EPA Overreach Prompts Tea Party Response

The Fort Walton Beach Tea Party once again leads the statewide effort to fight against higher taxes, increased spending, excessive regulation, inadequate limitations on Federal government, and a lack of transparency and accountability in our regulatory agencies.

On Tuesday morning, Vice Chairman Henry Kelley read the following statement to the EPA Special Hearing to determine whether Okaloosa County and the State of Florida would have to unnecessarily spend billions of dollars to replace all our water treatment facilities over the next few years.

County Commissioner John Jannazo also attended the EPA hearing and launched the afternoon session by blasting the new proposed EPA rules. Both the County and Cities of Okaloosa County have had to propose high water rates because of the brand new wastewater treatment facility. According to the Director of Okaloosa County Water and Sewer Jeff Littrell, the new EPA proposed regulations would make our new water treatment facility obsolete instantly and cause millions of dollars to renovate or rebuild the facility without gaining any real environmental benefit. In fact, all the rebuilding and re-manufacturing will increase the carbon footprint of the entire project and lead to a more polluted environment.

Even the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has called the EPA proposal “not scientifically valid,” “not appropriate,” “not adequately prot...

The FWB Tea Party has been concerned by governments using regulatory agencies to take the place of legislation passed by elected representatives. We have noted the use of executive power, rather than legislative power, to regulate is affecting us all. Whether you agree with the final actions or not, it is highly unconstitutional for the legislative branches of our government to step aside and allow regulatory agencies to cause harm to our local economies.

And that is where the FWB Tea Party stepped in. We have contacted over 50 Tea Party and government accountability organizations across the state and are excited to support the Cocoa Beach Tea Party Rally tomorrow in Orlando as they have at least 4 speakers along with the Brevard Tea Party and Titusville Tea Party. Other similar concerned citizen’s groups such as the Florida Farm Bureau and Don’t Tax Florida will also be present at the Orlando Wednesday meeting (February 17, 2010: 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal, 7800 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819).

For more video of today’s presentations, go to our YouTube page at www.YouTube.com/FWBTeaParty

For more photos of today’s events, go to our Flickr page at www.Flickr.com/FWBTeaParty.

On Wednesday members of the Space Coast Patriots and Titusville Patriots attended the Orlando meeting and filed this report:

From: Don Forward a>donforw@msn.com>
Date: February 18, 2010 8:37:06 AM CST
Subject: FW: EPA Meeting Orlando afternoon session

Yesterday was the EPA "workshop" on its "proposed numeric nutrient criteria for Florida streams and rivers". There were 14 of us from SpaceCoastPatriots and Titusville Patriots of which 4 of us spoke. There were between 400-450 people at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel says 350 but I counted more, MSM has a problem counting)
We all got there 2 hours before the meeting started and held up protest signs in front of Crown Plaza and on busy Sand Lake Road.
Three of us got to speak out scattered through the first 26 speakers, which made the balance perfect. Out of the 26 speakers ALL but 3 were AGAINST the EPA's proposal. Most of the speakers were, farm owners, ranchers, and even degreed environmental scientists. There were some great talks and it sure wasn't boring like I thought it would be.
At the end of my talk, where I stood up for Titusville's money problems, I ended with "The EPA is always handing out mountains of paper work, WE THE PEOPLE would like to give you back the Constitution, Thank you" and then I went up to each one of the EPA panel members and gave them a copy of the Constitution along with a Titusville Patriots business card.
One of the recipients of the Constitution was Ephraim King, Director, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. EPA Region 4.

Lynn Grace gave a fantastic talk on the 10th Amendment, the basis was "You are welcome as guests in Florida, but PLEASE leave Florida". It was really well done.
Jerry Smith gave a talk on all the government programs that were taxing us and adding the burden of $50-75 BILLION dollars to Florida tax payers to implement the new EPA standards.

Judy Timothy and Connie Smith of Space Coast Patriots were on WESH news last night.
http://www.wesh.com/video/22594101/index.html

We were all interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel and a small part got in, mine was reference to my sign "EPA STAY OUT OF OUR LAKES" he got it wrong in the article. Good coverage of Lynn Grace's talk.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/environment/os-epa-water-hearin...

"Outside the hotel, a dozen protestors who support the Tea Party movement waved signs such as "EPA stay out of lakes." Inside, Lynne Grace of Space Coast Patriots of Brevard County, another Tea Party supporter, said the Washington bureaucrats should go home soon.

"I'm beginning to think we need protection from the federal government," Grace said. "You really don't have any business in our Florida waters."

The first dozen speakers were largely opposed to the federal rules."

Please visit the FWB Tea Party temporary website www.fwbteaparty.wordpress.com for more information. A former Okaloosa County Commissioner has said that if the EPA rules are implemented it would cost our county alone more than $8 million PER YEAR to comply.

Contact Henry Kelley legislative@fwbteaparty.com 850-371-0089

Chris Saccomanno chris@fwbteaparty.com 850-855-9938

Gaye Ellis publicity@fwbteaparty.com