The spiny lobster fishery in the Florida Keys could see its first major changes in several decades as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has resurrected the debate on lobster casitas and has been asked to approve a tag system for the annual two-day mini-season in July.
The FWC board this month had its first major discussion about allowing casitas, or lobster condos, for harvesting spiny lobsters.
Casitas are small artificial structures placed at the seafloor to attract large congregations of lobster, making them easy for divers to harvest. Through the years, such things used for casitas off the Keys have included car hoods, hurricane shutters attached to cement blocks and PVC piping.
Highlights
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signed an agreement to delegate to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) the authority to issue wetland permits in the state under Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), effective on Dec. 22, 2020.
Florida joins only two other states, New Jersey and Michigan, that have assumed such authority.
The new FDEP regulations include enforceable deadlines, shorter review periods and shorter comment periods, the combination of which is expected to eventually reduce time and cost for the processing of permits. However, it is important to note that all Clean Water Act requirements (avoidance, minimization, mitigation, etc.) will remain and projects will still have to be approved by other federal agencies.
Florida Dept of Environmental Protection Takes Over Federal Wetlands Permit Process in State lexology.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lexology.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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On December 17, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) announced their approval of the State of Florida’s request to administer federal wetlands permitting under the Clean Water Act ( CWA ) Section 404 Program within the state. Florida is only the third state in the country to receive such authority. The approval will transfer all permitting authority under the Clean Water Act’s Section 404 Program from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ( Corps ) to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection ( FDEP ). The Corps will transfer pending Section 404 applications to the FDEP. Section 404 of the CWA regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the Unites States, including wetlands. Florida s assumption will become effective tomorrow, December 22, 2020, upon publication of the EPA s formal Notice in the Federal Register. A pre-publication draft of the Notice can be found her
Coastal News Today | FL - Rising seas could divert Florida focus, funding from Everglades water quality to tidal flooding coastalnewstoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from coastalnewstoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.