neckringer
08-27-2003, 05:44 PM
With President Bush in the White House and Gov. Bush in Tallahassee,
these
aren't happy days for the environment in general or for the Everglades
in
particular. But a Republican congressman who consistently champions
Florida's "River of Grass" is a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy
landscape.
I don't agree with U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, on every
issue, but he rates a high five for his commitment to the Everglades.
Unhappy with the Legislature's new law delaying the Everglades cleanup
for
10 years -- until 2016 -- Rep. Shaw said he now looks to U.S. District
Judge William Hoeveler, who has called the law "clearly defective," to
take
action. And Rep. Shaw has a specific action in mind.
He hopes the judge will name former Florida Attorney General Bob
Butterworth, a Democrat, as a special overseer of the Everglades
cleanup.
Mr. Butterworth "would be a good one," for the job, and his
appointment,
Rep. Shaw said bluntly, would be the sugar industry's "worst
nightmare."
Mr. Butterworth supported the proposal to levy a penny-per-pound tax on
sugar cane and argued that the "polluter pays" constitutional amendment
requires the state to make growers pay more to clean the Everglades.
For a Republican to recommend a Democrat so strongly takes guts,
considering that the Bush brothers have been known to get even with
fellow
Republicans who disagree with them. The governor's decision to back the
controversial state law granting the cleanup delay is a bad mistake --
one
that could become an issue in the presidential campaign.
In an interview last week with The Post's Editorial Board, Rep. Shaw
said
he tried to warn Florida's top politicians, including Gov. Bush, not to
approve the legislation. Sugar industry lawyers wrote the bill, and the
industry sent more than 40 lobbyists to Tallahassee to pressure
legislators
to pass it.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David Struhs
went
along with what the industry wanted. He bowed to industry influence
again
when the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission approved skewed
rules
for measuring pollution in the Everglades -- rules that will allow more
polluting phosphorus in the ecosystem. The pollution feeds the growth
of
cattails, which crowd out native marsh grasses and the fish that live
among
them, thus driving down the numbers of birds and other wildlife that
feed
on the fish.
Rep. Shaw says he is puzzled about the industry's hold on his fellow
Republicans. "Jeb came up to Washington," Rep. Shaw recalled, "and I
took
him to meet with" lawmakers who decide how the federal budget gets
spent. "When he left, I didn't know whether he would sign the bill
extending the deadline or not."
He hoped that Gov. Bush would recall the bill and let it die. Among
other
things, it would make it harder for the state's congressional
delegation to
get federal money for Everglades restoration. Instead, the governor
signed
the bad bill and then pushed legislators to pass a "glitch" bill to
correct
it. Unfortu-
nately, that didn't right the wrongs. "They got some of the vagueness
and
weasel words out," Rep. Shaw said, but didn't change the 2016
deadline. "It's still bad legislation." He said he is "dumbfounded" at
the
the sugar industry's power over Florida politicians.
Extending the deadline for cleaning up the Everglades is "a terrible
idea,"
he said. "We're down to 10 percent of the wading birds that once lived
there. We've raised havoc with the Everglades."
The sugar industry accused environmentalists of stirring up Rep. Shaw
over
the bad law, but that was not the case. "It was the other way around,"
said
Charles Lee, senior vice-president of Audubon of Florida. Rep. Shaw
recognized that the state legislation was a real problem and contacted
environmentalists, asking what he could do to help. When it comes to
the
Everglades, Mr. Lee said, Rep. Shaw is "not only a supporter in the
trenches but comes forward with his own initiatives." He is a
"steadfast
friend and hard worker."
The congressman does not take campaign contributions from the sugar
industry and hasn't for the past 12 to 15 years, an aide said. He takes
pride in that fact. He also prides himself on voting against federal
subsidies to the sugar industry.
In spite of his disagreement with Gov. Bush and the Legislature, Rep.
Shaw,
with the help of Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has managed to keep
Everglades
restoration money in the House appropriations bill for another year.
The
sugar industry owns a lot of state and national politicians. It's good
to
meet one who hasn't been bought.
these
aren't happy days for the environment in general or for the Everglades
in
particular. But a Republican congressman who consistently champions
Florida's "River of Grass" is a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy
landscape.
I don't agree with U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, on every
issue, but he rates a high five for his commitment to the Everglades.
Unhappy with the Legislature's new law delaying the Everglades cleanup
for
10 years -- until 2016 -- Rep. Shaw said he now looks to U.S. District
Judge William Hoeveler, who has called the law "clearly defective," to
take
action. And Rep. Shaw has a specific action in mind.
He hopes the judge will name former Florida Attorney General Bob
Butterworth, a Democrat, as a special overseer of the Everglades
cleanup.
Mr. Butterworth "would be a good one," for the job, and his
appointment,
Rep. Shaw said bluntly, would be the sugar industry's "worst
nightmare."
Mr. Butterworth supported the proposal to levy a penny-per-pound tax on
sugar cane and argued that the "polluter pays" constitutional amendment
requires the state to make growers pay more to clean the Everglades.
For a Republican to recommend a Democrat so strongly takes guts,
considering that the Bush brothers have been known to get even with
fellow
Republicans who disagree with them. The governor's decision to back the
controversial state law granting the cleanup delay is a bad mistake --
one
that could become an issue in the presidential campaign.
In an interview last week with The Post's Editorial Board, Rep. Shaw
said
he tried to warn Florida's top politicians, including Gov. Bush, not to
approve the legislation. Sugar industry lawyers wrote the bill, and the
industry sent more than 40 lobbyists to Tallahassee to pressure
legislators
to pass it.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David Struhs
went
along with what the industry wanted. He bowed to industry influence
again
when the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission approved skewed
rules
for measuring pollution in the Everglades -- rules that will allow more
polluting phosphorus in the ecosystem. The pollution feeds the growth
of
cattails, which crowd out native marsh grasses and the fish that live
among
them, thus driving down the numbers of birds and other wildlife that
feed
on the fish.
Rep. Shaw says he is puzzled about the industry's hold on his fellow
Republicans. "Jeb came up to Washington," Rep. Shaw recalled, "and I
took
him to meet with" lawmakers who decide how the federal budget gets
spent. "When he left, I didn't know whether he would sign the bill
extending the deadline or not."
He hoped that Gov. Bush would recall the bill and let it die. Among
other
things, it would make it harder for the state's congressional
delegation to
get federal money for Everglades restoration. Instead, the governor
signed
the bad bill and then pushed legislators to pass a "glitch" bill to
correct
it. Unfortu-
nately, that didn't right the wrongs. "They got some of the vagueness
and
weasel words out," Rep. Shaw said, but didn't change the 2016
deadline. "It's still bad legislation." He said he is "dumbfounded" at
the
the sugar industry's power over Florida politicians.
Extending the deadline for cleaning up the Everglades is "a terrible
idea,"
he said. "We're down to 10 percent of the wading birds that once lived
there. We've raised havoc with the Everglades."
The sugar industry accused environmentalists of stirring up Rep. Shaw
over
the bad law, but that was not the case. "It was the other way around,"
said
Charles Lee, senior vice-president of Audubon of Florida. Rep. Shaw
recognized that the state legislation was a real problem and contacted
environmentalists, asking what he could do to help. When it comes to
the
Everglades, Mr. Lee said, Rep. Shaw is "not only a supporter in the
trenches but comes forward with his own initiatives." He is a
"steadfast
friend and hard worker."
The congressman does not take campaign contributions from the sugar
industry and hasn't for the past 12 to 15 years, an aide said. He takes
pride in that fact. He also prides himself on voting against federal
subsidies to the sugar industry.
In spite of his disagreement with Gov. Bush and the Legislature, Rep.
Shaw,
with the help of Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has managed to keep
Everglades
restoration money in the House appropriations bill for another year.
The
sugar industry owns a lot of state and national politicians. It's good
to
meet one who hasn't been bought.