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Stop New Phosphate Strip Mining

Stop New Phosphate Strip Mining

875 signatures 125 to reach 1,000
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Started by Sandra Ripberger 9 years, 10 months ago

We urge our public officials to deny new permits for phosphate mining that will severely impact Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee, DeSoto, Hamilton, Union and Bradford counties.

Florida's largest mining company plans to strip mine more than 52,000 acres of native habitat and agricultural land in the Myakka and Peace River watersheds, destroying 10,000 acres of wetlands and 49 miles of streams, leaving moonscapes and wastelands.

Phosphate strip mining is the worst environmental disaster in the history of the State of Florida, with mines covering close to ½ million acres of natural and agricultural lands. The sinkhole at the Mulberry gypstack is contaminating our aquifer.

Phosphate mining has no public benefit and is detrimental to the public interest. Here’s why:

  • Mining is permitted to withdraw a yearly average of 69 million gallons of groundwater a day. This massive water use jeopardizes our future water supply and also deprives wetlands, streams and rivers of water.
  • Strip mining permanently destroys thousands of acres of native ecosystems – wetlands, forests, streams and critical habitat for endangered and threatened plants and animals, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity.
  • Reclamation is a myth. The land is never restored to its pre-mining condition.
  • Slime ponds ("clay settling areas") will permanently cover approximately 40% of an average mine site and are useless after mining.
  • Hazardous waste created by mining goes into radioactive gypstacks that can be 200 feet high and will be here forever. There are 25 gypstacks in Florida. Approximately 30 million tons of new waste are produced each year. These are the largest repository of hazardous waste in the nation.
  • Mined lands have elevated levels of radioactivity causing negative health effects.
  • Short-term mining jobs displace long-term agricultural and ranch jobs that will not return.
  • The industry has a long history of contaminated waste and acidic water overflows and spills into waterways, soils, rivers, and bays. The Mulberry sinkhole is the latest disaster.
  • We do not need mined phosphate rock to feed the world. Alternatives are as productive and have been used successfully to produce food crops.

Watch this four-minute film that shows the real face of phosphate mining: www.youtube.com/watch?v=spzER-HYeKw

Discover beneficial alternatives to chemical fertilizer:

http://rodaleinstitute.org/assets/WhitePaper.pdf

Updates

Reached 500 supporters

January 23, 2017

Reached 100 supporters

October 4, 2016

296 Comments

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Lisa Ramirez
9 years ago Featured

As a voting resident of Manatee County, I strongly oppose Mosaic's request to expand phosphate mining in Manatee. Thank you for making the health and long-term sustainability of our community your top priority in considering this issue.

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Idelle Levey
9 years ago Featured

I don't think Mosaic should be allowed to continue to destroy thousands of acres and continue to pollute our water supply. What are they doing about the sinkhole? Their commercials make it look like they return the land to it's original state, which is very far from the truth.

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Deanna Meri cle
9 years ago Featured

I live in Hamilton County where phosphate mining has ruined the southeastern part of the county, toxified Swift Creek and many citizen's private wells, and has not been reclaimed or restored as promised. We have Mount Gypstack to look at. Please don't allow this to happen anywhere else in Florida.

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Patricia Caren
9 years ago Featured

A proposed mine in Bradford County is 2 miles from my home, This is a farming and residential area. Citizens in my neighborhood are concerned about how this will affect our quality of life and our air and water.

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Allen Stewart
9 years ago Featured

Some day we will be force to recover lost phosphorus and recycle--might as well start now. The phosphate in the ground is a finite resource. Recycling will become mandatory at some time--why not start now.

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Cheryl Gross
9 years ago Featured

Phosphate mines are environmental disasters destroying thousands of acres of land, wetlands and streams while creating toxic waste and depleting and contaminating groundwater. As a scientist I urge you to deny new permits.

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zaagari wãel
1 year ago

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BrianAnill
7 years ago

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