Vinyard announces he’s leaving DEP, interim replacement named

By BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. told Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday that he is leaving the department on Dec. 1. Vinyard, who has lived in Tallahassee while commuting to his Jacksonville home on weekends since being appointed in 2011, was expected to leave following Scott’s re-election […]

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Supreme Court appoints special master in GA v. FL water dispute

The U. S. Supreme Court has appointed Maine lawyer Robert I. Lancaster to oversee a water dispute between Florida and Georgia. The Supreme Court earlier this month gave Florida permission to sue Georgia over water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system. Florida Gov. Rick Scott blames Georgia for lack of freshwater flow that harms Apalachicola Bay

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“Thirsty City” traces history of Atlanta’s water crisis and fight with Florida

By BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM Atlanta created its own legal mess over water because in 1950, then-Mayor William B. Hartsfield refused to spend a little more than $1 million to help pay for Lake Lanier, writes Skye Borden in “Thirsty City: Politics, Greed and the Making of Atlanta’s Water Crisis.” Alabama, Florida and Georgia have been locked in a legal

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Scott, conservation lands amendment win in Florida election

By BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM A Florida election with environmental overtones saw Gov. Rick Scott re-elected Tuesday over Democrat Charlie Crist and a state constitutional amendment for conservation passing by a wide margin. Scott, who won election in 2010 with tea party backing and vetoed conservation lands spending in his first year of office, led by

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US Supreme Court accepts Florida’s water lawsuit

By BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM The U. S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed Florida’s lawsuit against Georgia over water use to move forward, at least long enough for Georgia to file a response. Alabama, Florida and Georgia have been battling in federal court over water from the Apalachiciola-Chattahoochee Flint River system. A year ago, Florida Gov.

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Seafood industry raises concerns about Florida inaction as Georgia groups knock water policies there

BY BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM Apalachicola Bay seafood industry representatives said this week they’re concerned by a lack of action by Florida to protect oysters there while Georgia environmental groups critized their state for policies that the groups say are increasing tensions in the tri-state water wars. Alabama, Florida and Georgia have been fighting in federal

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Fla. ag commissioner says he would support possible move to close Apalachicola Bay oyster harvest

By BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Friday offered support for state wildlife officials as they whether decide to close Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting. Alabama, Florida and Georgia have been fighting in federal court over water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system since 1990. Last Oct. 1, Florida asked the U. S. Supreme Court

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With Apalachicola Bay oysters continuing to suffer, state further tightens harvesting

By BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM APALACHICOLA — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is sharply reducing the number of oysters that can be taken from Apalachicola Bay because the oyster population there remains low. And some seafood workers are warning that oysters soon could be wiped out in a key harvesting area. State officials in

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Scientists question Scott’s commitment on climate after meeting

By BRUCE RITCHIE FLORIDAENVIRONMENTS.COM Scientists who met Tuesday with Gov. Rick Scott to explain the threat of climate change said the governor asked only modest questions while withholding comment on the issue. “He asked modest questions but he did not ask questions that reflected his understanding of the material,” Eckerd College Professor David Hastings said.

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