Likely, the local “Stop Titan” gang hopes for a broader attack against Big Cement. Sure enough, “another battle” was reported in the Star-News February 4, 2009. The headline “Titan’s Florida permit canceled,” was crafted to imply that the company might have done something wrong. This “legal skirmish” takes place in a limestone mining area west of Miami. The evil Titan America company got its comeuppance for destroying “sensitive wetlands.” But, did it?

A digression. It dismays and disappoints me when journalists carelessly (or is it deliberate?) use words and phases hatched up by activists to confuse and mislead. Wetlands aren’t “sensitive.” This adjective, properly used, describes the senses, responsiveness or feelings of people. Land-types do not have feelings. Of course, agenda- driven environmentalists use the descriptor to elicit sympathy for the objects of their affection; reporters should know better.

Oh, and we are told that this South Florida area is a “hot spot for mining activity”—sounds downright radioactive: mining bad, environment good. In addition to Titan, other companies work there to make wetlands feel bad.

However, Titan is the target in the Star-News story. Should we wonder why? Reading further we discover that environmentalists have used their perverse tactics to impose more financial damage on the Florida economy; just as is their intention here in River City.

Reading on: The Florida projects received permits to mine in 2002. Unnamed environmental “groups” sued named federal agencies claiming they “mishandled the permitting process.” Apparently, it took enviro-lawyers until 2007 to find a compliant federal judge who canceled the permits. But wait. The companies didn’t roll over. They appealed—and won.

An appeals court ruled that the opinionated judge (William Hoeveler) didn’t use good judgment. He had already decided that mining was “a bad thing.” A less biased appeals court ruled that mining could continue.

This past Friday Hoeveler did it again: canceled permits. But Titan people will not be intimidated. They intend to fight this “flawed decision.”

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