Hillsborough EPC vote: the criticism just keeps rolling in
July 5, 2007 at 1:59 pm by Wayne GarciaTwo updates about Hillsborough County’s preliminary vote to eliminate wetlands protection from its Environmental Protection Commission, as some developers desperately want to see happen.
This week’s issue of CL features my story on the matter called “Pimp My Lake,” and includes some strong support for the EPC’s wetlands functions from Republican County Commissioner Mark Sharpe:
“It makes good sense to be good stewards of the environment whether you are Democrat or Republican. We need to be thinking about locally what makes sense. Protect the environment.”
Also, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters has come out strongly in favor of saving the wetlands division. A letter to the editor from president-elect Richard Brown says:
If the decision of the Commission stands, Hillsborough County will inevitably lose wetland acreage. As wetlands acreage gets reduced, citizens of Hillsborough County will encounter increased pollution and flooding. They will also be forced to pay for cleaning up the resulting disasters. As our county becomes more developed, environmental protections should be increased, not reduced.
The full text of the letter follows in the comments section (with a nod to Adam for stealing the way he does these things).
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July 5th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Full text:
To The Editor
The decision by the Hillsborough County Commission–sitting as the Environmental Protection Commission and without prior public hearing– to strip protection of wetlands from local government is bad public policy.
The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County has consistently advocated that local agencies have responsibility for oversight of land use policy and resource protection. Quite simply, local government provides better protection and service than either state or federal agencies can muster in these areas.
The current Hillsborough County EPC program has long been recognized for its steadfast protection of wetlands. The same cannot be said of state agencies charged with similar responsibilities. In January, 2007 the Peace River Cumulative Impact Study noted wetland losses to be much higher than indicated in the approved permits. For example, more than 340 miles of streambed in the study area were lost to impacts from land modification. The report concludes that, even in a time of ever-increasing regulatory oversight, such losses question the efficacy of the programs, the success of mitigation efforts, and the ability to detect illegal activity. The study area was the Peace River Basin, just southeast of Hillsborough County, and in an area where wetlands are regulated solely by state agencies - - the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Southwest Florida Water Management District - - the very organizations now promoted by the County Commission as adequate substitutes for Hillsborough’s EPC.
If the decision of the Commission stands, Hillsborough County will inevitably lose wetland acreage. As wetlands acreage gets reduced, citizens of Hillsborough County will encounter increased pollution and flooding. They will also be forced to pay for cleaning up the resulting disasters. As our county becomes more developed, environmental protections should be increased, not reduced.
Some of the reasons given for the vote to eliminate the division were cost, duplication of effort and red tape. The costs saved are not significant when compared to the benefits, and the costs of the potential disasters. Much has been made of duplication of effort between local and state agencies. This issue is exaggerated. Any duplication would be better resolved by acquiring primacy of review by the local agency, working under its own procedures, with delegated representation of the State agency. In addition, there are permitting efficiencies possible from a review of internal EPC procedures, some of which are legacies and rules that have outlived their original purpose. A comprehensive, „clean slate‰ procedure review is recommended.
The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County disagrees with the Commission‚s recent vote. The League continues to support the conservation of two things we all treasure: the environment and local control.
Richard Brown Ph.D., President-Elect,
League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County
July 13th, 2007 at 6:48 am
It’s imperative that all who want to keep the EPC Wetlands Division attend the next EPC meeting THURSDAY JULY 26 10:00 a.m. (SHOULD be at 6:00 when more people are not working, but it’s not) at County Center, 601 E Kennedy, 2nd Floor.
Supposedly the EPC board (a.k.a. BOCC, chaired by Brian Blair) will refrain from taking a vote at that meeting — it’s to (finally) hear Dr. Garrity’s pitch and take public comment (finally)…but people need to be there in droves to make clear we want the Wetlands Div and its functions in permitting etc. to remain intact.
We must be watching! This demands our closest scrutiny. Take off work if you possibly can to be there.