Environmental Regulation: What the Florida Legislature Undid. By Geniusofdespair

Say goodbye to regulation, say hello to environmental degradation. The bills that passed roll-back years of progress and you know the Governor will sign them all:

• Prohibits a county or a municipality from conditioning the processing for a development permit on an applicant obtaining a permit or approval from any other state or federal agency;
• Authorizes the DEP to issue a coastal construction permit before an applicant receives an incidental take authorization;
• Expands eligibility for those entities entitled to reduced or waived permit processing fees;
• Expands the use of Internet-based self-certification services and general permits;
• Exempts previously authorized underground injection wells from ch. 373, part III, F.S., except for Class V, Group 1 wells;
• Reduces the time for agency action or proposed action on a permit from 90 to 60 days;
• Provides for an expanded state programmatic general permit;
• Raises the qualifying low-scored site initiative priority ranking score from 10 to 29, and exempts certain expenditures from counting against the program;
• Revises qualifications for fiscal assistance for innocent victim petroleum storage system restoration;
• Provides expedited permitting for intermodal logistic centers (inland ports);
• Authorizes zones of discharges existing installations, with certain limitations;
• Revises requirements for permit revocation;
• Revises the definition for “financially disadvantaged small community”;
• Revises the definition of industrial sludge;
• Specifies recycling credits available for counties that operate waste-to-energy facilities;
• Revises provisions related to solid waste disposal and management;
• Provides for a general permit for small surface water management systems;
• Expands the definition for “transient noncommunity water systems” to include religious institutions;
• Clarifies creation of regional permit action teams for certain businesses;
• Allows for sale of unblended fuels for specified applications, and specifies that alternative fuels other than ethanol may be used as blending fuels for blending gasoline; and
• Prohibits the collection of permit renewal fees for those permits that were automatically extended by Chapter 2011-139, ss. 73 and 79, L.O.F.

If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2012.