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,
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
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
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
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
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!
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
Last week, New York Attorney General Eric Scheiderman filed suit against the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to block the Trump administration’s suspension of guidance on clean water. In this three-part series, we examine the convoluted history of water regulation in the United States. By Steve Zwick Click here to read the article
The Mitigation Banking Group Founder & CEO, Victoria Bruce had the privilege to speak at the METRA General Meeting on January 10th. Victoria had the opportunity to provide the attendees with detailed knowledge about the Past, Present and Pending Future of mitigation banking in the state of Florida. Take an inside look: Download MBG Presentation