Links

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-florida-environment-algae-mess-rick-scott-maxwell-20180726-story.html
[Also, global warming is increasing the number of such algae blooms, and Rick Scott has worked against action on GW.]
July 29, 2018
Florida's great green algae disaster - we asked for it ... us and Rick Scott
This governor has undermined our natural resources for eight straight years. The data is trackable.
Under Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist, the state opened 1,000 to 1,500 cases a year to crack down on bad environmental actors.
Under Rick Scott, the number is closer to 250.
“There is little to no enforcement,” said Jerry Phillips. “To call it a ‘major decline’ would be putting it lightly.”
Phillips runs the Florida division of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the group that tracked the decline. The report concluded: “… the impact of Governor Scott’s policies has been to essentially eliminate serious environmental enforcement in Florida.”
Hello, blue-green slop.


https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-lagoon/health/2018/07/25/blue-green-algae-sending-people-hospital/835383002/
July 25, 2018
Blue-green algae in Florida St. Lucie River sending people to emergency rooms
Fifteen people treated Monday and Tuesday by Martin Health System emergency rooms, clinics and primary care doctors for symptoms consistent with algae toxins reported they had contact with the St. Lucie River within the previous seven days.
Romano suspects only a handful of the people who have reactions to the algae seek professional medical help.
"I don't run to the doctor every time I have symptoms if I feel they're going to pass," he said. "So I figure there are a lot more people out there who we aren't seeing."
Microcystin, a common toxin produced by blue-green algae, can cause nausea and vomiting if ingested and rash or hay fever symptoms if touched or inhaled. Drinking water with the toxins can cause long-term liver disease.
Other long-term effects, including neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, are suspected.


[Totally hilarious. The Koch's helped to bring the current situation about. Remembering the old saying: The only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting what you want.]
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/koch-network-takes-aim-protectionism-slams-trump-administration/story?id=56894721
July 29, 2018
Top officials for the influential Koch political network, which has pledged to spend as much as $400 million this midterm cycle, decried the Trump administration's approach on trade policy this weekend at a biannual meeting of donors in Colorado Springs.
"The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage. When in order to win on an issue somebody has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people," Brian Hooks, a top Koch official, told reporters at a briefing Saturday.