Florida Independent

Foam on the St. Johns River (Pic via Neil Armingeon)

Vinyard shows ‘willingness to work’ with St. Johns Riverkeeper on Georgia-Pacific pipeline

By Virginia Chamlee | 06.13.11 | 2:32 pm

Nearly five months ago, the St. Johns Riverkeeper first launched its campaign against a pipeline that will reroute much of the waste from Georgia-Pacific’s Palatka paper mill into the St. Johns River, a project the Riverkeeper says is a disaster waiting to happen. Though the Riverkeeper has received no response from Gov. Rick Scott (despite a massive email campaign and the collection of thousands of signatures against the pipeline), there may be hope for their cause yet, from the Scott-appointed head of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Scum floating along the St. Johns River in July 2010 (Pic by deadgirlsdontdance)

Riverkeeper plans rally to protest Georgia-Pacific pipeline

By Virginia Chamlee | 06.07.11 | 2:41 pm

The St. Johns Riverkeeper will host a rally to protest Georgia-Pacific’s controversial proposed North Florida pipeline and “demand a more comprehensive analysis of this critical issue” on Thurs., June 9, at the Jacksonville offices of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Florida State University's Bryan Hall (Pic by Urban)

New reports reveal billionaire Koch brothers have a hand in hiring FSU professors

By Virginia Chamlee | 05.10.11 | 1:50 pm

Recent reports by the St. Petersburg Times and the Tallahassee Democrat reveal that the billionaire Koch brothers have very close ties to Florida’s public university system. A foundation funded by Charles Koch, CEO of the regulation-fighting Koch Industries, is responsible for filling staff positions at Florida State University, which many say is an affront to academic freedom.

Georgia-Pacific waste pipeline comes under fire, again

By Virginia Chamlee | 04.22.11 | 8:12 am

The controversial pipeline that would reroute a Georgia-Pacific paper mill’s waste into the larger St. Johns River has long confounded environmentalists in the area. Now, a noted engineer says the pipeline wouldn’t just harm the river, but it may even potentially hurt Georgia-Pacific’s bottom line.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in Afghanistan (Pic via Facebook)

New Florida water rule myth: Obama did it

By Virginia Chamlee | 03.29.11 | 11:24 am

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Stuart, have unveiled a new argument in their quest to fight the EPA’s decision to create new water quality standards for Florida: The Obama Administration did it. In doing so, they overlook the fact that the mandate to implement the rules was decided on by the George W. Bush Administration.

The Ouachita River (Pic by finchlake2000)

Arkansas riverkeeper alleges Georgia-Pacific wastewater violations

By Kyle Daly | 03.21.11 | 3:25 pm

As Georgia-Pacific continues to fight Florida environmental groups and the state Department of Environmental Protection over the waste that it dumps into the Sunshine State’s rivers and streams, the paper company may be headed for similarly heated battles elsewhere.

Rubio the No. 1 recipient of Koch money in 2010 Senate races

By Kyle Daly | 03.14.11 | 10:59 am

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has made no secret of his pro-business agenda since taking office in January. It comes as little surprise, then, that his 2010 campaign was backed largely by industries he now supports.

Georgia-Pacific differs with Riverkeeper’s pipeline study

By Virginia Chamlee | 02.15.11 | 2:30 pm

Georgia-Pacific says it disagrees with the basis by a new study by St. Johns Riverkeeper that examines the implications behind the construction and use of a pipeline to re-route the effluent from Georgia-Pacific’s Palatka paper mill into the larger St. Johns River.

The bizarre foam that plagued the polluted St. Johns River last year (Pic via Neil Armingeon)

New study blasts Georgia-Pacific justification for waste pipeline

By Virginia Chamlee | 02.14.11 | 1:32 pm

Weeks after unveiling its “Cleaner GP” campaign, the St. Johns Riverkeeper has unveiled a comprehensive analysis of the Brown and Caldwell study originally used to justify paper giant Georgia-Pacific’s controversial wastewater pipeline.

The St. Johns River (Pic by Hdworldmedia)

St. Johns Riverkeeper officially launches campaign against Georgia-Pacific

By Virginia Chamlee | 01.27.11 | 2:32 pm

Only weeks after announcing its intent to publish a study examining the science behind a controversial Georgia-Pacific pipeline, the St. Johns Riverkeeper has officially launched a campaign aimed at doing away with a waste-rerouting pipeline that could cause irreperable damage to Florida’s longest, and most commercially significant, river.