Quote:This is a strawman argument. There are boatloads of regulations that don't deal with health and safety.


 

There are plenty of phosphate mines in other states and countries, so Dakota's argument is a strawman from the other side of the argument. There will be fertilizer for crops in any case.

 

There are valid uses of environmental laws, the problem is that they go way too far. As far as this particular industry is concerned, my opinion is that it is a valid concern and Florida should ban phosphate mining.
 It should have been shut down long ago, and it should be done by the state, not the federal government.  I remember that Occidental petroleum used to mine phosphate in the '70s and trade it to the Soviet Union for ammonia (basically urine). They were digging up state resources and giving them to our enemy.