Possible second breach detected as Piney Point gyp stacks still in danger of catastrophic collapse

Officials in Manatee County said a drone discovered a possible second breach at the Piney Point gyp stacks Monday. A full collapse is still possible, even as crews double efforts to drain contaminated water into Tampa Bay. LISTEN: Manatee County Public Safety Director Jake Saur said the second breach was found early Monday. “At approximately… Read more »

Water board unanimously approves permit for Seven Springs/Nestlé to pump more water from Ginnie Springs

The Suwannee River Water Management District Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a permit allowing the Seven Springs Water Company to pump nearly a million gallons of water per day from Ginnie Springs to a nearby Nestlé bottling plant. Tuesday’s vote came after four hours of public comment calling for the permit to be denied. LISTEN:… Read more »

Manatee commission closer to solution as Piney Point contamination keeps Tampa Bay on brink of disaster

Manatee County Commissioners met Tuesday to consider possible remedies for the nearly 750 million of contaminated process water sitting at the Piney Point Reservoir near Port Manatee and the shores of Tampa Bay. The site’s capacity is rapidly decreasing with less than 11 inches of rain standing between it and an environmental disaster for Tampa… Read more »

Tarpon Springs moves forward with developing land along Anclote River, environmentalists not deterred

The Tarpon Springs City Commission voted Friday to move forward with a planned residential community on 74 acres near the Anclote River. Environmentalists hope the land, which they once blocked Walmart from building on, can still be saved. LISTEN: One month to the day after the city started the quasi-judicial hearing process, commissioners voted 3-1… Read more »

Development on 74-acres of land along Anclote River could come down to roads

Roads. Where the proposed Anclote Harbor residential community is going, it might need roads. LISTEN: The Tarpon Springs City Commission again postponed a vote to rezone 74-acres of land along the Anclote River after more than eight hours of public hearing. Traffic safety and environmental factors have emerged as concerns. Developer the Morgan Group and… Read more »

Radioactivity Tuesday: The race to save one of the last undeveloped areas in Tarpon Springs/Media Matters selects The Misinformer of the Year 2020

January 5, 2021 Good Morning, welcome to WMNF’s Radioactivity.  I’m Rob Lorei. Today we’ll talk with Peter Dalacos, a community activist who is spearheading the effort to protect 74 acres along the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs from being turned into a housing development. The issue comes up this Thursday at the Tarpon Springs City… Read more »

phosphate mosaic radioactive pollution

Groups sue EPA to stop radioactive phosphogypsum approval for road construction

In October, the Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of phosphogypsum in road construction. It’s a waste product of phosphate mining and it contains small amounts of radioactive isotopes of radium and uranium. On Friday a coalition of public health, environmental and union groups sued the EPA for approving phosphogypsum in roads. One of the… Read more »

Environmentalists again hope to save 74-acres of land on Anclote River nearly 15 years after pushing back Walmart

The same group that fought Walmart from developing land along the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs has taken up the cause again. More than 10 years after beating back the big-box giant, environmental advocates are trying to keep a 74-acre residential community from going up at the same site. LISTEN: Just before midnight, city commissioners… Read more »

red tide fish kill beach

Coalition of Florida businesses call on Congress to oppose offshore finfish farming

A group of 42 Florida businesses Wednesday sent a letter to the State’s congressional delegation asking it to block a proposed industrial finfish farm off the coast of Sarasota. Businesses all along the Gulf of Mexico warn of disastrous effects to the environment and the Gulf’s tourism industry. LISTEN: In an economic climate already decimated… Read more »

Radioactivity Wednesday: A First in Florida as Rights of Nature Amendment Passes in Orange County

December 2, 2020 Good Morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. On November 3rd,  89% of voters in Orange County Florida approved the Right to Clean Water Charter Amendment.  The Orange County/Orlando area is now the largest jurisdiction in the nation to pass this kind of legislation. This is the first time voters anywhere in Florida… Read more »

Locals warn derelict barge ‘Nabarima’ about to spill 55 million gallons of oil and no one is helping

The United States embassy in Trinidad and Tobago Friday called on the Venezuelan government to take action as state-flagged FSO Nabarima continues its apparent three-month-long capsize into the Gulf of Paria. Locals fear the derelict vessel is about to dump its near 55 million gallons of oil right at the mouth of the Caribbean Sea…. Read more »

The New Map & White House Inc.

Daniel Yergin – The New Map: Energy, Climate, And The Clash Of Nations Pulitzer Prize-winning author and global energy expert, Daniels Yergen offers a revelatory new account of how energy revolutions, climate battles, and geopolitics are mapping our future. The world is being shaken by the collision of energy, climate change, and the clashing power… Read more »