We’ve seen efforts like this before: Lowering the bar on water quality standards because the higher standards were not being met. Changing longstanding agency policy to allow new development to advance despite its impact on wildlife. Drafting bill language to allow for loopholes.
Now, some members of Congress are trying to make Florida’s illegal wetland permitting program “legal” simply by adding it to a lengthy appropriations bill, and without fixing any of the problems identified by the courts.
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This is an affront to our February 2024 legal victory, with partners and Earthjustice, which secured more stringent protections for our precious wetlands and the listed species that live there. The State of Florida and the federal agencies appealed that decision, but rather than wait to see what the appeals court determines, there is an attempt to use a backdoor method to reinstate Florida’s flawed wetland permitting program.
Wetlands are perhaps one of the most valuable ecosystems on the planet. Only about 5–10% of the world’s land surface is currently wetland, but more than 70% of them are already destroyed or in poor quality. Florida has more wetlands than any other state in the continental United States, yet these valuable resources are at extreme risk from growth and development. The Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act are foundational laws that we need to protect Florida’s unique and critical landscape.
We need stronger protections for our wetlands and wildlife, not less. Tell your representative to reject the effort to sneak in Florida’s permitting program that was deemed by the courts as illegal. Simply writing it into law and going around the pending court process is a disservice to our quality of life and the wetland ecosystems that make Florida one of the most special places in the world.