewables.

The Times' staff says that "lobbyists for companies including Gulf Power and FPL hurried to the Capitol this morning to dissect the committee's just-released proposal for new "clean energy" standards in Florida." FPL and Progress Florida each have nuclear plant proposals under consideration by the Florida Public Service Commission.

The Times also says that no Florida House bill has yet been filed and that House members are waiting to see what happens with the Senate bill.

Track SB 1154's progress, here.

Read the full text of SB 1154, here.

Read the story at the St. Pete Times "The Buzz" Florida Politics blog, here.

Environmentalists concerned over FPL's planned expansion of Turkey Point

The Miami Herald reported Sunday that environmental groups concerned over saltwater intrusion into the Biscayne Bay estuary point to FPL's planned expansion of its Turkey Point power plant as one of the projects of most concern.


According to the Herald report:

Florida Power and Light's planned expansion of the Turkey Point nuclear facility also threatens the fresh water supply of many [commercially important fish species], warned Dawn Shirreffs, a Clean Water Action organizer.

The saltwater ''intrusion line,'' which marks how far west that water has crept, is moving between 300 and 400 feet inland every year, she said.

FPL spokesman Michael Waldron said in an e-mail that saltwater intrusion existed several miles inland from the site decades before the plant was built in the early 1970s and that the utility is ``working closely with a number of state, county and regional agencies to monitor the current conditions of the cooling canal system.''

However, Shirreffs said that FPL's plan to dig for fill materials in agriculturally zoned land close to Biscayne National Park could make the situation worse.

Digging the holes at all could pull the intrusion even further inland, [Tropical Audubon Society's Laura] Reynolds said.

''When you dig holes that close to the coast you change the hydrology,'' she added. ``Digging pits pulls water in from other locations because limestone is very porous.''

Environmentalists also believe that the canals which circulate water to cool the existing plant at Turkey Point are making the problem worse. ''FPL says it's a closed system, but it isn't, it leaks,'' said Biscayne National Park resource manager Elsa Alvear.

That water is very salty and dense, blocking the eastward flow of freshwater from inland, Alvear said. She added that water collection wells planned for the plant's expansion would suck up any freshwater used to rehydrate south Miami-Dade's coast, canceling out its intended benefits.

Read the full Miami Herald story online, here.

More on FPL no-show at Turkey Point meeting: Miami Herald

The Miami Herald ran a story Sunday in it's Pinecrest-Bays neighbors section on FPL's "no show" at last Thursday's public meeting in Cutler Bay, convened by Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorensen.

The Herald confirmed Stop FPL's assessment that it was a "standing room only" crowd -- WPLG-Local 10 TV's undercount of 50 a real disservice to the amount of concern and level of mobilization by residents and civic leaders in neighboring communities clearly evident at the meeting.

Curious that the Herald continues to choose to place all news related to citizen concern over Turkey Point and the related transmission lines that would run through multiple south Miami-Dade communities in the limited circulation, zoned "Neighbors" sections of the paper.

Community news does generate greater interest mong readers these days, but many people still read the paper in the print edition and therefore anybody not in the Pinecrest/Bays circulation area would have missed this story. You would think that because this story touches so many communities, the Herald editors would go ahead and place it in the "Metro" section of the paper.

But, lots of strains on the Herald newsroom these days, so who knows what's driving their coverage decisions. At least they covered it ...

Read the story in full online, here.

FPL backs out of Turkey Point nuclear safety meeting

Florida Power & Light representatives failed to show last night at the South Dade Government Center to discuss nuclear safety at the Turkey Point power plant.

That, to the surprise of none of those present, as word had already circulated among the citizens and residents of Miami-Dade County who turned up in order to share their concerns at the public meeting called by Commissioner Katy Sorensen (District 8).

WFOR-CBS4's Natalia Zea was on hand to cover the meeting and the station aired a report in its 11 pm nightly newscast, complete with comments by Sorensen about the "arrogance" of FPL in not showing up and a written response from FPL on its reasoning for not sending a representative:

View the full video online at CBS4, here.

WPLG-Local 10 also covered the meeting, though their nightly news report estimate of 50 attendees falls short of the nearly 100 in Stop FPL's head-count of the packed meeting room:

View the full WPLG-10 video online, here.

Those who did show up ranged from environmentalists and neighbors living in the shadow of Turkey Point concerned about recent reports of safety breaches at the plant, to leaders and residents of nearby communities concerned about high-voltage transmission lines from the Turkey Point 6 & 7 reactors running along US 1. But, the empty chairs at the front of the meeting hall clearly showed that FPL feels it has no need to address such concerns face to face with its customers.

Sorenensen had cautioned in a letter to the Miami Herald on Thursday that FPL might well be a no-show, but still urged the utility to send representatives to the meeting to explain recent reports of safety breaches at the plant.

Miami New Times' Tim Elfrink posted at the Riptide 2.0 blog late in the afternoon on FPL's expected no-show and like CBS4 shared the lame excuse from FPL for not engaging with its customers on their Turkey Point safety concerns in the form of a carefully prepared text.

Likewise, blogger Jorge Lune also contacted FPL and was treated with a similar written response from the company.

While FPL may think it can get away with not responding to a meeting request from a County Commissioner and its customers, it may not have it so easy in April when it will have to appear before a public meeting convened by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on April 23rd.

Sorensen tells FPL: Address Turkey Point concerns

In a letter to the Miami Herald this morning, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorensen (District 8) said that FPL officials "prefer not to attend" tonight's scheduled meeting to discuss safety concerns involving the nuclear reactor at the Turkey Point power generating station.

Follows is the text of Commissioner Sorensen's letter, as published in the Herald:

After reading the disturbing story on the front page of The Miami Herald (Papers reveal nuclear discord, March 12) regarding the safety and performance of the Turkey Point nuclear reactor and receiving several calls from residents, I decided to organize a meeting so that elected officials and residents could openly discuss these concerns and FPL officials could address them. While the power company officials are willing to respond through letters to the editor to the concerns raised, they have made it clear to me that they would prefer not to attend the meeting I have scheduled.

As FPL seeks to expand its nuclear facilities and raise customer rates to support this work, I believe it is incumbent on the company, a utility that serves almost all Miami-Dade County residents, to be responsive to questions and concerns.

I hope that FPL officials do the right thing and attend the meeting at the South Dade Government Center tonight, March 26, at 6:30 p.m.

KATY SORENSON, county commissioner, District 8, Miami

We, too, hope FPL will do the right thing and attend this meeting to explain to citizens and residents what it is doing to improve the safety and security at Turkey Point, especially in the face of plans to add two more reactors 6 & 7 at great expense to its customers in the coming years.

ONLINE PETITION: STOP FPL's TURKEY POINT 6 & 7 NUCLEAR REACTORS NOW

Here's your chance to tell your elected and appointed local, state and federal officials that you do NOT want FPL's Turkey Point reactors 6 & 7 to be licensed and built ...

Click here to sign the online petition now ...

WE THE UNDERSIGNED CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS OF FLORIDA AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY EXPRESS OUR COMPLETE OPPOSITION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO NEW NUCLEAR REACTOR UNITS 6 & 7 AT THE TURKEY POINT POWER PLANT AND ON THE BASIS OF ... SAFETY, SECURITY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC RATIONALE DO CALL ON ALL LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS AND AGENCIES TO DENY THE TURKEY POINT LICENSE HOLDER -- FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT -- THE ABILITY TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE THESE ADDITIONAL NUCLEAR UNITS AT TURKEY POINT.

Click to sign the petition online now at ipetitions.com ...

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TurkeyPoint/

And what do we do with Turkey Point when sea level rises?

You gotta love that gimleteye, for pointing out the obvious in today's post over at Eye on Miami:

Completely lost in the discussion of Florida Power and Light's bum-rush to build two new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, costing rate payers more than $18 billion, is what happens in the course of events if sea level rise occurs rapidly and requires the decommissioning of the power plant.

Competing FL Senate bills signal battle over "clean" vs "renewable energy"

The Tampa Tribune reports today on the battle lines being drawn in the State Legislature over the definition of "clean" energy versus truly "renewable" energy sources.

Sen. Lee Constantine (R-Altamonte Springs) has introduced "Senate Bill 2490, a measure requiring that 20 percent of the power provided by Florida electric utilities be made with renewable resources such as wind and solar," the paper reports.

That bill is now up against "SB 2328, that would require utilities to get 20 percent of their power from 'clean' energy sources, including nuclear, by 2020," introduced by Sen. Charlie Dean (R-Inverness).

Dean's bill supports the efforts of FPL and others to have "nuclear" defined as clean energy within the parameters set by Gov. Christ for taking Florida "green" by 2020. The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has already rejected that definition, but it appears that nuclear-friendly lawmakers are now trying to legislate the definition in Tallahassee.

According to the Trib, "nuclear power accounts for 18 percent of the electricity produced by Progress Energy. FPL produces about 19 percent of its power from nuclear plants."

The Tampa Tribune story can be read online, here.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hold Turkey Point 6 & 7 hearing in Homestead in April

Miami-Dade County residents will have a chance to speak their mind at the public meeting convened by County Commissioner Katy Sorensen this Thursday, March 26th at 6:30 PM at the South Miami-Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211 Street, Room 203, Cutler Bay.

But, that won't be the end of it ... EyeOnMiami has informed that there will be an additional opportunity for the public to participate in a discussion of the role of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission "in eventual review of FP&L's application for Turkey Point Unit 6 & 7 combined license including details of safety and environmental reviews."

That meeting will take place from 6-9pm on Thursday April 23rd in the "Palm Room" of the Keys Gate Golf Club, located at 2300 Palm Drive, Homestead, FL.

This is a potentially VERY important meeting, given the fact that a three-judge panel of the NRC recently put on hold plans to build two new nuclear reactors at a Georgia plant, ruling that the application to build the reactors was incomplete because it had not taken into adequate consideration management of radioactive nuclear waste when the new reactors begin operation.

According to a notice in the NRC's public meeting schedule, participating on behalf of the NRC will be representatives of their Office of New Reactors, from the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, Region II. The general public is also invited to participate.

ZNet article on Palm Beach activists jailed for protecting environment against FPL power plant

Very well-researched and thoughtful piece yesterday by Howard Lisnoff at ZNet, titled Jailed Activists Seek to Free Enslaved Environment, about the West County Energy Center (WCEC) in Palm Beach and the arrest and trial of the environmental activists who've tried to stop it.

As Lisnoff points out:

The [WCEC] power plant being built by Florida Power & Light will release 12.3 tons of carbon dioxide a year into an atmosphere already drenched and laden with global greenhouse gasses, and inject an astounding 13.5 million gallons of contaminated cooling water a day "into underground aquifers and allow it to seep into water bodies," according to Dr. Sydney Bacchus, a hydroecologist, who testified in defense of the protesters at their trial.

Lisnoff reviews the trial proceedings, interviews scientists and jailed activists Panagioti Tsolkas and Lynne Purvis in this well-researched piece, concluding among other things that:

In February 2008, scores of protesters momentarily stopped the construction of what soon will be one of the largest fossil-fuel burning plants in the U.S. They faced the power of an industry entrenched in the political establishment of Florida that can purchase enough lobbying muscle to do just about anything it wants done. These protesters faced jail time and a huge fine levied against them for acting out of moral courage in pursuit of the greater good. They faced a hostile judge and prosecutor who belittled the environmental alarm that is so apparent in South Florida. A huge amount of good science was thrown out of the courtroom in return for what was convenient and expedient for the purpose of supporting a major industry player in Florida Power & Light.

The full article at ZNet by Howard Lisnoff is available online, here.

For all those who care about our natural environment and what a giant energy utility can do to harm it if left unchecked, this piece is more than well-worth the read ...