Recovery toward a green future

For several months the entire focus of the Gulf Coast has been on oil. We have watched black tar wash onto the shores of our white beaches. We have learned a whole new vocabulary and more details about oil rigs than we ever wanted to know. We also look to the future, a future of damaged fisheries, a poisoned Gulf, and a damaged reputation with tourists.

And we have seen firsthand the perils of our national and worldwide dependence on oil.

With the clean-up progressing and hope for an end to the gushing, the talk now is of how to target assistance to rebuilding our economy and our region. It is time for local leaders to come together with one voice to tell the federal and state governments what would help us the most.

Local leaders have begun the process, and many lists have been generated. Instead of a generic wish list of projects, though, we need a driving vision, a focus for how we can emerge from this catastrophe as a better community. Since the challenge has been caused by dirty energy, the rebuilding should target green initiatives, improving our local environment, strengthening our economy, and also giving the Gulf Coast the cache of the “Green Coast”.

Many ideas have been suggested. Some tap existing federal programs, such as

• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
• EDA grants for infrastructure development at former superfund sites.

Others might be region-wide projects that could make our transportation network more green, including

• Implementation of a recommended passenger rail service between New Orleans and Orlando
• A targeted pilot program of the Marine Highways program to encourage shipping through a less energy intensive means.

But if we are to become a greener community we should consider new programs. These programs could be region-wide, including:

• Support for new, green industry in the area.
• Assistance in creating in-fill housing to reduce residents’ commutes
• Grant programs for residents or businesses to improve the energy efficiency of buildings
• Incentive programs for businesses to encourage employees to use alternative transportation

In addition, communities could create a list of targeted projects unique to their needs. Projects for Pensacola might include:

• Ferry service between downtown Pensacola, the beach, and NAS
• Infrastructure for the port of Pensacola to increase the range of materials which may be shipped through the port
• Improvements to the ECAT bus system to increase ridership
• Enhancements such as bike lanes and sidewalks to encourage the use of alternative transportation
• Acceleration of efforts to clean up our bayous, including additional stormwater vaults.

These suggestions should not supplant other proposals which provide traditional incentives and support for small businesses. However, we need to move beyond the idea of business as usual toward a new vision of the Gulf Coast. We also should not count on others to do it all; we need to consider local initiatives, like transportation reduction incentives and green certification, which I will explore in a future blog. Where currently we are so devastatingly impacted by dirty industry, we will emerge as an environmental leader. White (sands) and black (tar) should make green (initiatives).

Transportation Project Priorities Workshop

Many of you have expressed concerns about how we get around here in Pensacola. You have another opportunity to help shape the priorities for state-funded transportation projects for our area over the next few weeks. The Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, who oversee the transportation expenditures by the state in our area, will be having public input session on the priorities for the upcoming years. These priorities encompass all modes of transportation--pedestrian, bicycle, public transportation, highways, ports, airports.

The sessions will be held:
July 12 5:30 P.M. Navarre Community Center, 1917 Navarre School Road
July 13, 10 A.M. West Florida Regional Planning Council Offices, 4081 E. Olive Road, Pensacola
July 14, 10 A.M. Escambia County Extension Office, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
July 15, 5:30 P.M. Santa Rosa County Auditorium, 4350 Spikes Way, Milton
July 29, 5:30 P.M. Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Hwy, Pensacola

I realize this is late notice, and I apologize. If you are unable to attend a session but want to provide some feedback, there is a survey online. It doesn't seem interactive, and there isn't an email address to send it to, but you could contact Gina Watson with your comments. If you want to know a little more about the proposed priorities before the meeting, those are also available online. (Do note that these are long range priorities, and many of the items on the list have been there for several years--funding is dependent on the state allocations.)

I hope you will be able to provide some input. Local residents are the best resource in determining how state funding should be allocated, and all levels of government need to work together to meet the needs of our citizens. We can't address your concerns, though, if we don't know your priorities.

Second Bayfront Sunday postponed

Like many of you, I woke up last Sunday excited to try out Bayfront Sunday, having discussed with the kids whether they’d like to bike, scooter, or walk along our waterfront. Unfortunately, when I went outside to get the newspaper very early, I was hit by a wall of humidity. We did go down and try it out, but the kids wilted pretty fast (and I was pretty hot, too). I’ve heard from several of you that you, too, had planned to go, but you just couldn’t get out of the air conditioning (or perhaps the pool).

The positive response that I have received from so many who are excited about this type of programming is at odds with the low turnout we had last Sunday. The original idea was for these trials to start in April, a much more humane month, and I believe that the heat of the summer was too much of a deterrence. Therefore, the city has decided to postpone the second trial, originally scheduled for this coming Sunday, June 27, until the fall, possibly October. Keep your eyes peeled for more information. And do remember there is still a sidewalk, so do come down and enjoy the waterfront whenever you have a chance.

Pensacola Beach produces...

“They don't produce anything off Pensacola Beach.” – James Carville, on the impact of this oil spill on Pensacola Beach.

The BP oil spill has been called one of the greatest environmental disasters in American history will affect all of us--along the Gulf Coast, in the southeast, across the United States, and around the world. For some coastal communities it will be devastating. And while the effects will be felt greatly here, this disaster is bigger than any one person, community, or region.

I was particularly disappointed to hear that Pensacola Beach doesn’t “produce” anything. Sure, our beaches are known more for swimming and basking in the sun than for wildlife. Even if this were just a vacation place for people, though, there is a value in that. People need rest and relaxation. The sound of the waves breaking on the beach can wash away the stress of the work-a-day world, recharging us for the rest of the year of the daily grind. Vacation produces good workers and keeps our country and economy moving smoothly.

But there is another side to our beaches, one that most of us don’t see on our vacations. Sure, we see fish swimming near our legs or go ghost crabbing with the kids. We like to watch the shorebirds run near the surf and the pelicans swoop down for a meal. And who is not enchanted by the sight of dolphins jumping? There is also, of course, the wildlife we dread, like the jellyfish.

Our beaches, though, also teem with life that we rarely glimpse. One of the great things about having kids is that I have gotten to take them to many educational programs where I have learned so much. Programs like a sea turtle presentation at the public library, where we learned that the gender of sea turtles is affected by the temperature. Beaches on the northern Gulf coast tend to be cooler, producing more males. However, some females are born here, too, ensuring that eggs are laid here year after year (turtles return to their natal beach to lay eggs). Maintaining nesting sites across their range is essential for turtle survival, and with all species threatened or endangered, they need all the help they can get. (Don’t forget, too, that turtles enjoy eating our beach nemesis, the jellyfish, so we should all be rooting for the turtles.)

I have also learned about other wildlife at our beaches, thanks to snorkeling and seining programs at the Gulf Island National Seashore and Big Lagoon State Park. On these outings, kids and adults have scooped up amazing creatures like pipefish, juvenile shrimp, and baby blue crabs, along with many, many hermit crabs. I hope that the programs at both the national and state parks will continue this summer since now, more than ever, we need to be aware of the fragile ecosystem right outside our doors. If they can’t continue or you can’t make it out there, I do hope you’ll watch the Gulf Islands National Seashore program recently produced by WSRE which highlights some of the wildlife under our waters and on our shores.

The rangers I’ve talked with at these programs (some of whom are on the WSRE program) have been very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They are eager to share the importance of our local environment with everyone, whether locals or tourists, with the understanding that we’re more likely to protect what we know.

Mr. Carville, please take back those cynical words. Our beaches matter. Our flora and fauna, even our jellyfish are important. And vacations at the beach recharge the workforce. Why don’t you come to Pensacola. It’s a vibrant community. We’ll show you we what we produce... But right now we’re busy, working together to clean up the beaches and water that we love.