Sen. Nelson, in Port St. Lucie visit, touches on gas, Iraq, cleaning river

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Rachel Harris

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, August 19, 2005

PORT ST. LUCIE — U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Thursday vowed to push soon for an investigation into why gas prices have skyrocketed in recent weeks.

The Democratic senator also said pulling troops out of Iraq and cleaning up the St. Lucie Estuary could take years.

"You don't want to hear this, but Iraq has become a magnet for terrorists," Nelson told about 80 constituents at a town hall meeting at the community center on Airoso Boulevard. "If we pull out now, the alternative is to put Iraq in the hands of Al-Qaeda."

Likewise, there's no short-term fix for the ailing St. Lucie River, Nelson said. Massive discharges from Lake Okeechobee and storm-water runoff have flooded the estuary with polluted dark-brown water and toxic algae.

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