Why are dairies being treated with kid gloves?

Dairy farmers are trying to circumvent a federal water regulation of obtaining permits that would require them to clean runoff that pollutes public waters.

Why are elected officials trying to undo a court ruling that would allow the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to do its job, which is to protect the environment? Why is DEP fighting NOT to do its job?

Leon County Circuit Court Judge Ralph Smith Jr.`s decision will be appealed by DEP if Senate Bill 1518 does not pass and the effort to put dairy farmers with 700 or more dairy cows back in charge of policing their own and keeping records secret from public scrutiny will be off an running.

Senator Nancy Argenziano R-Dunellon sponsored the amended bill that passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee unanimously on Monday April 19, 2004. The bill has been placed on the Senate calendar for a vote before the session ends on April 30, 2004.

"DEP has failed to adopt a comprehensive program to prevent, control and abate pollution, as required by law," the judge wrote, "and has failed to issue orders necessary to control pollution or to enforce orders through judicial proceedings, as required by law." Throughout the ruling, Judge Smith scolded DEP on the agency`s resolve to ignore its job description. The state`s responsibility, he noted, "is mandated by the Florida Constitution." Judge Smith called DEP`s protection of natural resources "so inadequate as to closely resemble a delegation of its duties to the industry it is required to regulate."

The question is why? Why are dairies allowed to literally dump untreated BS (dairy cow manure) into the once pristine waterways of Florida and get the support from elected officials? What is the cost and what is the payoff and to whom? Who has sanctioned this alliance between the dairies and DEP?

http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&Mode=Bills&SubMenu=1&Year=2004&billnum=1518

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