Fuel for Thought

Your Point Of View

Regulations. Traffic. Hours of service. Traffic. Weight limits. Traffic. Equipment failures. Traffic.  Incorrect addresses. Traffic. Route restrictions. Traffic. Fuel prices. Traffic. Detention time. Oh, did I mention traffic ? These are just a few of the many complaints we hear almost daily when talking with other drivers. Yes, there are a lot of negatives included with our careers as drivers, but there are also many positives that can be found. I recently delivered to the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station in south Florida. While in the area I first noticed this at the entrance.

Then this.

So since I was early and had some time on my hands, I decided to see what the area was about.

I found out that while nuclear facilities have a bad reputation with environmentalists, they actually do help the environment. Not just by providing clean energy, but more directly, this facility provides wildlife habitats.

Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant is operated by Florida Power and Light ( now NextEra Energy) and their operations require 168 miles of water cooling canals. These canals attract American Crocodiles which use the canals for nesting. This nesting has aided in the recovery of the American Crocodile population. This has also been a contributing factor in reclassifying the American crocodile from endangered to the less serious category of vulnerable.

Florida Power and Light also has a monitoring program that keeps track of endangered loggerhead turtles, manatees and crocodiles.

They also have a habitat restoration and tagging program which includes one of the largest databases in the world of wild captured sea turtles by tagging more than 12,000 sea turtles over 25 years, and the College of Turtle Knowledge which helps to educate the public about the protection and study of sea turtles.

As for the dinosaur, it seems to be a salute to the fossil fuels of the past.

While we may have many thing to stress over as we move freight from Point A to Point B, take the time to notice some of the interesting sights around you as you travel. You never know what you may stumble upon.

See you down the road,

Greg