Florida Power and Light (FPL) is attempting to swap a utility corridor it owns inside the 109,000 acre East Everglades Expansion Area (Everglades National Park) for a new corridor on the east side of the park - but still inside current park boundaries. If permitted, one of Florida's most unique natural areas will gain a new industrial horizon consisting of 3 sets of powerlines carrying up to 500,000 volts of electricity across towers as high as 150 feet.
The lines would connect proposed new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point to points north and are a part of FPL's application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although grave concerns regarding these reactors have been discussed on this list previously - the issue right now is not Turkey Point or south Florida's energy future. The only issue NPS will be considering at this time are FPL's power lines across Everglades National Park.
A map of the proposed "swap" can be found here.
A photo of existing powerlines heading north from Turkey Point (much smaller than the ones proposed for Everglades National Park) is here, photo by Matt Schwartz .
Potential consequences of the powerlines to the park could be enormous. They include:
- damage to sensitive wetlands due to construction of towers and maintenance roads;
- spread of exotic plant species on disturbed lands;
- impacts to federally listed endangered and threatened species including the Everglades snail kite, eastern indigo snake, wood stork, and Florida panther;
- likely increase in mortality of native and migratory birds due to collisions and electrocutions;
- and degradation of the public's ability to enjoy a significant area of land already declared "wilderness eligible" by the NPS.
Of the 3 alternatives put forward by the National Park Service, South Florida Wildlands Association is strongly advocating the selection of ALTERNATIVE 3: ACQUISITION. As described in the NPS newsletter:
"FPL property would be acquired by direct purchase or, as a last resort, by condemnation by the NPS. There would not be any construction of transmission lines and associated fill pads or access roads in the Expansion Area."
The full "scoping newsletter" and many more documents relating to this important project can be found here.
A few things to keep in mind if you're submitting comments or speaking at the public meeting. The land at issue is known as the East Everglades Expansion Area. It began the process of becoming public land when congress passed and President George Bush signed into law the Everglades Protection and Expansion Act of 1989. As stated in the act itself, its purpose was to:
(1) increase the level of protection of the outstanding natural values of Everglades National Park and to enhance and restore the ecological values, natural hydrologic conditions, and public enjoyment of such area by adding the area commonly known as the Northeast Shark River Slough and the East Everglades to Everglades National Park; and
(2) assure that the park is managed in order to maintain the natural abundance, diversity, and ecological integrity of native plants and animals, as well as the behavior of native animals, as a part of their ecosystem.
A Land Protection Plan written by NPS in 1991 in order to implement the above act specifically excluded powerlines as a compatible use:
"Activities that would disturb the ecology, interfere with the restored hydrologic system, or prevent public enjoyment of the Addition would be incompatible. Major additions to existing developments or agricultural activities, as well as the construction of utility lines and roads, also would not be compatible."
For more information, contact,
Matt Schwartz, Executive Director
South Florida Wildlands Association
P.O. Box 30211
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33303
954-634-7173
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