Your Help Is Needed Today! Ask Senators to Support Bills That Protect Florida's Waters
Dear Friend,
Water is once again expected to be a major issue in the 2020 Florida Legislative Session. Through our partners at the Florida Springs Council, we are monitoring several bills already that will be considered in committees this week in the Florida Senate.
We need your help to ensure that these bills will protect Florida’s waters. We’ve made it easy with a button for each senator that will open a prewritten and pre-addressed email to send.
Today, Tuesday, two bills are being considered that place a fee on groundwater withdrawals for bottled water production. These are the first water use fee bills to be considered in the Florida Legislature in two decades and are a key step toward reducing wasteful consumptive use, increasing funding for springs restoration, and making those who profit from using the groundwater responsible for restoring flow.
SB 1098, proposed by Senator Cruz, proposes to charge five cents per gallon on water extracted for the production of bottled water, and specifies that the funds raised by the water use fee must be used to protect and restore waters within the water management district where the withdrawal occurs. The bill will be heard in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee at 4:30 p.m. TODAY, January 21st.
We need your calls and emails to committee members to support this bill! Here’s an example, but we encourage you to call or write your own opinions:
“Dear Senator ________,
Please support Senate Bill 1098 which places a reasonable fee on the water withdrawn by large water bottlers. Many of Florida’s springs and rivers are already impacted by excessive pumping from our aquifer. Existing laws, regulations, and funding have proven inadequate to protect and restore Florida’s waters. A water use fee is the most effective and fair strategy for reducing water use and funding water restoration projects.”
Click each senator's name below
to open a pre-written and pre-addressed
email to customize, sign, and send.
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