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Politics

House Bill Good News for Limestone Miners

March 11, 2010 - 6:00pm


A bill authorizing limestone miners to apply for life-of-mine permits sailed through the Florida House General Government Policy Council on Thursday.

HB 617, sponsored by Rep. Leonard Bembry, D-Greenville, and Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers, allows the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to issue the permits while adding safeguards for local governments. It also allows DEP intervals of three years or less to investigate the mines environmental impact.

By allowing life-of-mine permits, Bembry said, Florida will be able to attract more economic investments.

This bill gives limestone miners a chance to invest in our state, and there could be tens of millions of dollars involved, he said.

While Bembry said that the bill could lead to several hundred new jobs in his district, which spreads across 10 counties in the northern part of the state, he said the impact of this measure is statewide.

According to the Miami-Dade Limestone Products Association, the limestone industry produces 7,000 direct jobs and 7,000 supporting jobs, such as transporting the material in South Florida.

South Florida represents 55 percent of the states limestone industry, with approximately 6,000 Floridians throughout the rest of the state working in the industry.

Florida ranks second in the nation in limestone production. Most limestone in Florida is used for road construction. Limestone can also be heated and added with other materials to create masonry and portland cement. Portland cement, the most heavily used cement, is used to make a number of building materials including concrete and stucco.

If Florida is to see any future growth, we have to have limestone in buildings and roads, Bembry said.

Bembry said the three-year window for DEP will allow the agency to continue to protect the states environment.

This is not a measure that will have the state give out permits and then forget about the mines, he said.

The bill has now breezed through three House committees and will be introduced on the House floor later in the session.

This measure adds economic value to the state of Florida, Bembry said, and puts the state in a position to attract additional investments.

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