Author name: bruce

By the Florida Tribune State lawmakers dealt with several environmental issues as they convened for a one-day special session on Tuesday. Although most of the work involved overriding vetoes by Gov. Charlie Crist, legislators also discussed whether to approve one Crist-backed initiative. Legislators approved $31 million in federal stimulus funds to provide energy rebates for […]

Florida park officials on Tuesday named Peacock Springs State Park near Live Oak in honor of cave-diver and filmmaker Wes Skiles, who died on July 21 while diving off the Palm Beach County Coast. Skiles was a member of the Florida Springs Task Force and spoke at a rally for springs outside of the Capitol

By the Florida TribuneThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized numeric nutrient standards for Florida on Sunday but decided to delay the implementation of the requirements for 15 months, leaving the door open for litigation. The EPA’s numeric limits — which were sparked by a lawsuit from environmental groups — have been set for nutrients including

By The Florida TribuneAs legislators seek to extend the implementation of new septic tank standards during the upcoming special session, outgoing Sen. Lee Constantine sent a letter to lawmakers requesting they back the standards and its timeline, just as they did during the past legislative session. Under SB 550, the new standards would require that

It didn’t get a lot of attention, but Secretary of Community Affairs Tom Pelham gave an impassioned defense of his agency this past week. DCA has constantly come under fire in the last few years, especially as Pelham has criticized legislative efforts to change the state’s growth management laws. Pelham, however, fired back at critics

Florida’s two incoming legislative leaders announced on Thursday that they plan to take up several significant environmental issues during a one-day special session planned for later this month. The list for the Nov. 16 special session covers everything from septic tanks and energy rebates. Both incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and House Speaker

John H. Hankinson Jr., a Florida native and former regional U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, was named Monday as executive director of the new federal Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. President Barack Obama signed an executive order earlier this month establishing the task force, which will coordinate restoration programs and projects following the BP

MISSOULA, Mont. — NOAA Administrator Jane Lubcheco on Friday defended as “consistent” her description of the fate of oil spilled last summer in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, an oil industry representative told environmental journalists that the nation must continue deep-water oil drilling as an important economic driver in the Gulf region. The Deepwater Horizon

The South Florida Water Management District on Tuesday closed on the purchase of nearly 27,000 acres of U.S. Sugar Corp. land in a scaled-down version of the once-massive Everglades restoration project. Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008 first proposed the purchase of 187,000 acres, which the district agreed to buy for $1.3 billion. But the economic

Nancy Argenziano announced Tuesday she is resigning from the Florida Public Service Commission to support Democrat Alex Sink in her race against Republican Rick Scott for governor. Argenziano — who was elected as a Republican state senator — told reporters she is resigning to speak out against what she considers to be a “catastrophe” facing