On Real News with Rick Outzen This Morning at 7:45

 

I've been invited onto the area's #1 rated morning drive news/talk program "Real News with Rick Outzen" later this morning, at 7:45.

Topics that will be discussed include 

--the PNJ cartoonist Andy Marlette's latest ridiculous attack on me in response to my calling him out for his disgusting, racist use of the "N-Word" in his cartoons--and what the county has done to deprive PNJ of revenue subsequently for legal advertisements.  (And it is a big number--could be as much as $100K yearly going forward.)

-- The redistricting and calls by some for the censure of Dough Underhill for purposely putting out misinformation/disinformation/lies at his recent series of very sparsely attended town halls last week

--My priorities going forward into the next year as I once again serve as board chairman.

Should be a great show--and once I get the podcast back from Rick, I will post it here! 

Thoughts on the Primary Part I: "Tool-Boy" Marlette and PNJ have NO Say, and NO Sway :)

Andy Marlette and the PNJ, although they tried, exerted ZERO influence in this year's elections--mine in particular......NADA, Zilch...Hopefully this holds true in November as well.....

In the waning days of my recent successful primary election campaign, I must admit I was somewhat astonished that the PNJ in general, and their cartoonist Andy Marlette specifically, had not attempted to interfere more openly in my election.  There's a history between me and the PNJ---and after they pulled this disgusting, unprofessional stunt on me earlier this year--I expected more attacks.  

Then came Friday, August 7th and an out of the blue,  non-contextualized attack cartoon by Marlette against me. (below-photograph taken 8-29-20 from PNJ online site of PNJ cartoon published Friday 8-7-20).  

Just out of the clear blue sky this cartoon arrived.  The day they published it was the day before the start of 8 days of early voting for my election.  Now, I chuckled to myself when I saw this garbage cartoon  pop on the Friday before early voting--thinking Andy had probably toured my district and seen one or more of my 19 billboards deployed in D1.  Given PNJ's proclivity for attacking me-- I naturally assumed there would be an attack editorial in the subsequent Sunday paper.  But there wasn't.   Instead--they attacked two different Republican candidates (actually three different Republicans).  Anyhow--I did another Marlette Manipulation (above) and actually succeeded in properly contextualizing the dishonesty and duplicity of this publication and their cartoonist in particular--along with what is really true about them that should be plastered on billboards around this town.

And now that I have decompressed from the primary and I begin serving (if the Good Lord wills it and I do not die) what will be at a minimum the next 51 months as Escambia County's District 1 Commissioner (that's a LONG time PNJ)---I see in today's paper a "letter to the editor" is published "praising" this cartoon from 8-7-20 bashing me from before the primary.

So now is the time to challenge this misplaced "praise."  And to call out PNJ for what they are....

First off---The PNJ and their editorial board are dishonest, fake news.  

Everyone know this. They publish extreme viewpoints that alienate the majority of their ever-dwindling subscriber base--bashing Jesus Christ and Christianity, bashing public officials (exclusively conservative ones) and they promulgate viewpoints that, at least  to my district according to MANY I speak with, come off as extremely left-leaning, liberal, and out of step.  I guess PNJ doesn't understand this, but my goodness--with print-media revenues declining you would think they would at least be a little more covert with their outright contempt for the center-right majority in Escambia County.  

But no.

More troubling, though, are the personal attacks that are unfair and untrue.  For example and #1.) --the cartoon they published on 8-7-20 deceptively misleads the reader to think that I am a pawn of the folks in the community that write campaign checks--the so-called "downtown crowd." I'm not and they know it. I have routinely voted against contributors' wishes and for what was best for the people I represent--and I will continue to do so when appropriate. Meanwhile, though, every other incumbent commissioner--and several challengers in multiple other races--also got contributions from these same folks.  So why attack me exclusively?  More importantly---the only incumbent Democrat commissioner in the race got contributions from the SAME folks who wrote me checks (and he got a LOT more money from them).  The very same donors Andy apparently hates donate to us all.  But the Democrat is not scrutinized and bashed (and he should NOT BE) for taking the same money ----but I am?  That is dishonesty in media.  Dishonesty and duplicity.  (Here's a newsflash for the PNJ....there is a small, small pool of check writers locally that pay attention to politics and actually fund candidates they believe are good public servants--because they have interests affected by our decision making.  Most citizens that could afford to participate and contribute simply do not do so..... PNJ fake-news, failed logic alert:  "If these folks give to Jeff Bergosh--it is BAD!  But when the same donors give money to candidates we favor, this is FINE and we will not cover it."

#2.)  The implication that I am somehow "anti-environmental" is a lie.  PNJ knows this. I grew up fishing on the west side of Pensacola, I was a Boy Scout, and I am an environmentalist at heart!  They attempt to tie me into the issues of International Paper and their FDEP discharge permit---knowing full-well the county has NO play in that permit process--that is a Federal and State-Level Issue.  PNJ also never reported that I independently toured IP's facilities in both Cantonment and Beulah on multiple occasions and wrote extensively about these visits and what I learned.  They also never report the FACT that Perdido Bay's Health is BETTER now than it has been in the last 20 years.  No mention of this from PNJ....nope.  Goes against their narrative.  (Incidentally--when I toured IP's facilities last year, I asked and was told that neither Andy Marlette nor anyone from the PNJ had requested and taken a tour of their facilities and polishing wetlands like I did...)  Not a surprise to me--they have their minds made up already:  IP= Evil Capitalists!

#3.)  PNJ shadow banned me from writing viewpoints.  I've written dozens of these over the last 14 years and they hate it.  They just do not like it, so they simply started saying NO---- citing a policy that  ".....they do not publish the op-eds of candidates with primary or general election opposition..." [paraphrased].  But wait a second--- they did just that on multiple occasions---allowing viewpoints from at least two (2) other incumbent officeholders during this election cycle to be published in the PNJ--- even though these same officeholders had primary and general election opponents!

There is much more I could say about all of this, and there will be plenty of time for this now that the election is over.

So no, I'm not a fan of PNJ.  But they are here and so am I, so we will simply co-exist.  I'll have to deal with them, and they'll just have to deal with me.

But I will continue to call out their ridiculous partisanship, dishonesty, and duplicity for at least the next 51 months because this is America and I have the right of free speech just like they do.  And I have a platform to do it!

A Frank Discussion about Perdido Bay

Cato the Elder  234–149 BC

Late last week I had the opportunity to have a very frank discussion about Perdido Bay with a long-term resident of the area. This individual called my office and arranged an afternoon teleconference. We talked about the health of the bay, we talked about the issues that are impacting the bay.  And we talked philosophy as well.  This person has some strong feelings about what is causing all the trouble in Perdido Bay. She was also honest in what she hoped the outcome would be.  As I discussed these issues with her, I kept thinking about the famous quote commonly attributed to famous Roman Orator, statesman and soldier--Cato the Elder-- about the nature of politics and local issues and concerns.  The famous quotation from Cato the Elder is  “the average Roman doesn't care about what the legions are doing in foreign lands. He cares only about the pebble in his shoe.”.

My questions in bold and her responses italicized.

Have you noticed the bay has improved over the last decade or so--since IP started sending their effluent through a polishing wetland facility they created?

"No I really haven't.  I think it has become worse.  I've lived on the bay since the 1970's and I can tell you it's not better.  Now, we all thought that diverting the effluent through wetlands would be the solution-we really did but the plant increased the production and so the bay is getting more and more of the water from that process--and so no, I don't see it getting better"

What about the studies that show the bay is improving, and the Nutter and associates reports that show the bay's water is within allowable tolerances?

"We paid for our own studies and we compared them to a baseline of biological surveys that DEP used to do in the 1970's and  early 1980s--and looking at the changes over time it is clear that the bay has not improved but has become worse. Florida DEP used to conduct these surveys but then they stopped in the late 1980s."

I was told there were no crabs in the bay, so I went out and caught some.  I also saw seagrass and some crustaceans on driftwood in the upper bay--is this not a sign of improvement?

"I understand the grass beds are making a comeback, but I don't see the animals and the fish coming back in large numbers-so I don't see the grass alone as a sign of health"

The water itself has always been murky, kind of brown not unlike Pensacola Bay is in the upper portion near the Pensacola Bay bridge--do you believe this is because of IP alone?

"I think IP is a large contributor.  A few years back when they had the explosion at the plant and had to suspend operations for a few weeks, I could tell the difference in the bay immediately!  Within just the two weeks they were closed down and stopped the pumping of their water--the clarity of the bay water came back--I could see a noticeable improvement in just that short period of time.  So I believe if we stopped pumping the effluent through the wetlands and into Perdio Bay, we would see improvement very rapidly"

What is your goal, do you want to see International Paper get shut down?

"A lot of people think I am anti-International Paper-but I am not.  I actually have worked with them through the years, all of them as one company came through and then another.  I think the people that work there are good and that they are trying but I just think it is too much to be dumped in our little bay--the bay is just too small to take it.  I tell people if they could reduce production or somehow not dump the water into the bay-I would be fine with International Paper."

Isn't it a bit hypocritical?  I mean, we all use the products IP makes, and if we force them to close this mill here-don't you realize they would just take their production elsewhere-potentially to a country that has more laxed environmental regulations than we do here in America--which would ultimately lead to more pollution for the planet?

"I agree, I do realize that, but I live here so I care about this because this is where I live.  That's what is so tough about this issue,  and I don't know what the answer is.  If this was happening in Pensacola Bay or somewhere else or in some other state or some other country-- it would not affect me as directly as it does now and so therefore I would not be as actively opposed.   And if and when the mill does close--I know that will be a very large economic impact, I know that. So I'm not sure h"ow this gets resolved.

I have heard that International Paper is working through the process and is working on a Site Specific Alternative Criteria--what do you think about that?

"I don't believe they will possibly get one, how could they?  I just don't see that as a possibility and I don't think it will happen.

If you could wave a magic wand and get any outcome you wanted, what would that be?

"I don't have any anger towards IP, but I do wish they could be shut down, so I suppose that is what I would want as an outcome, yes."

Andy Got Catfished! Marlette Manipulation 22.0

In an unusual twist  and a departure from reality and what typically occurs in real life-- Andy Marlette appears to willingly allow himself to be "Catfished"...luckily the rest of us are not quite as gullible......

Cartoonist Andy Marlette just loves to let me rent space in his head.  It is so funny.  Between his never ending barrage of attacks on Christianity, our President, the First Lady, our Congressman, our State Representatives, Well-established and well-respected local employers, and others that are conservative-he still manages to do cartoon after cartoon about me...One after another.  I'm almost like a "regular" in his rotation, LOL.

Apparently--he also likes to be "Catfished", as evidenced by today's cartoon of me that he did and which I have improved above.

You see, Andy's compromised, conscripted.

He takes money from people and does their ideological  bidding.  He intimates in his cartoon of me today that I do likewise.

Of course, this simply is not true.  I have never taken anything of value, not one thin dime, from International Paper.  Nothing, nada.  What I have done is meet with the experts at FDEP who dispute Andy's propaganda about IP.  Then I met with IP executives and toured their facilities and saw the wetlands firsthand. I requested a tour to learn about what was going on (Something, ironically, that neither the PNJ nor Andy Marlette has requested from IP).  I am paying for independent analysis of water samples from the bay in an attempt to validate the findings.  I look into things and I do research, I do NOT let folks just get over on me--because I am an independent free thinker.....

Sadly, the same thing cannot be said of Andy Marlette.  He takes money from his Patron du jour-whomever that happens to be at any given time--- and allows himself to be used like the tool that he is.  Sound's kinda like the world's second oldest profession.   And Andy really likes it!

Yes--he has already been catfished by whomever his "Patron" Du Jour is today--and maybe he doesn't even realize it?

Yes, yes, anyone who he is told to keep the gloves on with----or who pays him--- and Andy subserviently, obsequiously, and like a good boy does just that.  No cartoons. No dumb articles.  He is very, very obedient.

Everyone else is a target though--particularly if Andy's Patron says so and doesn't like the target.

But here is something for Andy's microscopically small brain to ponder:   What if Andy's Patron du jour is/was the real bad guy, or at a minimum an opportunist and a user--or a fake or a phony?  What

Yes, There are Blue Crabs in Perdido Bay Part II

Blue Crab like the one I pulled in, above, are becoming more and more prevalent in Northern Perdido Bay, North of the Lillian Bridge, according to a resident with whom I spoke yesterday who has lived in the same house on this bay since 1974...

This past weekend I went to Perdido Bay, on a 39 acre waterfront property the county owns on the northern portion of this water body (and future site of a new boat ramp and water access point for citizens) to prove that yes, Blue Crabs do exist in Perdido Bay still.

And I proved that on Sunday.
(You can watch the short video of me pulling in crabs via this facebook post--if you want visual confirmation a la the famous coach Parcells Coors Light Commercial........)

But then by happenstance I had the opportunity to speak with another D1 constituent about another issue.  Once we got that separate issue handled, we spoke about Perdido Bay.

You see, this individual lives on Perdido Bay, north of the Lillian Bridge.

He's lived in the same house on this Bay since 1974.  He's seen a lot over the years.....

So I asked him what he thinks about the health of the bay as of late, since he has lived here so long.

"It has improved over the last several years, it is getting better.  I see dolphins, lots of fish, and crab" he stated.  "My neighbor puts out crab traps and he can get between 10-20 per day.  We have even seen some soft shell crabs--and we had not seen them here before for many, many years" he stated with emphasis.

He also spoke about something else that gives a tantalizing clue about the bay's overall health.  "I see the sea grass is coming back on the shore of my property over the last few years--and it was gone for quite some time but it is coming back" he stated.

So yes, despite the doomsday assertions of some and the ridiculous, inaccurate, and fabricated cartoons in the PNJ that show green sludge being dumped into the bay (no green sludge is being dumped by IP--I confirmed that when I went to the discharge pipe and put eyes on it personally)--Perdido Bay is making a comeback!  Perdido Bay is NOT dead.  (and if it could speak for itself, I have a feeling Perdido Bay might channel Mark Twain's famous quote: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!")

Yes, There Are Blue Crabs in Perdido Bay!

I was able to pull in multiple Blue Crabs using chicken legs on a string yesterday afternoon in Perdido Bay---despite this being a bad time of year to do this as the females are in the gulf spawning....Perdido Bay is NOT dead!

Even though it is not an ideal time of year in late October to be catching Blue Crabs from shore--a trip I made yesterday to northern Perdido Bay, north of the Lillian Bridge, proves that one can still catch this species even now as the females have moved to the Gulf of Mexico to spawn.

As a kid growing up in Pensacola, my dad and I used to catch these all the time from multiple locations.  While perhaps not as plentiful as they were at one point, these crabs are still available.

I used chicken legs to catch several blue crabs yesterday in Perdido Bay, where some environmentalists have claimed there are NO crabs to catch.  Of course this is not the case.  As a matter of fact, I pulled in two nice sized crabs within 30 minutes of arriving at the site yesterday.  While there, I observed mullet, Redfish, lots of minnows, and other wildlife in the area.  (Read more about Blue Crab here)

I watched Osprey dive and catch fish multiple times.

A few boats went by, one using a trolling motor, another was a pleasure boat.

Some debris and driftwood at the site and other sites I visited yesterday also had clams attached and I saw sea grass on one of the crabs I pulled in.  It was a spectacularly beautiful day, and the water was clear.  Glad I got to spend some time here yesterday--it brought back memories of my dad and I fishing!

Meanwhile---some have said that Perdido Bay is dead.

And some say this is all the fault of International Paper.  I think some want to blame every problem in Pensacola on International Paper.  I just don't get it.....

From what I saw yesterday, I have to totally disagree with the flawed assessment that Perdido Bay is dead.  To the contrary, it actually looked better today than it did when I fished it multiple times in the early to mid 2000's when my family owned property on this body of water.  And this lines up with what recent accounts about the health of the bay seem to portray.

If you don't believe me, go out and check Perdido Bay out for yourself and see for yourself, just as I have done!  Fish and Crab are there!

Perdido Bay is Improving

I toured the 1200 acres of International Paper's wetlands (pictured) just north of Perdido Bay earlier this month.  This particular picture was taken at the point where the IP effluent drains from their pipeline into the first part of their 3-stage polishing wetlands.  (photo from Whitney Fike, International Paper)

Over the last several months there have been numerous discussions of Perdido Bay.  In the media, in the BCC's chambers, and between myself and the experts who study the science of this issue.

I had a great sit down with FDEP in June.

I toured IP's site just this month.

I've spoken with multiple scientists and other experts on this topic.

And what I have heard from the experts with whom I have spoken is that Perdido Bay is improving as a water body..it is making drastic improvements compared to just two decades ago.

I've been out there fishing off and on for years--as my brother owned a place on Perdido Bay on San Sebastian Circle from 1996 until Ivan Destroyed the home in September of 2004. He kept the property for another 5 years after that and I fished a lot from his dock. I caught a lot of redfish from his dock, tons of other species as well to include catfish, croaker, and speckled trout.  I remember there were crab traps tied to the dock and they would produce lots of Blue Crab.  This was in the late 1990s and through the late 2000s.

Fishing on Perdido Bay in December of 2000 with
 my then 4-year old son Nick.

fast forward to 2019, and I am told the bay was in the worst shape of all during that time-frame--the late 1990s and early 2000s.

But even then aquatic life was present in the Bay--to include dolphins and even the occasional shark.

The studies done by Nutter and Associates in support of IP point to a bay that is improving.

An independent study conducted by concerned citizens also showed that Perdido Bay is improving.

I have gone so far as to request county environmental staff conduct redundant testing behind the IP contractor and I have stated I will pay for this testing out of my own discretionary funds.  If there is a problem, I want to know about it.  But at some point we do have to look at the data with an unbiased perspective and realize that yes, this body of water is improving and we cannot make IP a villain on anecdotal data and assessments.

At our BCC meeting yesterday, there were multiple discussions about Perdido Bay--culminating with a presentation about the county's water quality monitoring program at the very end of the meeting.

Once again I asked, point blank about our monitoring station on Perdido Bay which is sampled and tested once monthly by our staff.  I asked for the readings for the last 2 year period and I received those results.  From the county water quality specialist who specializes in this field, Mr. Brent Wipf

"This data does not suggest a surface water quality impairment for any of the parameters collected under the county ambient water quality program."

See the data below taken from the northern waters of Perdido Bay:

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.

An Afternoon With International Paper Part II---Presentations and a Tour of the Cantonment Plant And Beulah/Perdido Wetlands

I toured IP's facilities in Cantonment and Beulah yesterday--and I learned a lot about this company in the process...

My meeting with IP staff was very cordial yesterday afternoon.  It started with introductions around a large conference room table.  They knew me, so they wanted me to know THEM.

Scott Taylor is the mill's manager, has been with the company for 17 years, and moved to the area about two years ago.  Laurie Mclean is the mill's Environmental Health and Safety Manager. A chemical engineer by trade, she has been with the company for 19 years.  Randy McRae, a senior Regional Manager for Government Relations covering the states of Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida has been with IP for 33 years.  Whitney Fike, the IP Internal and External Communications Officer, is a native of Escambia County's Cantonment area and has been with IP for the last three years.  This was the group that gave me a presentation, a mill tour, and a tour of IP's wetlands area.

The first part of my visit consisted of a discussion about IP's corporate culture, values, objectives, strategies, revenues, market segments, and corporate goals.  It was interesting.  

The company had over 52,000 employees in 24 countries around the world and they  produced $23 Billion in total revenue in 2018, with three core areas of specialty products.  Papers account for 19% of product revenue, Industrial packaging accounts for 69%, and Global cellulose fibers make up 12%. They create boxes for Tyson foods, Amazon, Little Caesars Pizza, and many other retailers.  Their cellulose fibers are used in Pampers Diapers and multiple brands of the fast growing market of adult incontinence products.  "That is a growing segment of our market, particularly overseas" said Mr. McRae.  "That's pretty depressing for those of us getting older." I quipped. 

As it pertains to IP's impact on Pensacola specifically-I was told that IP directly employs 500 personnel and another 100 contractor personnel.  The group provided information claiming a local economic impact of $250 Million yearly in the Pensacola area.

After the corporate information powerpoint, Laurie Mclean went through about twenty slides focused on the company's environmental compliance efforts.  This was interesting, and a lot of it was NEW information to me.  Several of the slides were extremely informative, so naturally I asked for a copy.  "Can you just send me this presentation?"  I asked.  "Unfortunately we cannot send this outside the company--as it contains proprietary information." was the response.  This was disappointing, like when I was told I could not take any pictures or videos on their property during my tour (as I mentioned in part I).  We went through many of the issues with which I was familiar:  the previous issues with obtaining their permit in 2010.  The re-routing of their effluent from 11-Mile Creek to their own private wetlands beginning in 2012 via a long pipeline they own jointly with ECUA, and the problems with their current permit--which has been administratively extended.  One slide in particular captured my interest:  "This is probably the most profound data I have seen yet." I told them.   It is one slide I certainly would have taken a picture of and spotlighted in this post if I would have been permitted to do so.  Essentially, it was a slide that depicted the health of Perdido Bay graphically, as measured by a number of key environmental metrics, from the late 1980s through 2019.  It looked like a bell curve, with the highest levels of contaminants in Perdido Bay representing the top of the "curve."  The bay was in the worst health of all in 2000--according to this chart.  "That's the year we took over this plant from Champion" mused Mr. McRae.  But the interesting thing to note was that from that point forward--this chart showed a straight downward trend line (with dramatic drops from 2012 forward) through 2018---with contaminant levels in 2018 back down to the levels of the late 1980's levels.

"Why are you all not putting this slide out in response to the attacks from the media and the Pensacola News Journal---did you not see last Sunday's cartoon and hit piece in the PNJ?" I asked.  There really was not a good response to my question, though.  The group just looked back at me with subdued, almost somber expressions.  I must surmise that IP's corporate offices prefer to not directly engage/challenge inaccurate information.  My personal feeling on that--seeing the way they are attacked unfairly almost weekly by our newspaper--is that this strategy is not working from a PR standpoint.  But that's their decision to make.....

Several other slides were presented, specifically on their wetlands project where they send their effluent.   According to the staff, the plant species that have been introduced out there have thrived over the last 7 years.  "We measure for biodiversity, we measure the growth of the trees we plant, and we spend about $300,000.00 yearly just on testing out there and in Perdido Bay," said Mrs. McLean.  I was shown a montage of pictures taken at the wetlands showing the flora and fauna.  "We have all kinds of animals out there--including threatened and endangered plant and animal species like the Pitcher Plant, the Bald Eagle, and the Gopher Tortoise. We have documented over 160 different bird species out there."  She continued "We have a former employee who is in the Audubon Society--and we let him go out and bird watch.  In exchange, he sends us photos like these." The screen then flashed multiple pictures of birds, plants, alligators, foxes, bobcats, and other wildlife from their wetlands and reserve property in Beulah just north of Perdido Bay.  As we finished going through the presentation in preparation  for our tour, several facts of note were presented that are worthy of mention here--to include the following:

-IP has spent $94 Million Dollars on their pipleine, wetlands, and water treatment facilities in Escambia County in an effort to achieve total compliance with their discharge permit to comply with the CWA.

-IP operates lawfully on an administratively extended permit from DEP.

-IP spends about $300K yearly on testing and monitoring for environmental compliance locally

-IP utilizes reclaimed water from ECUA for their processes, recaptures and re-uses much of this water on site, and burns off much of this water before discharging what remains through their pipeline.

-IP could utilize potable water from the area's aquifer for its production processes, however they chose to use treated ECUA water instead to ease the burden on the aquifer. 

-ECUA pumps millions of gallons of water through the pipe to IP's weltlands as well--as much as 5 Million Gallons Per Day (MGD)--in addition to what IP sends out.

-ECUA's treated water has consistently failed the same toxicity test (chronic) on the water flea.  

-ECUA stopped performing the toxicity tests last year on its treated water which it provides to IP for use in their production facilities.

-The nexus between IP's failure in the chronic toxicity test at the end of the pipe and the utilization of this reclaimed ECUA water (which also fails the same toxicity tests consistently) for their production processes has not been fully understood as of yet.

-IP successfully demonstrated their ability to pass the chronic and acute toxicity tests utilizing water from the second berm of their 3-berm polishing wetlands in 2013.

-Similar wetlands to IP's in the region and locally do not have this species of water flea (Ceriodaphnia dubia) naturally occurring--due to the pH levels that do not sustain this life form in these nearby waters.  Yet this is the species IP is mandated to utilize for this toxicity testing.

-The Water Flea survives in the 100% effluent; the reason the chronic toxicity test is considered a "fail" is that the water fleas in the effluent water do not reproduce at the same level as the control water sample--but the fleas live and reproduce in both the test and the control water.

Eventually, after we went through the very thorough environmental presentation, and an equally comprehensive safety presentation,  and got completely "geared-up" with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)--including ear and eye protection, hard hat, and safety vest--I was given a tour of the mill's production facilities. The size of the machines that press and roll the paper was incredible!  Inside the production area, where I was given a tour, the temperature was over 115 degrees fahrenheit!

"We have fans for the employees, and we take lots of hydration breaks, we have water stations stacked." said Scott Taylor.  I noted several buildings within buildings on the production floor, with tinted windows, lots of flat screen computers and control panels.  Each of these enclaves was air-conditioned and comfortable, and the ones I was shown had two or three personnel inside monitoring the production. 

At the end of the lines--huge, massive rolls of brown paper and white cellulose fibre roll off onto conveyor belts.  As I watched the  giant brown rolls of paper go by on the belt, I asked Scott if these ever "roll off..."   Not very often, but unfortunately sometimes they do.  You wouldn't believe how heavy these rolls are.  You never want to be between one of those rolls and any structure--because that's how very serious injuries occur," he stated.  After I was introduced to many of the personnel, we completed our mill tour and were off for our tour of IP's wetlands and conservation lands further south in Beulah.

THE WETLANDS

We caravaned from IP's Cantonment facility down Muscogee Road to Beulah road, where we made a left turn and traveled south to IP's conservation and wetlands property--where the 27 million gallons  of effluent flows daily from IP's mill and eventually into Perdido Bay.  It was a short drive, and upon our entry onto IP's Beulah property off of Hurst Hammock Road (through a locked gate), we were greeted by Mark, the forester who manages this property for IP.  I left my truck at the gate and we all jumped into the large SUV that IP personnel brought, and we drove through the conservation land and into the first berm area of the wetlands.  Along the way Mark pointed out numerous pitcher plant areas, sections of the forest where IP conducts controlled burns, and numerous Gopher Tortoise burrows.  "We started out and found two tortoise burrows--now we're up to 23.  These are a threatened species," he said.  We stopped and exited the vehicle at numerous points and Mark proudly pointed out areas where trees and other plants had been planted.  Areas that would eventually be inundated with water from the discharge were built up into a series of small round islands where 7-9 different species of plants and trees were planted on each little island according to mill manager Mark Taylor.  As we continued deeper into the woods, we came upon a clearing that subsequently led to the end of the discharge pipe.  "Here we are, let's get out and take a look around," Taylor said.  

As I walked up to the concrete structure and up to the top of the platform, I looked down and observed a torrent of water cascading out of the pipe, across a 20 foot concrete platform that has "stairs" stepping down on either side.  This water was somewhat murky, but the smell was not overwhelming to me--I expected it to be much worse.  As the water flowed down, it went into a large canal that runs parallel to the berm on one side.  The water was alive with bream and bluegill--I saw multiple bass swimming in the water from the bank.  As we traveled down the berm, Mark told us "There are hundreds of Alligators out here.  We actually see more of them in the winter.  They come out and lay on the road and soak up the sun in the middle of the day--sometimes a dozen or more at a time."  We drove the length of that berm, stopping from time to time to look at various things.  Mark told us about some of the wildlife that is out in this 1400 acre property "We have Bear, Deer, turkey, wild boar, bobcats, all kinds of animals out here," he exclaimed as we drove down the road along the berm.  I asked if I could take some photos of the pipe and the water, and Whitney Fike took some photos with her camera. "By Tuesday we should have the clearance to send you these," Scott Taylor said.

I had hoped to see much more of the wetlands, but much of it is inaccessible by car.  "In order to get down to the area adjacent to Perdido Bay-we would need to have a boat for that," the group explained.  But I felt like I saw a lot of the first stage of the polishing wetlands.  I was curious about all the green covering along much of the canal.  "Is that algae?" I asked.  Actually it is not algae I was told but rather a huge growth of a small plant called "Duckweed".  "It is abundant out here this time of year," said Mark.  Some takeaways I observed from travelling through this area:

-The IP Wetlands areas I looked at yesterday appeared healthy--with plants, trees, and shrubbery that seem to be thriving.  I'm definitely not a scientist, but this is what it looked like to me...

-Several areas of this wetland and conservation area are being thinned via controlled burns (these, I would assume, are the brown/dead looking areas of the woods from the satellite photos that have been making the rounds on social media)

--The "Islands" within the wetlands are dotted throughout the area, in almost a grid-like pattern; these have 7-9 different plant species each.  I believe these "islands" are the round circles in patterns that some drone footage pictures on social media have portrayed (that look like a grid or checker-board pattern).

-The water in the canal at the first stage of the pipe outfall is full of fish and insect activity.

-Much of the water is covered with Duckweed--which I am certain is the green in the water from the satellite pictures that have been displayed on social media (although I have no way of knowing if there is also algae present in the area)

-Paper mills in other areas of the country that discharge into bodies of water that flow (rivers and streams) have an easier time passing the toxicity test (s) because their test water can be diluted in a commensurate percentage with fresh water in an amount and in a proportion that aligns with the body of water in which the effluent will be discharged (e.g. if an effluent is to be discharged into a large river, as little as 20% of process water will be used as the "test" sample).  IP in Pensacola, however, must use 100% effluent for their test because the effluent goes into a wetland environment.

-The exact time it takes for the effluent discharge water, or "sheet flow" to travel from the end of the pipeline at the beginning of IP's 1400 acre wetlands area to the northern portion of Perdido Bay is not known precisely.  While on the tour, I was told by IP personnel it is estimated that it takes between 2- 4 days for this to occur.

Although I don't pretend to be an expert on any of this, because I am not, I did commit a significant amount of time and energy in reading about this issue, researching the history of this problem, meeting with FDEP, county personnel, and now with IP personnel.  My reasoning for doing this is/was to learn as much about the issues surrounding IP's permit process as I can.  I appreciate IP's time and willingness to show me their operations, I appreciate county staff's time and research, I appreciate the citizens that are passionate about the environment (I am too) and I appreciate the personnel from FDEP who met with me and answered my questions on this matter.  

I'll close this post by saying that of course I can be criticized by the PNJ cartoonist, that comes with the territory of being an elected official in Escambia County.  But I'll also say this:  I now know a lot more than the PNJ and Andy Marlette do about this process and the FACTS surrounding this whole evolution----- because I took the time and effort to learn about it firsthand from multiple sources and points of view.  Meanwhile, as PNJ hurls insults at us-- they, themselves-- remain unwilling to take the tour of IP's facilities in order to learn about these issues firsthand. 

I hope people that may disagree with me on this issue at least see this fact.

An Afternoon With International Paper Part I

I was offered a tour of International Paper's facilities today--including their wetlands and wastewater facilities--and it was an eye-opener...

I took the afternoon off of work today to go to Cantonment and tour International Paper's facility there and learn about their business and their environmental perspective.  A part of this tour included driving down to the 1400 acre site where their effluent goes through the wetlands before it empties into Perdido Bay.

Upon arrival, I was ushered into a nice conference room and given materials and a very informative powerpoint presentation about IP, their business segments, and their environmental philosophy.  I must admit it was an overwhelming amount of information and at times I felt like I was back in school, in Biology 101, as we discussed the minutiae of their efforts to navigate the circuitous process to get a renewed discharge permit through the state.

I am so happy I took time to go out and hear IP's side of the story.  And I learned a lot, and I saw a lot.

The main issue I had with today was the inaccessibility of much of the polishing wetlands.

I was also really bummed when I found out I could not take pictures and videos.

"It is strictly prohibited under company policy" I was told right up front.  (Full disclosure--I nearly got up and walked out at that point--but I really wanted to see what was happening in the wetlands so I acquiesced to this rule and put my phone away...)

I'm glad I stayed.  And I learned a lot.  In part II I will go into this issue in depth--because there is a lot more to tell.  Unlike what you see in cartoons in our paper---I care about this issue and the environment.  That's why I met with DEP and the scientists back in June.  That's why I spent hours today in the woods!

Multiple Water Tests in Perdido Bay in 2018 Resulted in NO Water Quality Violations

The commissioners were sent an email clarifying some information about the discharges from IP.  Some had mistakenly claimed that the process water was going directly into 11-mile creek, which is inaccurate.  The discharges, since 2012, have been piped to a 1400 acre wetland facility, two miles north of Perdido Bay.  From the email:

"IP discharges their effluent 14,000 feet north of Perdido Bay at the northeastern corner of a 1400-acre wetland.  This is the compliance point where FDEP assesses the quality of IP’s effluent.  At this “end of pipe” compliance point, IP’s effluent does not meet state water quality standards for discharge to wetlands.  The parameters of exceedance at the compliance point include pH, specific conductance (sodium), and dissolved oxygen.  Monitoring data also indicates there may be issues with turbidity and wetland insect toxicity testing results at the “end of pipe”.  This water quality information was emailed to you on June 7^th, 2019.  After discharge from the pipe, the effluent sheet flows across 1400 acres of wetlands where additional biological and vegetative treatment occurs before the effluent reaches the surface waters of Perdido Bay.  The 2018 water quality monitoring data from the 5 surface water sites in Perdido Bay (shown on the attached map as PB-01, PB-02, PB-03, PB-04, and PB-05) meet all state water quality standards with no violations."

Who is the Real Dunce?

If Andy Marlette HATES the process of IP garnering their discharge renewal permit so badly--he should prove it by going to congress with his issues--it is a FEDERAL process, something over which the Escambia BCC has no control....

It's easy to shake one's fist in anger and lash out at people.  It's somewhat amusing to watch this happen when such a person who is decompensating and going apoplectic happens to be glib on the subject about which he is so aggrieved.

Fire!  Ready! Aim!  and the shadow-chasing, windmill tilting simpleton takes shots at people who have no say in the issue about which he is so heated and lathered.  Who cares though, right?

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more" is the tone, as if channeled directly from the 70's cult favorite "Network."  "Dammit--I'll show them!!" is the attitude.

This, folks, perfectly describes PNJ cartoonist Andy Marlette's ridiculous garbage "pieces" in Sunday's paper.  (They preempted Walter Williams' excellent piece on police entrance examinations that should have run on Sunday-and did in most markets--and instead ran Andy's rambling screed about IP and Escambia County on Sunday, relegating Williams' excellent article to the no-audience Monday edition of the PNJ...ho hum)

What's he so worked-up over now--you might ask?!?

Andy is "angry" about International Paper's attempts to get a renewal of their discharge permit under NPDES.

But wait just a minute.

Who is in charge of that process anyway, you might ask?  The County Commissioners??  (here is a hint--it ain't the BCC)

Answer:  it is a FEDERAL program and process, delegated to the States, a product of the FEDERAL Clean Water Act.  And yes, it is a very circuitous, cumbersome, opaque, and  time-consuming process.  And yes, it has layers and layers of processes, procedures, appeals, mitigation strategies, and due process protections for the applicant.  Yes, due process--that thing that progressives like Andy normally really, really support....except when the recipient of such due process is an "EVIL" large and successful Corporation!!!

So why the heck is Andy blaming the Escambia Board of County Commissioners for this process, anyway??

Because he apparently doesn't get it.

Andy, listen to me, and check out this logical advice...... 

If you don't like the NPDES process, go to Congress and tell them to modernize the process and protocols under the CWA.  Go yell at them---IT'S THEIR PROCESS!

Otherwise, you are just exercising yourself,  pushing a wet noodle up a hill.  And you look foolish.

  Of course we all want a clean environment.  Nobody likes pollution, and nobody wants the water flea to die. That's why I met with FDEP back in June to learn what is going on--something you obviously didn't do yet...so tell the truth--the toxicity tests on the minnow and the flea come from water at the "end of the pipe"--but water from the "end of the pipe" goes for miles and miles and through a three-berm system within 1200 acres of private "polishing" wetlands---- before it ever hits Perdido Bay.  Did you know that Andy?   Come on man, really?!?

Big Take-Away's from a Sit-Down with the Scientists: IP Discharge Permit a Complicated Process

What is the latest on the state of District 1's Perdido Bay?  Read about it below from a meeting I had with FDEP. 

I have read a lot of opinion pieces in our paper lately about International Paper's discharge that eventually flows into Perdido Bay in District 1.

I must admit I am no expert on any of this stuff, so I reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) so that I could meet with them to learn more about the issue, the process, and whether or not the stories in the news and cartoons were true or gross exaggerations.

As it turns out--the truth is not so easy to discern and lies somewhere in the middle of the competing claims.

So late yesterday afternoon  I sat down with Mr. Shawn Hamilton, the District Director of NW Florida for The Department of Environmental Protection.  Also present were Brandy Smith, External Affairs Manager for the FDEP, and Chips Kirschenfeld, the County's Interim Asst. County Administrator and Director of Natural Resources Management.

They presented me with reams of information and a summary of the last several decades of history between the state and IP as it relates to their permitting for discharging process water.  Although I was drinking from the fire hose as I tried to grasp as much of this technical information being provided as quickly as I could--I did manage to walk away knowing a lot more than I did before I took the meeting.

The big takeaways I bring from the meeting:

1.  International Paper (IP) is NOT currently "Breaking the Law" with their discharges.......but

2.  International Paper is NOT  currently meeting water quality standards.  IP currently operates an "Administratively Continued" Permit. (Permits only last 5 years under Federal Law--and the last IP permit took 15 years to issue)

3.  Perdido Bay as a water body is healthier now than it was in the 1990's--and IP is working to meet the standards of their current permit while also working to obtain a new permit from FDEP.

4.  A huge improvement occurred when IP, beginning in 2010, halted discharging process water directly into 11-Mile Creek and instead diverted this water through wetlands IP purchased to the west