Raise Water Rates Faced with water shortages, my town, Cape May, N.J., a shore resort, doubles the water rate charge from April through September, the high time of the year for tourism. It works. ...more

March 30, 2009

Odds are good that the legislative lunacy passed by the state House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee last week won't make it into law. ...more

March 28, 2009

There are two fundamental truths that Tampa Tribune readers should be aware of as they consider Gov. Charlie Crist's proposal to create a first-ever, $100 million tax on bottled water companies: These companies did not cause the overdevelopment that has led to water shortages in some communities, and this tax will do nothing to prevent more of it from happening. ...more

March 18, 2009

There was a time, long ago when the Earth was young, that not only was the Florida Legislature an effective body, but it often had strong leadership from Hillsborough County. ...more

March 11, 2009

Only a few years ago Hillsborough County and the rest of Florida looked on the financial struggles elsewhere in the nation with smug detachment. ...more

December 7, 2008

a rising billion in China and India determined to own automobiles and air conditioners. This increased demand for oil, natural gas and coal has almost nothing to do with the policies of America or the designs of OPEC. ...more

July 14, 2008

In February, facing a severe drought and serious water shortages, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue eased outdoor watering restrictions. Why? He wanted to help the landscaping industry. ...more

May 13, 2008

Leave it to Florida Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham to come up with a way to reform growth planning without the impossible demands of Hometown Democracy. ...more

February 16, 2008

If a Bush administration ruling stands, states are going to need the federal Big Brother's permission to deal with pollution or other problems that plague them. ...more

January 8, 2008

Much has been made of government's decision last summer not to pump phosphorous rich water into Lake Okeechobee. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson claims that this one decision - which some claim will somehow deprive growers of some irrigation water - makes up $4 million of the $1 billion in losses expected to Florida's farm economy. Further, sugarcane farmers argue that sugar production (and presumably profits) may fall by 20 percent. ...more

December 27, 2007