Our Blog

Pending WOTUS (Waters of the United States) Determination

Jun11

The pending WOTUS (Waters of the United States) determination for regulation to our natural resources is currently in flux and we are patiently awaiting how the regulations will effect our environment. Historically, before wetland regulation and oversight, negative changes to our environment occurred; such as flooding, water quality degradation, river contamination and loss of wildlife. It’s important to have wetlands regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) so that projects with proposed wetland impacts obtain federal approval before filling

Jun01

Workshops throughout Florida were conducted in Tallahassee, Orlando and Ft. Myers the last week of May 2018 to share with interested parties the new proposed changes to Chapter 62-330, F.A.C. The proposed changes are pending and they are anticipating a 6 month delay due to training at the FDEP level. They also reported that FDEP will manage the 404 Program the first initial year before it is delegated to the respective Water Management Districts. The proposed changes also provide applicants the right

May15

If you are interested in learning more about the proposed Section 404 of the Clean Water Act State Assumption, please attend one of these upcoming workshops: DATE AND TIME: May 30, 2018, beginning at 8:30 am. PLACE: Department of Environmental Protection, 2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399 A live webinar is also available for the Tallahassee Workshop; webinar participants may register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8324935087855682563. DATE AND TIME: May 31, 2018, 8:30 a.m. PLACE: Department of Environmental Protection, Central District Office, 3319 Maguire Boulevard, Orlando,

Mar30

Miriam Balladares, Hilton; Victoria Bruce, MBG, Inc; Hannah Rowe, JMT, Inc.; Todd Hosgson, FECC, Inc.; Flormari Blackburn, E Sciences, Inc., Chef (Not Pictured: Jennifer Cummings, OCPW; Kelley Samuels, AECOM; Scott Martin, Pace Labs) https://www.cfaep.org/board/ On behalf of CFAEP and TRB, we are thrilled for the 2018 Florida Association of Environmental Professionals Annual Conference and Training Symposium. This year’s conference is being hosted by the Central Florida Association of Environmental Professionals and the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board and will

Mar29

On March 23, 2018; Governor Scott signed HB 7043 (404 assumption) into law. Below is the Governor’s letter as it sets forth a brief but important explanation of the purpose of the bill. Synopsis: This new bill will “eliminate duplicity in permitting while upholding and improving our stringent environmental protection standards.” HB 7043, “simply begins a public evaluation to identify ways we can continue to protect our environment”. The most rewarding part of this letter is the last sentence. “the Department of

Mar28

Pursuant to Section 404(g) of the CWA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is pursuing approval from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assume the Section 404 Program and administer its own individual and general permit program. State assumption of the Section 404 Program would be limited to certain waters and does not include navigable waters of the United States. The navigability studies will also assist with determining the waters that would be retained by the Corps

Mar13

The Trump administration wants to “repeal and replace” a rule for defining which waterways are and are not protected by the Clean Water Act, and environmentalists say Trump’s proposal would leave 80 percent of all US waters unprotected. In this fourth installment of a five-part series, we see how the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers forged the current rule over four arduous years. Author: Steve Zwick Click here to

Mar13

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will assume permitting duties under section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act. HB 7043, which passed the Legislature March 8, creates the framework for the permit assumption. Details of the program will be worked out with various Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) between DEP and the EPA, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and (likely) the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Stay Tuned!

Mar10

Author: Steve Zwick In 2006, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia jettisoned two centuries of legal precedent to redefine “Waters of the United States” as only being rivers, streams, and lakes. It’s a definition that left 98 percent of the country’s waters unprotected by federal agencies but was largely ignored – until Donald Trump ordered the EPA to make it the law of the land. Click here to read the

Mar10

Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, but it was slowly amended and refined. By 2000, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency had settled on clear definitions of what constitutes “waters of the United States”. Not everyone, however, agreed with them. Author: Steve Zwick Click here to read the article