What Happens When Some American Manufacturers Are Forced to Go Offshore?

The PNJ Cartoonist HATES IP and wishes they were gone.  If he had an "easy-button" to make that happen unilaterally, I'd venture a guess that he'd press it fast---based upon his scathing, slanted, and sloppy attacks on this company..... But then what would happen?

The sustained attacks on International Paper's Cantonment mill from the Pensacola News Journal and their cartoonist are incredible and borderline surreal.  I wonder what caused this to erupt like Mount St. Helens?  I heard about the issues, I studied them, met with the Florida and Escambia County environmental experts, engaged with IP, and toured these IP wetlands facilities in person.  The PNJ, by contrast, has never once visited these sites nor have they asked for a tour of the wetlands according to IP officials with whom I met last week.  But this doesn't stop PNJ from attacking this company day after day, week after week.  Very strange....

But setting this aside for a moment, I can't help but point out the fact that if the PNJ and Andy Marlette got what they apparently want--a full and complete closure of that Cantonment mill---things would get WORSE for the environment.  Yes, WORSE!

You see, when manufacturers go overseas where environmental laws are much more lax, most of these companies obey the more lax local regulations on employment, pay, and pollution. That's why Apple subsidiaries came under fire for their labor practices overseas. That's why the Tijuana River is a sludge-filled mess that forces San Diego beaches to close for a half-year at a time.  There are hosts of other examples.  Anyone remember Union Carbide and Bhopal?

And when enough American and European firms "offshore" to get out from under US environmental regulations-- the planet as a whole absorbs MORE pollution in the process!  Will someone please wake Andy and the PNJ up and tell them this?

Granted this pollution is typically thousands of miles away and not in America's backyard, so to speak.  But it is more net pollution for the planet.  I wonder if those that want to shut this mill down get this concept?  Do they care?

Our history in the US on environmental issues is ugly.  Rachel Carson's Silent Spring woke a lot of people up.  We had some rivers that caught fire.  Yeah--we were not perfect.  But then we passed a lot of laws.  Lots of them.

And we're getting better, our environment is improving as we implement new laws, rules, policies, and regulations. We at least have standards and laws that must be met.  Other countries like India, China, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Mexico, and Bosnia  Herzegovina-to name just a few- well, let's just say they don't regulate like we do...

So if Andy had his way, the local Mill in Cantonment would close, 600 locals would lose their good jobs, The community would lose $250 million in yearly economic impact, the production of pulp and paper would move overseas, more pollution would occur, the workers in the new host country would be paid far less, the same products produced here now would be produced overseas and would subsequently cost the same as now-- as the company would factor in the shipping and other charges to the final costs for U.S. consumers (and the company would probably make a bigger profit to boot).

Does that sound smart to anyone other than this cartoonist?!?  Uh, I doubt it.

Thank God nobody lets the cartoonist make any real decisions other than what new tactics he will employ to unfairly attack President Trump and other conservative elected officials locally.

Escambia County Wins DOAH Appeal!

This land use battle went back and forth like Forest Gump playing ping pong.....costing private citizens' time, legal fees, county staff time, and all kinds of time at BCC meetings.......

County attorney Alison Rogers and her staff are to be commended. 

They achieved a very nice win  yesterday that ends---unequivocally, unambiguously, once and for all-and rather unceremoniously- a long running and expanding land use argument that essentially began with a disagreement between the county, one citizen, and one property owner that has bounced back and forth at meetings and online like Forest Gump's ping pong balls. (was that a run-on sentence?)

But now all of that is over.   finally. finito!

The county was right and the pro se petitioner in this case was wrong, it's really pretty basic and that's the way this ends..

From the order:

"Contrary to the Petitioner's contention, the MU-S FLU category's primary focus is on a mix of uses in a suburban area. See Findings of Fact Nos. 6-8, above.      Indeed, the FLU element of the Comp Plan expresses a purpose and intent to encourage mixed- use development..Also, the Petitioner's focus on the differences between the MU-S and Mixed-Use Urban (MU-U) FLU categories in the Comp Plan was misplaced. The premise that the HC/LI zoning district implements the MU-U FLU category better than it implements the MU-S FLU category was not the issue to be determined in this proceeding.   Rather, it was whether the Ordinance, as amended by the Remedial Ordinance, amending the HC/LI zoning district in the LDC is consistent with the Comp Plan..All other contentions not specifically discussed have been considered and rejected...Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is

ORDERED that the Ordinance, as amended by the Remedial Ordinance, amending the HC/LI zoning district in the County LDC, is consistent with the 2030 County Comp Plan."

Read the ORDER HERE