Florida Backs Away From Water Deal

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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iYOMIAzXREFVjcYtNagkheasCXwAD8SQCHA81

By BEN EVANS – 2 days ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The state of Florida on Friday backed away from a temporary truce brokered by the Bush administration to help settle a long-standing water war, now heightened by an ongoing drought, involving Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

In a letter to federal officials, Florida's environmental protection chief said the state opposes an arrangement announced in Washington last week under which the Army Corps of Engineers would cut river flows into Florida and Alabama in order to capture more water for Georgia.

The river reductions would cause a "catastrophic collapse of the oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay" and "displace the entire economy of the Bay region," wrote Michael Sole, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. He was referring to Gulf coast waters off northwest Florida.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist raised no such objections at a press conference in Washington last week, where Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced that the cuts would be implemented as the governors worked toward completing a longer-term pact by Feb. 15.

"I think that what we had today was a great discussion, a great understanding," Crist said at the news conference.

But he has since come under heavy criticism locally.

[Vincardog]

1. Why doesn't the "decider" just decide to make it rain?

[ecstatic]

2. Wow! So his "oyster economy" is more important than humans

going thirsty in a few months?

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3. I am sure the "oyster economy" is paying to put food on the table for some humans

Food or water? Tough choice. I can see this getting ugly.

Don