EPA decision to grant Florida wetland permitting authority draws scorn, legal threats thecentersquare.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thecentersquare.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Friday, December 18, 2020
Before yesterday only two states had received approval to administer the Clean Water Act (CWA) section 404 program (Michigan and New Jersey), and no state had received approval since 1994. Now, for the first time in over 25 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the formal transfer of section 404 permitting authority to a third state: Florida. Once EPA’s approval is published in the Federal Register, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will “assume” 404 permitting authority from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in certain waters, significantly altering the 404 permitting process in Florida. EPA’s decision has broader implications for the 404 program on a national scale, as other states, including Oregon and Minnesota, consider whether to pursue assumption.
Thursday, December 17, 2020 by Amy Green (WMFE) and Brendan Rivers (WJCT)
Photo courtesy Everglades National Park
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The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it is handing over at least some of its oversight of Florida’s wetlands to the state.
Specifically the EPA is transferring permitting authority to the state, it says to streamline decisions on whether to fill in wetlands for development.
Typically, if a project would damage or destroy wetlands, developers have to get approval from both the state and the Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act.
EPA Announces Historic Approval Of Florida s Request To Administer The Clean Water Act Section 404 Program
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the State of Florida is the first state in more than 25 years to apply for and receive approval to implement a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 program, joining Michigan and New Jersey as the only states in the country with such authority. Today’s action formally transfers permitting authority under CWA Section 404 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to the State of Florida for a broad range of water resources within the State. This action allows the State to more effectively and efficiently evaluate and issue permits under the CWA to support the health of Florida’s waters, residents, and economy.
This gets glossed over far too often.
For example, take the recent dustup in Palm Beach over a quasi-public swath of oceanfront beach in an eight-block stretch north of The Breakers hotel.
There had been three public entrances to the beach and free public parking on this stretch between Sunset Avenue and Wells Road.
You can’t blame beachgoers for showing up, especially when the town’s effort to stop out-of-town beachgoers at its main beach was the installation of $5-per-hour parking meters.
During the stir-crazy COVID-19 period we’re in, beachgoers began showing up in numbers large enough to prompt a reaction from the oceanfront homeowners there.