Good, bad: Critical range theory, ‘recycling’ to incinerator, saving seabirds, manatees

Critical range theory. The culture wars have moved from the classroom to the kitchen, from critical race theory to critical range theory. And no surprise, Gov. Ron DeSantis is stirring the pot. “Don’t tread on Florida, and don’t mess with gas stoves!” the governor tweeted this week, turning up the heat on a controversy that should be on the back burner but instead is boiling over with outrage: Are the liberals coming for your gas stove? Can the feds really tell us which appliances we can use in our own kitchens? But how much do gas ranges pollute the indoor air with nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane? What about climate change? Curious chefs want to know. Still, good to see the governor taking a stand for minority rights. That’s right, only 9% of Florida households actually cook with gas (including, full disclosure, members of this editorial board). Rather than hyperventilate, maybe it’s better to just properly ventilate — the kitchen, that is. And, instead, focus on a bigger problem: The Sunshine State depends too much on natural gas for its electricity, not renewables such as solar power or carbon-free nuclear. Until that is fixed, that kitchen range — whether gas or electric — probably relies on natural gas, if not at the stove, then at the power plant. After all, 75% of Florida’s electricity comes from natural gas. That’s the real problem.

Protect Skyway seabirds. The chairperson of Florida’s wildlife agency is sending the right message about better protecting seabirds now being entangled in huge numbers at the Skyway Fishing Pier. Roughly 3,300 seabirds needed to be rescued from the popular angling spot since January 2021 after they were hooked or wrapped in fishing gear, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data. The commission is proposing new rules for anglers, including banning treble hooks and sabiki rigs, and limiting anglers to no more than three sets of fishing gear. Two poles are plenty — more poles mean more distractions for the angler. But that’s at least a reasonable starting point. What’s unreasonable is the suggestion by some anglers that any rules expire after one year. That’s simply a recipe for ignoring the problem and effectively gutting any meaningful angler education campaign. Commission Chairperson Rodney Barreto is right to ask all sides to find agreement, but as he correctly underscored this month: “It is the Commission’s duty to ensure responsible recreation and enjoyment of Florida’s wildlife and fishery resources.”

Manatees still starving. How long will Florida stand by as the manatees continue to die? For the second year in a row, more Florida manatees died than normal as the species battles a human-caused seagrass famine. At least 800 died statewide in 2022 after hundreds succumbed to starvation and malnutrition on Florida’s Atlantic coast last winter, the Tampa Bay Times reported this week. And that follows the record-breaking 1,100 manatee deaths in 2021, caused in large part by decades of pollution killing the seagrass in the 156-mile Indian River Lagoon. Luckily, a relatively warmer winter caused less stress on the species, and toxic red tide blooms also took a lesser toll. But we cannot ignore this crisis or rely on experimental manatee feeding programs forever. Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week he would seek $100 million annually to improve water quality in the Indian River Lagoon. It’s beyond time that state lawmakers got serious and invested money and regulatory heft into controlling man-made pollution.

Clearwater’s recycling caper. Forget about the postal carrier throwing mail down the sewer: Clearwater has failed to process any recyclable materials since last July, the Times’ Tracey McManus reported Thursday. The lapse sparked the resignation of the city’s assistant director of solid waste, but more importantly, raised the mind-boggling question: How did anyone get away with this? The breakdown involved thousands of tons of materials that city residents left to the curb, which instead of reaching the Waste Management facility in Ybor City, was diverted with regular garbage to the Pinellas Waste-to-Energy Plant. Clearwater’s interim City Manager Jennifer Poirrier said she did not have an estimate of how many tons of recycling had been diverted in the past six months. But in 2018, the city collected 19.2 million pounds of plastic containers, glass bottles, metal cans, mixed paper and newspaper, according to the city’s website. So untold tons materials that residents duly collected were wastefully shipped off under the radar. Poirrier said she received a tip about the issue in December, and after following up, discovered that the city had not delivered recyclables for months. Officials have restarted recycling, and are still investigating what happened. Maybe next year’s budget could include a robust whistleblower program.

Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and Chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.