Florida Legislation Paves Ground for Water Privatization

[marmar]

Published on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by CommonDreams.org

Florida Legislation Paves Ground for Water Privatization
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn open to selling water for industry, agriculture; may consider "toilet to tap" measures


Recent moves by Tampa Mayor Buckhorn and state Rep. Dana Young (R-FL) have some residents fearing privatization of the state's water is on the way.

Buckhorn and Young have a bill pending in legislature, HB 639, that would transfer public drinking water and reclaimed wastewater from being a public resource to being owned by the utility company.

In a time of increased attention to water scarcity, part of Young's goal, to use reclaimed wastewater instead of potable drinking water for lawn sprinklers, appears laudable.

Yet, as The Tampa Tribune reports:

Critics say Buckhorn's proposal is the first step toward privatizing the state's water supply. They also say the proposal could turn the state's water cycle – from well to city supply and back – into a one-way street should utilities and other big users sell their wastewater instead of returning it to the environment.
"When that water is taken out of the aquifer, it could end up in China or Timbuktu or anywhere," said Charles Van Zant, a Republican state representative from Keystone Heights in Clay County. "Day by day by day this will destroy the Florida aquifer."

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The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/01/10-2

[AnotherMcIntosh]

1. Right now, there are some other mayors saying: "Why didn't I think of that?"

[ddeclue]

2. Thanks... I'm bringing this to the attention of Scott Randolph (D-FL36) nt

[DirkGently]

3. That'S maybe the worst thing I've ever heard. They want to own the

fucking water. Essentially water is life. So, they want to literally own your right to live.

[Major Nikon]

4. One step closer to the looneytarian utopia where there's a coin slot at every signal light

Meanwhile more civilized countries like Norway have nationalized their oil resources.

[morningglory]

5. Not sure if Enron has anything to do with this: I read that it is illegal to catch rainwater off

your own roof in Brazil because the bastards own the water and you have to buy water from TPTB. By the way one of Jeb Bush's initiatives was to pump raw sewerage into the aquifer. Even the boss hog politicians realized that was not too bright.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

8. There are states here in the US where that is true, too.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. Breaking: Florida to privatize air

more to come ...

(satire)

[marmar]

7. "(satire)"

We hope.....