Letters to the Editor

Jepson ignored facts

As someone who’s worked to protect the Everglades, restore the Rose Bay Estuary and acquire a natural buffer to protect the St. Johns River, I want to respond to the complete mischaracterization by Mr. Jepson (“Et tu, John Mica?” published July 21) of the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act.

Anyone who portrays this legislation as an effort to “gut” the Clean Water Act ignores facts. EPA was not created to be the sole regulator of our nation’s water quality. The Clean Water Act of 1972 established a cooperative relationship between EPA and the states in carrying out this important function, and this relationship under the act has been responsible for years of improvements in water quality nationwide. This bill restores this long-standing partnership between EPA and the states in protecting the environment with common sense regulation and does not diminish existing or previously agreed upon EPA standards.

In recent years, EPA and the state of Florida agreed upon a state plan for developing nutrient standards for water. But after EPA was challenged in court, the agency submitted to this extortionate lawsuit and reversed its previous position. Florida’s ongoing development of scientifically based nutrient standards, already approved by EPA, was thrown out by an intimidated federal agency in favor of a one-size-fits-all, scientifically indefensible set of standards. These cookie cutter standards do not take into account many factors unique to Florida’s — or any state’s — waters.

EPA is evolving into a mindless regulatory agency that undermines the states’ authority. This type of EPA overreach simply results in unobtainable standards and an unpredictable, costly regulatory process. What’s worse is this EPA reversal will now burden local utilities, consumers and the fragile economy, for little or no environmental benefit.

I strongly advocate protecting our environment and maintaining high water-quality standards. However, EPA’s increasingly dictatorial approach was not intended by the Clean Water Act, and this kind of overreach is what is “gutting” the Act. It also pits our states, communities and consumers against an agency that has an important mission.

The reasoned legislation I have sponsored was crafted by Republicans and Democrats at the request of state and local governments and community leaders who want to protect our waters with responsible regulation. It is not a free pass to pollute our waters.

We must continue to improve the quality of Florida’s waters and preserve our natural resources, but not by ignoring sound science and the states’ important role.

—John L. Mica (FL-07)

Chairman

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

U.S. House of Representatives

Happy at Regents Park

It’s beautiful here. I’ve been here for quite a while. Everybody’s friendly. It is like a home. I like it here sometimes better than home because there are people to talk to here. Whatever the staff can do for me, they do. The law company (Wilkes & McHugh, P.A. published a full-page ad in the Observer on July 21, citing poor resident care at Regents of Winter Park) has no business saying bad things about our home. My daughter is happy to have someone to take care of me because she can’t. She looked at a lot of places before she brought me here. It’s like a family here. It’s just great here. I’m so happy here. I have a lot of friends here.

—Marie Lakata

Resident at Regents Park of Winter Park

Advocacy in a different forum

I want to dedicate this column to a subject very dear to our hearts or should I say our stomachs — food. On Oct. 24, Americans from all walks of life will come together to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable way through a national grassroots campaign called Food Day. It will include a marquee of events in cities all over the country. Food Day is sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit watchdog group that has led successful fights for food labeling, better nutrition and safer food since 1971.

While I am an advocate for the banking industry, my advocacy skills have fallen onto my youngest daughter, Carolina. She is a Food Day intern for CSPI, which is located in Washington, D.C. Carolina is also the U.S. ambassador for Slow Food Rome. I have learned so much from her about food safety and the processing of food in our country. No need to say that I am very proud of the accomplishments of both my daughters. My oldest, Cristina, earned her MBA from Rollins College and lives and works in Orlando.

Food is becoming a hot issue for all Americans. It is an issue that transcends political parties. It truly is a nonpartisan or bipartisan issue. We all want to know what we are putting in our bodies and how it is produced and processed. We want food information at our fingertips. What safety standard was used to raise or grow that specific food? Is it farm-raised fish or from the wild?

I don’t think a few years ago we asked these questions or, quite frankly, cared enough to even ask. Thanks to my daughter Carolina, I am asking these questions today.

Food Day will encourage people around the country to sponsor or participate in activities that encourage Americans to “eat real.” Have you ever asked yourself why is it we have all these diseases today? Is it related to all the junk food we are eating? Have you ever read the ingredients of many of the processed foods we eat? Even with my law degree, I do not understand those labels because they are full of obscure ingredients. Are those ingredients good for us? Eaten often, will they compromise our health?

Some of the campaign’s goals include:

• Reducing diet-related disease by promoting healthy foods. The American diet is too low in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and too high in fatty meat, soft drinks, and salty packaged and restaurant foods — contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year due to heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.

• Curbing junk-food marketing. Americans need to make better and wiser choices in avoiding foods that cause obesity and other health problems.

Food is becoming a top priority for all of us. In the coming years, will you want good and safe food standards for the foods you and your family eat? On Oct. 24, join Americans in making a change for a better future and participate in Food Day!

To learn more and get involved, visit www.foodday.org or e-mail [email protected]

—Alex Sanchez

Tallahassee