A coalition of environmental groups Thursday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a potentially far-reaching move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands.
Environmental groups are seeking to undo a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency that handed Florida officials primary regulatory authority over the state’s wetlands
EPA’s Approval of Developer-backed Scheme to Turn Permitting Over to State Violates U.S. Environmental Laws WASHINGTON Earthjustice filed suit today to stop an attempt by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow Florida to fast-track wetlands permits for construction projects that will degrade and ruin Florida’s natural landscape, all in violation of federal environmental laws. While a worldwide pandemic is threatening lives and livelihoods across the United States, the EPA is green-lighting Florida’s proposal to take over the federal program that issues permits when developers and others want to fill sensitive marshes, cypress forests, ponds and other wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In EPA’s rush to push this through, the agency skirted procedural requirements failing even to make the state program legally effective.
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