Florida is moving ahead with adopting its own rules to measure the health of estuaries despite its opposition to a federal proposal to do the same for lakes and rivers, Department of Environmental Protection officials said Tuesday. Department officials on Tuesday held a hearing in Tallahassee on proposed numeric nutrient criteria, which are specific limits […]

Bay County could claim that its recycling rate has more than doubled, from 19 to 44 percent, because it burns its waste to produce electricity. Six Florida counties could claim that they’re currently recycling more than 100 percent of their waste under a bill signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist in May. But the

Gov. Charlie Crist says he would be pleased to meet again with the governors of Alabama and Georgia to discuss a water dispute — after negotiators from the states meet to work on finalizing proposals. The three states have been battling over water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River since 1990. Alabama and Georgia want water for

Florida State University oceanography professor Ian MacDonald during testimony before Congress on Thursday challenged federal estimates of the amount of oil spilled by BP into the Gulf of Mexico. A federal science team earlier this month estimated that 205 million gallons of oil gushed from the BP’s Macondo well between April 20 and July 15.

An environmental group is calling again on the Florida Public Service Commission to reject requests by utilities to charge customers now for proposed nuclear power plants. The PSC has scheduled a week-long hearing next week on requests from Florida Power & Light Co. and Progress Energy under a 2006 state law that allows utilities to

Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, and former Public Service Commission Executive Director Mary Bane were among seven candidates recommended Thursday to the governor for two upcoming vacancies on the PSC. The PSC Nominating Council on June 30 passed over commissioners Nancy Argenziano and Nathan A. Skop for reappointment, as some council members cited discord at

Critics of proposed federal water quality standards in Florida on Wednesday pointed to new survey results suggesting that a majority of residents oppose them and would vote against candidates who support them. But the question is based on the presumption that the regulations will cost as much as the utilities who are opposing them say

University of South Florida scientists said Tuesday they’ve found oil spread across the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, backing suggestions from scientists that dispersed oil from the BP spill remains an environmental threat. A federal science team earlier this month issued a report saying that 74 percent of 205 million gallons of leaked oil

Two outgoing members of the Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday accused the remaining PSC veteran of stirring up trouble as two new commissioners watched in silence. Commission Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano and Commissioner Nathan A. Skop were passed over for reappointment in July as some members of the PSC Nominating Council cited discord on the

State and local officials are asserting that most of the waters off the Panhandle are now safe for swimming. A number of counties have lifted swimming advisories that had been put in place following the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The BP oil spill sent waves of oil onto beaches