Florida Opening Dangerous Phosphate Mining on Santa Fe River See Commission Action Meeting May 3, 20
Channel: sherri99516
Date: 2016-05-04

VIDEO: Phosphate Strip Mining Destroys Florida Native Habitat and Eco-systems: https://youtu.be/BMh8HkvWjPo
PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND: Public has been invited to discuss impacts of Phosphate Mining on the Santa Fe River System with Alachua County BOCC on May 3rd at 1:30 PM. This meeting will be held at the County Administration Building on the second floor at 12 SE 1st Street, Gainesville, FL 32601.
For the past couple years, a private company formed by four families who own land in the county has developed a plan to mine about 7,400 acres of their land in Union and Bradford counties. The exact boundaries are unclear because no map has been released.
The company — named HPS Enterprises LLC and led by members of the Hazen, Howard, Pritchett and Shadd families — argues that the mine would create jobs and boost the area’s economy.
But some residents, who say they just learned about the plans and are organizing against the mine on Facebook, maintain the operation would do more harm than good.
Residents asked the commissioners to draft an ordinance to stop all possible permits for phosphate mines for a year until the commission figures out how to ban it permanently.
Eric Thomas, a former fisheries biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, began the opposition group. He gave a presentation to the commission Monday warning about the potential carcinogens present in the phosphate mining process.
One of the main concerns is contamination with radon and radium, radioactive materials that are known to be found in regions mined for phosphate, Thomas said.
“Phosphate mining is something that will put a death nail in a small community,” he said.
Thomas said the mining operation may put the county’s water supply and its residents’ long-term health at risk.
“We believe this is gonna present a major public-health concern for anyone who is near the mines but especially for those who work in them,” he said.
Phosphate mining has been a Florida staple since the 1900s and is often a long-term operation that requires digging dozens of feet into the ground and then using water pressure to excavate phosphate minerals for later use in fertilizer.
Help Citizens Against Phosphate Mining in Union and Bradford Counties https://www.facebook.com/Citizens-Against-Phosphate-Mining-in-Union-and-Bradford-Counties-487877398071220/

Watch video here from tonight's Alachua BOCC mtg regarding HPS project. Special Commission Meeting @ 1:30 p.m. - May 3rd, 2016 http://alachua.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=3052  Live and Recorded Public meetings of Special Commission Meeting @ 1:30 p.m. for County of Alachua  ALACHUA.GRANICUS.COM
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10208924927471291&id=487877398071220

Article:Sparks Fly as Phosphate Mining Proposal Divides North Florida Communities  http://wp.me/p2FjTj-7lS

Credits: Source Video https://youtu.be/EB-j-qDOWtk from You Tube channel Harold Saive https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEr71trKwMmRXWm3HCJacBw
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