By Bruce Ritchie A state panel today recommended adding more than 24,000 acres in five counties to the state list of proposed conservation purchases. The proposals come at a time when the state is struggling with a nearly $2.3 billion revenue shortfall in this year’s budget. The 2008-09 budget includes $300 million for purchases under […]

By Bruce Ritchie The controversy over a proposed biomass gas electric plant in Tallahassee may reveal a flaw in the land-use planning process for state facilities and universities. More than 150 people on Wednesday attended a City Commission public hearing related to Florida State University’s master plan, which includes 21 acres for the plant where

Sen. Mike Bennett By Bruce Ritchie Disputes between Florida’s largest water-management districts and utilities spilled over into the Senate Tuesday as the chairman of the Committee on Community Affairs vowed more scrutiny of the districts. Some city water utilities are at odds with the three largest water-management districts — South Florida, Southwest Florida and St.

Burlington Electric’s McNeil station in Burlington, Vt., featured a biomass-gasification demonstration project that has since been completed. (Photo by Dave Parsons, courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). At right, Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor meets with other opponents of a proposed biomass gas electric plant in Tallahassee. By Bruce Ritchie Florida’s first biomass electric

Al Burt By Bruce Ritchie There was a lot of sad news at our household last week, but the saddest may have been the death of author Al Burt. Al was a Miami Herald reporter and editor before he became a roving columnist for the newspaper in 1973. He chronicled the people and places that

By Bruce Ritchie The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has agreed to hearing requests for five more legal challenges against Florida’s first biomass gas electric plant. Some environmentalists tout the proposed Biomass Gas & Electric plant in Tallahassee as a green energy alternative. Gov. Charlie Crist has described the company’s technology of producing gas from

By Bruce Ritchie Twelve Florida communities have applied for grants under a new program that was created to help the state’s struggling seafood industry. The 12 communities are requesting more than $28 million for projects, but only $7.5 million is available this year under the new “working waterfronts” program, according to the Florida Department of

I started out this morning as a reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. I ended the work day as an “independent journalist.” At 8:45 I headed over to Marpan Recycling to work on a story about the state’s goal of achieving 75 percent recycling by 2020. That was the goal spelled out earlier this year in