By Larry Wheeler
Ft. Myers News-Press
Washington
bureau
WASHINGTON — On
paper, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV doesn't appear to be the most environmentally
friendly lawmaker ever elected to the House of Representatives.
Of 12
environmental votes scored by a watchdog group, Mack, a Fort Myers Republican,
voted with the green side just twice during his first term.
Energy
companies and sugar beet growers, big-money interests not historically allied
with Florida's
conservation movement, donated to his campaign.
Still, Mack recently
introduced legislation to authorize $82 million for research on red tide and
algae blooms that have fouled Southwest Florida
shores and sent tourists fleeing from the coast.
Environmentalists welcomed Mack's gesture, even if the
money is far from certain.
"We were very happy to see Connie step
forward," said Brad Cornell, with the Collier County Audubon Society. "People in
his district have suffered quite a bit from the nutrient impact from Lake Okeechobee, and he has wisely recognized that impact
and is looking for ways to address at least some of the consequences."
Mack's
congressional district stretches from Charlotte Harbor south to Rookery Bay
and Marco
Island. It's laced with
some of the nation's most sensitive coastal ecosystems, wetlands and estuaries.
Those
natural wonders have come under attack from side effects of Florida's relentless
growth and development.
Mack said he has been working to highlight the
region's environmental concerns but acknowledged "highlighting the needs and
being successful can be different things."
Lake O credit
Mack said
he deserves credit for getting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to promise to
build a reservoir to remove harmful nutrients — mostly nitrogen and phosphorous
— that flow from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River.
Some
scientists believe inorganic chemicals from the lake, golf courses, lawns and
storm runoff contribute to the harmful bacteria and algae blooms that have
plagued the region.
Stuart DeCew, a red tide specialist with the Sierra
Club in Sarasota, said the research Mack wants to fund
would be a positive development.
However, he
said, officials could pursue short-term steps that would address Southwest Florida's ailing water system.
"People
aren't using their horse sense," DeCew said.
By switching to organic
fertilizer on golf courses and lawns, nitrogen and phosphorous runoff could be
reduced 80 percent to 90 percent, DeCew said.
Mack said
he wants to make sure recommendations have a basis in science before he pushes
for solutions.
"I'm not standing up for the golf courses and the
fertilizer," Mack said. "But I would hate to invest in a solution that we find
out is not really the cause."
Bucked the
party
Mack is
concerned about red tide and other environmental issues in his district, said
Mark Ferrulo, director of Environment Florida, formerly Florida PIRG.
Ferrulo
said Mack's 2005-2006 voting record may be less than desirable but credited him
with siding with Florida's environment even against party
leaders.
"He was willing to buck his own party's leadership on the
drilling fight, and we applauded him for that," Ferrulo said.
Mack
opposed legislation that would have allowed offshore drilling closer to
Florida's
coast.
Mack's
environmental credentials will be tested this year as the new Democratic
majority in Congress tries to reduce car emissions and increase mileage. Other
measures will be aimed at climate change and renewable energy
sources.
Mack said he can envision voting for some of those bills but
won't commit yet.
"A lot of
times you get these bills and you look at the original intent of the bill and
you say, 'Yeah, I can support that.' But then they throw so many other things in
it that you can't support it," Mack said. "I wish we could get clean bills. You
want a clean environment? Give me a clean bill."
