Legislators face closing bay, opening up lands
The Apalachicola Times
If Franklin County is going to have its say in the Florida legislature this spring, the two people who led the delegation hearing Tuesday night are going to voice it.
State Rep. Jason Shoaf, his first time as senior member of the duo, sat in front of a small audience in the commission chambers, together with newly elected state senator, Loranne Ausley, who was appearing for the first time in her new role.
They listened a lot more than they spoke, in fact they didn’t make their views clear on any of the issues being presented to them.
EPA agrees to let Florida oversee more wetlands development
The move has long been opposed by environmentalists.
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Updated Feb. 12
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday approved Florida taking control of development decisions in more of the stateâs wetlands, a proposal long opposed by many environmentalists.
âFlorida has a wealth of aquatic resources. They care about their resources as least as much and I would say probably more than the federal government,â said Andrew Wheeler, the agencyâs administrator. âReceiving permission to administer this program is a high bar for states to meet, but what we have done today is provide a roadmap for other states to follow.â
EPA to hand over federal permitting authority that affects wetlands to state
Published: December 17, 2020 3:28 PM EST
Updated: December 17, 2020 9:56 PM EST
In a relatively rare move, the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection on Thursday announced approval of a plan to hand over federal permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands.
Supporters praised the move as helping reduce duplicative state and federal permitting and giving Florida more control over such decisions. Florida is only the third state, joining Michigan and New Jersey, that have received the authority, according to the EPA.
“Our waters and wetlands are critical to our economy and way of life in Florida. As such, it is important for the state to be in charge and take the lead in their protection,” state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein said in a statement released by the EPA. “We are pleased that with the assumption, Florida scientists and permitters
ERIE – A Western Pennsylvania energy provider is suing an Indiana County municipality in federal court for the second time, in order to reverse its law banning shale gas drilling waste injection wells.
Pennsylvania General Energy Company (PGE) of Warren filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on Dec. 9 versus Grant Township of Indiana County and the Grant Township Board of Supervisors, of Marion Center.
In June 2014, Grant Township stopped being a Second Class Township under state law and adopted a Community Bill of Rights Ordinance (CBORO) that prohibited corporations from depositing waste from oil and gas extraction in the township, in order to prevent plaintiff PGE from operating an injection well there.
Press Releases
Pinkin Bill to Help Municipalities to Include Climate Change Element in Land Use Master Plan Clears Assembly December 17, 2020, 2:33 pm | in
Pinkin Bill to Help Municipalities to Include Climate Change Element in Land Use Master Plan Clears Assembly
(TRENTON) – Encouraging municipalities to assess the effects of climate change on their towns in their master plan, legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin (D-Middlesex) was advanced by the full Assembly Thursday 50-28.
The bill (A-2785) would require that the land use plan element of a municipal master plan include a climate change-related hazard vulnerability assessment. It would apply to any land use plan element adopted after the date the bill is enacted into law.