Paine is outraged by Dusty not simply because the casino owner is performing an illegal activity but because of the impact that the flushed waste is having on marine life and plants. The Florida Keys are considered a national marine sanctuary. The ecosystem it represents is fragile and can be affected by any number of actions by the greedy or the thoughtless.

Paine has demonstrated a track record of intervening in attacks on nature. He confiscates two Labrador retrievers who are being beaten by their owners. He stops a fisherman from stringing an illegal gill net that will kill all the marine creatures that get tangled in it. Paine is also annoyed by the party boat occupants who run their boats aground and tear up the seagrass used as wildlife habitat because it takes years for the grass to grow back. Even though he works for a rescue service, he feels more inclined to leave tourists stranded than help them.

Paine acts to prevent any tampering with the environment. Individually, these episodes of tampering are minor incursions, but collectively they represent a major threat to the delicate ecosystem where the Underwoods live. When Dusty begins dumping waste, Paine views this as an affront to nature.