Posted on 06/24/2008 2:12:51 PM PDT by EBH
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — In a deal that environmental groups said would be the largest ecological restoration in the country’s history, a plan for the state to buy the nation’s largest producer of cane sugar was announced Tuesday by the governor and officials of U.S. Sugar Corporation.
The intention is to restore the Everglades by restoring the water flow from Lake Okeechobee, in the heart of the state, south to Florida Bay. That flow had been interrupted by commercial farming and the Everglades have suffered as a result.
Under term of the tentative deal, U.S. Sugar would continue farming and processing for six more years before closing the business and allowing 187,000 acres of land to return to its natural state. For its part the state would pay U.S. Sugar $1.7 billion.
Governor Charlie Crist said the deal was “as monumental as the creation of the nation’s first national park, Yellowstone.”
Environmental groups hailed the undertaking. “This is putting it back the way it was in 1890,” said David Guest, a lawyer with Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund. “When you come back in 20 years, it will look indistinguishable from the way it looked before the white man.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I’d like to be the first to predict an immediate jump in the price of sugar at the retail level.
-—There, I’ve said it.-—
these beaurocrats couldn't be more hostile to common sense and sound economics if they went to school for it.
“big did” s/b Big Dig. I’m a laugh a minute.
Interesting sentiments. Is the State of Florida in collusion with this racist?
HEY CHARLIE ... IF IT’S ALL GOING TO BE UNDERWATER IN A COUPLE OF YEARS DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING, WTF??? And yes, I’m shouting.
Right in line with UNs incrementally implemented Agenda 21 which includes returning one-half of the land in each US state to natural habitat and relocating human populations from riverine environments, etc. I obtained in the mid-90s projected maps for several states regarding these types of projects...’project wildfire’ or something like that..Colorado and Florida were especially intesting. IF I ever find the links again, I will post them.
Doubly ironic in light of another article just posted, which described how restoration projects often fail due to an incomplete understanding of waterflows: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035832/posts
I like swamps and all, but what the heck?
You are mistaken, or you are being sarcastic.
I will predict the immediate drop of cane sugar prices to world levels for U consumers for the first time in three generations.
Bring Back Cane Sugar Coca-Cola!
Less than 30 feet of elevation gain between sea level and the highest point in the US Sugar property. Ever 10000 monkeys on specially constructed monkey compatible bulldozers couldn’t fail this restoration project in regard to water flows.
It's amazing when you read the "guest/visitors" book at the reception desk at U.S. Sugar, how many times representatives of Coke and Pepsi visit the plant in Clewiston. I can only assume they are there to purchase, or set up a contract to purchase, cane sugar for use in their products.
by what magic does sugar decline when sugar producers are taken out of the marketplace?
If you're arguing more cane will grow, so what? If there's no refiner to turn it into something useful, it's a weed.
The price you pay for sugar will DROP substantially once the US sugar industry subsidies and protective tariffs are ended.
The ironic part here is it will be South American wetlands that will be destroyed to increase sugar acreage to provide for the opening US cane sugar import market. Including the US environmentalists’ beloved lowland rain forests.
I've traveled US 27 between Belle Glade and Miami many times. This is not a small time project they're talking about. There are several sugar cane processing plants and all the infrastructure that goes with getting the cane from the field to the grocery store. Homes, schools, highways, electrical transmission lines, etc.
Perhaps this a diabolical plan to delete jobs and send the border jumpers scrambling back to Meeheeco.................
Apparently that's the new trend. Predate civilization. People are funny, aren't they?
***
Aside, the approved plant species code in at least one Florida town (which means, most likely, most of them) explicitly restricts planting of "species that were introduced from Europe." They're trying to legislate man's intelligence out of existence. But I don't think it will work.
Used to travel through Clewiston in the 70’s and eat at the Clewiston BBQ. Looked like a cheezy 50’s roadhouse set in ranch style with cowboy mannequins standing across the front roof.
Great BBQ.
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