FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August
22, 2001
Science-Based
phase of Everglades restoration on schedule
--Public to be heard on
dramatically improved water quality standard-
TALLAHASSEE - With
federal authorization of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration
Plan secured, and the funding plan in place for the construction
and engineering required for restoration, the state of Florida
returns its attention to the provisions of the Everglades Forever
Act (EFA). This law, passed in 1994, established firm
timetables for the science portion of restoration. The EFA
requires that the state propose a rule that will ultimately
establish the water quality standard for the Everglades Protection
Area by December 31, 2001.
In
order to propose the most well reasoned rule, the Department will
obtain a broad range of input from the public and interested
parties. A series of workshops will offer opportunities to
exchange viewpoints. Given the long-standing dialogue on
this issue between the Department and the stakeholders, these
forums will be moderated by a team of professionals specializes in
environmental policy consensus building. The moderators,
Consensus Building Institute (CBI) of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
will assist with a fresh look at the science. The first
workshop will take place in West Palm Beach at the Sheraton West
Palm Beach Hotel on August 23 and the DEP District Office at 400
N. Congress Ave. on August 24.
“It
is important that we consider everyone in this process,” said
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David B. Struhs.
“We need to ensure that the lines of communication remain open
as we go through this transparent process of developing a proposed
rule. What should be reassuring to everyone is that in the
end, the water quality standard will be far more protective than
anything we have now. We are pleased that we were able to
obtain the services of CBI. While none of us at DEP have
worked with them before, they have an outstanding reputation for
finding common ground.”
Representatives
from agriculture, the environmental community, Indian tribes and
other citizens will provide their unique perspectives in order to
clarify issues, promote well-informed decision making and seek
consensus wherever possible. The purpose of the process is
to:
- Develop the numerical
phosphorous standard (criterion) required by the Everglades
Forever Act by the end of 2001;
- Identify possible guidelines
and procedures for monitoring attainment of, and measuring
compliance with, the standard; and
“We are
committed to remaining on schedule for proposing a water quality
standard to the Environmental Regulation Commission,” said
Struhs. “Governor Bush and I remain committed to working
with all of our partners toward the restoration Everglades
ecosystem.”
Other
workshops will be held on September 20-21, October 2-3, October
18-19 and November 1-2. Locations will be announced at a
later date.
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