Representative Toby Overdorf moves to end federal
inaction that is delaying critical restoration projects
State Representative Toby Overdorf has filed House Memorial 799, which directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete the process of transferring the 404 Dredge and Fill Permitting Program to the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Despite the adoption last year of House Bill 7043, officially transferring responsibility to administer the program from the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to the State of Florida, neither agency has initiated the required steps for transfer.
“It is time for the EPA and the Corps to recognize that we are tired of delay after delay in our restoration projects,” said Overdorf. “The State of Florida has stepped up and accepted responsibility for the program; all we ask is that the EPA live up to their own regulations and complete the memorandum of agreement.”
House Memorial 799 formally requests the U.S. Congress to direct the EPA to issue a memorandum of agreement so Florida can complete the assumption. With the ACOE understaffed, The FDEP’s assumption of the program will allow for a multitude of critical restoration projects, including projects under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, to move forward.
