DeSantis: The Authoritarian

Frederick Foresight said:
Florida bill allowing radioactive roads made of potentially cancer-causing mining waste signed by DeSantis

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florid...ausing-mining-waste-bill-signed-ron-desantis/

Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday that would allow for roads across Florida to be made with "radioactive" mining waste that has been linked to cancer.

The measure, brought forward by the state House, adds phosphogypsum to a list of "recyclable materials" that state officials say can be used in road construction.

The list already included ground rubber from car tires, ash residue from coal combustion byproducts, recycled mixed-plastic, glass and construction steel, which officials had previously determined are "part of the solid waste stream and that contribute to problems of declining space in landfills."

But unlike most of those products, phosphogypsum is not a material that is aggregated in landfills. It's the remains left behind from mining phosphate, which is described by the EPA as being a "radioactive material" because it contains "small amounts" of uranium and radium.

Phosphate rock is mined to create fertilizer, but the leftover material, known as phosphogypsum, had decaying remains of those elements that eventually produce radon. That substance is known as a "potentially cancer-causing, radioactive gas," a spokesperson for the EPA previously told CBS News. And because of that risk, phosphogypsum is federally required to be stored in gypstack systems – not landfills – in an attempt to prevent it from coming in contact with people and the environment.

"The Clean Air Act regulations require that phosphogypsum be managed in engineered stacks to limit public exposure from emissions of radon and other radionuclides in the material," an EPA spokesperson previously told CBS News.

Before it can be used, the state's Department of Transportation will need to conduct a study to "evaluate the suitability" of its use, the bill says, and "may consider any prior or ongoing studies of phosphogypsum's road suitability in the fulfillment of this duty." That task must be completed by April 1, 2024.

DeSantis has not yet publicly commented on the signing of this bill, and CBS News has reached out for a statement.

Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that the bill is a "reckless handout to the fertilizer industry."

"Gov. DeSantis is paving the way to a toxic legacy generations of Floridians will have to grapple with," Bennett said. "This opens the door for dangerous radioactive waste to be dumped in roadways across the state, under the guise of a so-called feasibility study that won't address serious health and safety concerns."

What makes phosphogypsum so risky?
Radon, the gas emitted from phosphogypsum, trails just smoking to rank as the second-leading cause of lung cancer, and is linked to about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the U.S., according to the EPA. The agency also says it's the "single greatest environmental source of radiation exposure."

Because of this threat, the EPA has banned the use of phosphogypsum in projects for decades. However, a spokesperson for the agency previously told CBS News that it is permitted for agricultural and indoor research, with restrictions, and it can be approved for specific uses if the project "is at least as protective of human health as placement in a stack."

"Any request for a specific use of phosphogypsum in roads will need to be submitted to EPA, as EPA's approval is legally required before the material can be used in road construction," the agency said. "Upon issuing any notice of pending approval, EPA will open a public comment period, make any applications and our technical analysis of those applications publicly available, and seek input on the proposed decision."

CBS News has reached out to the EPA for further comment after the bill's passage.

Florida's history of phosphogypsum problems
Phosphate mining has been an ongoing source of contention within Florida for decades. This issue has most recently been seen in the controversy surrounding Piney Point, a former phosphate mining facility in the Gulf Coast's Manatee County — that after several years of problems — had a nearly "catastrophic" breach in 2021 that resulted in 215 million gallons of water with environmentally toxic levels of nutrients ending up in Tampa Bay within just 10 days.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1378500036343005185

It was found to be a contributor to a red tide event and massive fish kill in the area in the following months. It lead to a lawsuit from the state's Department of Environmental Protection, and prompted Florida lawmakers to budget $3 million to clean up the site.

Ragan Whitlock, a staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, told CBS News when the bill was introduced that "history has shown wherever this waste goes, environmental contamination has followed."

The state has 27 phosphate mining facilities, several of which have had leaks, sinkholes and other issues arise throughout their lifespans. In May, more than 20 organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, urged DeSantis to veto the bill.

"No environmentally conscious or 'green' governor worth his salt would ever sign a bill into law approving roadbuilding with radioactive materials," Rachael Curran, an attorney with People for Protecting Peace River, said in the letter urging the governor's decision.

And even with the promise of the state's Department of Transportation looking at conducting a study or considering one that has already been done, Whitlock told CBS News he has "very little confidence" in the state's "ability to manage this project."

"The feasibility study that the Florida Department of Transportation would create is only aimed at addressing whether this would be a suitable construction material," he said. "The Florida Department of Transportation is not in the position to make a finding about the health and safety of this product to Floridians and our environment."
More...
Industry trying to get cheeky w/disposal of this waste couldn't possibly have donated to his campaign could it?

Well, it's not like FL has wetlands and fauna which can be contaminated w/runoff from these roads.
 
DeSantis compares himself to Christian Bale in "American Psycho", Brad Pitt in "Troy" and Leonardo DiCaprio in "Wolf of Wall Street". Effectively admitting he is a psychopathic, wife-beating, cocaine-addicted man whose Achilles heel is his lack of charisma.

Ron DeSantis boosts a video that all but calls for eliminating trans people
DeSantis' presidential campaign reposted a video likening him to the character of "American Psycho" — and thought that was a good thing.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/ron-desantis-ad-video-trans-lgbtq-rcna92392
 
Live in DeSantis' Florida? Get ready for sickness.

2 top public health positions in Ron DeSantis' administration are vacant
The positions are open as the CDC says Florida is seeing its first cases of malaria in two decades.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/20...-desantis-administration-are-vacant-rcna92120

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two of the top public health officials in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration — responsible for tracking and preventing the spread of communicable diseases — have left their positions in recent months.

The departures come as public health is increasingly being politicized, and some experts say it leaves the state facing a "serious health risk."

Late last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert after four cases of malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, were found in Florida for the first time in two decades. As a result, the Florida Health Department has issued an advisory on mosquito-borne illnesses.

DeSantis’ hands-off approach during the height of the Covid pandemic made him a star with conservatives nationally, and he regularly touts his strategy in his 2024 presidential campaign. But the approach has also given Florida the reputation of being ground zero for how the division in public health administration is treated.

The openings are in the Florida Health Department’s Bureau of Epidemiology, which plays a key role in monitoring and combating the spread of disease in the state.

The open positions include the head of the bureau, which oversees many of the state’s core public health functions. It has been vacant since last month, when the former bureau chief, Clayton Weiss, transferred to the Florida Department of Corrections.

The position not only focuses on coordinating the detection and prevention of diseases spreading throughout the state, but it also promotes immunization and runs the refugee health program, which provides health services to refugees who end up in Florida after being resettled in the United States.

“These are critical public health functions,” said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert and a professor at Florida International University. “There has, unfortunately, been recent politicization of the use of vaccines and health services for refugees and other immigrants, which may explain the challenges in filling this vital position.”

Dr. George C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said many factors impact the ability to hire qualified public health professionals, including lower pay than the private sector and an overall shortage of epidemiologists, but he also noted there are political factors unique to Florida that further complicate things.

"Florida has a health department that has been seriously politicized and the support of good public health systems in Florida has been reported to be eroding over the past several years," he said.

A second key post, the administrator of the bureau's surveillance division, has been vacant since March, when Thomas Troelstrup left to take a job with a private company. The division he previously led is tasked with tracking the spread of communicable diseases and houses Florida’s reportable disease data system.

“The political issues involving surveillance and reporting of Covid-19 also help explain the challenges with identifying an individual to head the Bureau of Epidemiology’s surveillance division,” said Marty, who advised then-Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez — now a Republican member of Congress — during the pandemic.

“Not filling these vital positions is a serious health risk for Florida,” she said.

Neither Weiss nor Troelstrup returned requests seeking comment.

Jason Salemi, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, said the vacant posts are "immensely important positions." He said it is important to find the qualified people for the roles, which can be difficult.

"While it is vital to fill these positions in a timely manner, it's also critical to find the right people to serve in these roles," he said. "One thing I know is that the work continues to get done."

Florida Health Department spokesman Jae Williams confirmed that the positions are vacant. He said that it is a notoriously difficult industry to find qualified applicants, and that the budget recently signed by DeSantis gave the department almost $19 million that can be used for recruiting.

“Epidemiology is a highly competitive field,” he said. “The budget includes over $18.6 million in budget authority to the Department of Health to further aid in recruitment and retention.”

A spokesman for DeSantis’ office did not directly respond to questions, instead referring NBC News to the state Health Department's responses.

Williams said Florida still has public health experts across the state, including in county-level health departments, which are overseen by the state Health Department.

“The department employs hundreds of epidemiologists across the state, including within all 67 county health departments, working around the clock to protect the health of Floridians and promptly responding to any risk to public health,” he said.

Williams also noted that State Epidemiologist Carina Blackmore remains on the job, and that Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has a doctorate in public health from Harvard University.

Marty said there are epidemiologists throughout the state, but “there should be a central assessment of the data to help provide the right resources to the right site at the right time.”

Ladapo, who leads the state Health Department, was appointed by DeSantis in September 2021 after openly questioning the effectiveness of the Covid vaccines, skepticism he has continued to discuss.

Though DeSantis was originally a vocal supporter of the Covid vaccines, he eventually started disparagingly referring to them as the “jabs” and took formal steps to limit their use in the state. That included making Florida the only state not to reorder Covid vaccines for children and asking the Florida Supreme Court to investigate the “wrongdoing” with the vaccines.

DeSantis has defended his approach to pandemic response since announcing his bid for president May 24. That includes regularly hitting former President Donald Trump — who is widely seen as the GOP front-runner — for his fast-tracking of Covid vaccines and not firing Dr. Anthony Fauci, who, as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, became the face of the Trump administration’s pandemic response, but is now despised by Republican base voters.

“We held the line when freedom itself hung in the balance,” DeSantis said last month at Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s annual roast and ride fundraiser. “We refused to let our state descend into some type of Fauci-an dystopia, where people’s livelihoods were ruined and their freedoms were curtailed.”

Marty, the Florida International University disease expert, said that DeSantis’ approach to public health could not only dissuade qualified public health officials from wanting to take jobs in Florida, but also put the state at risk.

“Being blind to data that helps assess emerging outbreaks delays a proper response and planning for resources,” she said. “These delays can and will cost lives, negatively impact disability-adjusted life years, and cause harm to society and the economy.”
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top