Florida lawmakers apparently want the state’s landscape to resemble something out of the Fallout video games. WFTV Orlando reports on a bill recently passed in the state legislature that would allow the use of radioactive materials in road construction.
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Groups ranging from environmentalists to conservatives are calling on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto the bill. If signed into law, it would allow phosphogypsum – a byproduct from fertilizer production – it must be used for road construction throughout the country. The EPA prohibits it the use of phosphogypsum due to the dangers it poses population, road workers, and the environment.
Use of the radioactive material would not begin immediately if DeSantis signs the bill. The bill would direct the Florida Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of using the material on the state’s public roads. A fairly quick completion date for the study has been set for the spring of 2024.
There are many opponents of the bill. Some argue that this is a way to let the fertilizer industry off the hook: Tthe phosphogypsum wouldn’t have to be packaged and safely stored, since they could just give it to the state to use (Florida is already home to more than 1 billion tons of the stuff stored in huge piles, called gypsum piles). Others, like attorney Rachael Curran of People for Protecting Peace River, essentially said a governor in his right mind would never think of such a thing.
No environmentally conscious or “green” governor would sign a bill authorizing road construction with radioactive materials. Even the expedited “study” envisioned in this industry-backed bill would cause harm, as this study involves a full-scale road project that would have very real, very harmful effects on the environment and the health of Floridians, especially road construction crews. .
The use of phosphogypsum on roads was already attempted by the Trump administration in 2020. But after an outcry that ranged from petitions to lawsuits, the EPA withdrew and retired the approval.
