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In Search of the Himalayan Snowcock New Chapter and State Office Interactive Maps New Web Documentary Explores Florida's St. Johns River Florida Highwaymen Artist R. L. Lewis, Jr. Attends October Meeting Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon Launch New Version of eBird St. Johns River Alliance Fundraiser Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Named Gateway Site to Florida Birding Trail |
Changes Proposed for Wetlands LawReprinted from the Audubon AdvocateAs a result of legislation passed last year, the Department of Environmental Protection has proposed changes to Florida's wetland laws. Currently developers must petition both the state DEP and federal Army Corps of Engineers for wetlands destruction permits. In 2004, however, the Legislature passed HB 759 directing DEP to request total authority for issuing destruction permits on wetlands of 10 acres or less, and to delay the use of Environmental Resource Permits (ERP) in Northwest Florida for another five years. In spite of opposition from conservation groups, Governor Bush signed the bill, calling it a "streamlined" approach to wetlands permitting. As directed, DEP has now suggested changes in state and federal laws that would eliminate federal review of these permit applications. The implications for protection of Florida's wetlands were best summed up by a developer lobbyist in the St. Petersburg Times who claimed that state permits (without federal involvement) were a faster path to "yes!" |