Environmental Groups Sue Pilgrim’s Pride for Pollution of Suwannee River

Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Organizer, Sierra Club of Florida has sent out the following notice.

Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life:  once taken, it cannot be brought back-

I hope this request for help finds you in good spirits as the Florida Legislative Session has officially begun this week.

We need people to turn out for a press conference in Jacksonville,

date:  Thursday, March 9th

time:  10 am.

location: in front of the Hogan Street entrance of the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse (Jacksonville’s Federal Courthouse)  300 N Hogan St, Jacksonville, FL 32202

Efforts are being made to protect our water resources on many fronts.  in north Florida, we need lots of people to attend a press conference this week, on Thursday.

A big issue on the Suwannee River has been the releases of liquid chicken wastes from a meat processing plant in north Live Oak, FL via a pipeline dumping into the middle of the river just up from Anderson Spring.  This poultry rendering facility was purchased by Pilgrim’s Pride in 2006 from Goldkist.

Environment Florida and Sierra Club will be joining forces to challenge Pilgrim’s excessive discharge which is being monitored and registering above and beyond their NPDES permitting.

We need to show a strong support of solidarity when the lawsuit is announced in Jacksonville, this Thursday, March 9th, at 10 am.  Please consider joining me and if you cannot make it, tell your friends who love the springs and river in Jax to join us for the event.  Should only take 1 hour of your time, total.  You may bring signs for photo op!

Thank you for your consideration.  With the proliferation of intensive chicken CAFOs in north central Florida (and south Georgia) more by-products of the poultry industry threatens our health, clean water and air.

I hope you can join us.

Please see advisory here:

Contact:

Jennifer Rubiello, 818-203-7625

Environment Florida

Environmental Groups Announce Lawsuit Against World’s Second Largest Chicken Producer for Illegal Pollution of Suwannee River

WHAT:           Members of the citizen-based environmental groups Environment Florida and the Sierra Club (Suwannee-St Johns Group) will be joined by their attorneys to announce the filing of the groups’ federal lawsuit to stop violations of the Clean Water Act that are polluting one of Florida’s Outstanding Waters, the Suwannee River.  The groups will describe the poultry processing facility’s alleged violations and speak about the pollution’s effect on the Suwannee River.

WHO:             Jennifer Rubiello, Environment Florida Director

Whitey Markle, Chair of the Sierra Club Suwannee-St Johns Group

Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Sierra Club Organizing Representative

Heather Govern, Attorney, National Environmental Law Center

Andrew Bonderud, Attorney

WHEN:           Thursday, March 9, 2017 – 10:00 am

 WHERE:        In front of the Hogan Street entrance of the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse (Jacksonville’s Federal Courthouse)

300 N Hogan St, Jacksonville, FL 32202

##

Environment Florida is a citizen-based environmental advocacy organization and a project of Environment America.

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.