Florida Petroleum Marketers Association Launches Grassroots Effort to Educate Lawmakers about Trust Fund Environmental Risks

MOUNT DORA, Fla. --- The Florida Petroleum Marketers Association (FPMA) and its Environmental Committee launched a grassroots effort to educate Florida legislators and the community about the dire environmental consequences of recent budgetary decisions that all but eliminate the trust fund, which is used to remediate contaminated sites and protect Florida’s water and citizens.

Irvin Heath, President of HCR (Handex Consulting and Remediation LLC, based in Mount Dora), said “this could wreak havoc on the Florida environment resulting in serious current and future health problems.”

Florida legislators recently swept all funding over $200 million from the Florida Inland Petroleum Trust Fund (IPTF), which was established to fund environmental cleanups of petroleum contamination from fuel storage tanks, not just those at retail service stations. The previous year’s funding was $153 million.

“We are convinced that Florida lawmakers are unaware of the disastrous short and long term consequences of not funding the cleanup program,” Heath said.

“The danger to the Florida environment, particularly the water source for Florida (the aquifer), is enormous, and clearly the Florida legislature may shortchange future generations of Floridians by limiting the cleanup funding program,” Heath said.

Petroleum companies contribute to the IPTF via the collection of a per barrel tax on all product shipped into the state and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection administers cleanup activities.

“Without the FIPTF, the environmental cleanup of petroleum leaks and spills may be delayed and could be virtually stopped statewide,” Heath said. “Work on several thousand sites where pollution is the most dangerous is being delayed, and that could have disastrous consequences on the dollars already spent and on future generations of Florida citizens,” he added.

In addition, some remediation systems are being mothballed and taken out of operation. This may result in the contamination spreading, possibly going off site, and significantly increasing the danger and use of these systems in the future when additional money may be required to protect and perform maintenance on these systems.

“Citizens and FPMA members are urged to contact their local legislators, visit Tallahassee, write emails, organize seminars and form alliances with other environmental advocacy groups to drive the message to protect the FIPTF, Florida’s waters, and its citizens,” Heath said.

“We need a full-time, full-court press to urge legislators to take another look at this dangerous situation,” Heath said.

For more information contact:
Irvin R. Heath, President-elect FPMA/Chair, Environmental Committee, and President, HCR (Handex Consulting and Remediation, LLC), 352-735-1800 ext. 127, IHeath@handexmail.com

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142, Lvershelco@aol.com

About HCR:
HCR is headquartered in Mount Dora with offices in Tallahassee, Tampa, Delray, Fla. and in central New Jersey. HCR has over 120 employees serving clients that range from state environmental protection agencies, industrial and commercial firms to some of the largest U.S. major and independent oil corporations and convenience store operators. Due to potential stimulus project work, HCR is also focused on providing services to the transportation and construction business sectors. As HCR’s record shows, the company can perform all environmental component work.