Thank you for your comments regarding the Department of
Environmental Protection's announced agreement with Anderson-Columbia
and
its affiliated companies. The opinions of the public I was elected
to serve
are important to me. I have been fully briefed on the details
of the
agreement by DEP Secretary David Struhs and am now convinced that,
overall,
it is a good deal for the state.
A major requirement of any agreement would be the
protection of the
Ichetucknee Springs and river. The agreement accomplishes this
by removing
a dangerous threat to the well being of both water bodies through the
state's acquisition of the Kirby Mine, which sits directly over the
Ichetucknee Trace.
The state-of-the-art monitoring and emission control
technology at
the proposed plant provides DEP with the reasonable assurance required
by
law that the company will comply with the technical conditions of any
permit. A corporate-wide commitment to environmental responsibility
further
reassures us that they not only will comply, they now want to comply.
With the $1 million endowment of a trust fund dedicated
to
scientific research and education along Ichetucknee Springs, a good
faith
offer to proactively protect the environment became an important part
of the
package. The restoration and donation of the 21-acre area along
the
Blackwater River in the panhandle further allows Anderson-Columbia
to
demonstrate a good faith desire to reform the way that they do business.
Before obtaining future permits, however, they must
first resolve
five outstanding enforcement cases. This includes payment of
penalties and
completing corrective actions. A sober assessment reveals that
the state
received more environmental protection from the agreement than through
any
legal action, whether we had lost, or even won, in court.
The law states that when applicants provide proper
assurance that
they can meet the provisions of a permit, then that permit will be
approved.
That assurance has been provided and the state will comply with the
law. I
have been assured that while this is a good deal for the state today,
it
will prove to be even more beneficial tomorrow. Thanks again for writing.
Sincerely, Jeb Bush