A bill that will drastically reduce confusion and time delays in the wetland permitting process, while also maintaining the exact same existing environmental protections, passed the House Natural Resources and Public Lands Subcommittee with the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s support.
For Floridians, this means a reduction in uncertainty and the significant wait times for permit decisions, while maintaining necessary environmental resource protections.
Proposed Committee Bill 2 allows the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to step into the shoes of the Army Corps of Engineers to issue Federal 404 wetlands permits under the existing federal regulations using the best science available.
Florida wins when we stand by long-term science-based solutions to Florida’s environmental issues. This legislation follows similar successful state efforts to assume federal permitting responsibilities for wastewater discharges and air emissions.
Environmental Permitting Summer School
To learn more about the governance, permitting and regulations pertaining to water, enroll today in Environmental Permitting Summer School on July 17-20 in Marco Island.