Public workshops on changes to statewide water use permitting rules
LIVE OAK, FL, July 30, 2012 – The public is invited to attend two workshops on rule development for statewide consumptive use permitting consistency (“CUPcon”) hosted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Suwannee River Water Management District (District).
The purpose of CUPcon is to improve consistency in the consumptive/water use permitting programs implemented by the five water management districts.
The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 7 at the District headquarters, 9225 County Road 49 in Live Oak. The second will be held in Chiefland on Wednesday, August 8 at the Tommy Usher Community Center, 506 SW 4th Ave. Both meetings will begin at 9 a.m.
The agenda for both workshops includes an overview of CUPcon and discussion of proposed rule changes to Chapter 62-40, F.A.C.; permit types/thresholds; conditions of issuance; water conservation; 10-year compliance report; compliance monitoring; and specific water management district rule amendments. Public comment will be invited and updates on other CUPcon workgroups will be provided.
For more information visit the CUPcon page at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/waterpolicy/cupcon.htm or contact Carlos Herd at 386.362.1001 or 800.226.1066 (FL toll free).
Gag me with a spoon. In the meantime, while this silly waste of time is going at taxpayers expense, we have the Sierra Club and Wildlife Federation suing the DEP and the SFl Water Management District for severely restricting flows to the Caloosahatchee River which is, if anyone is interested, dying a slow death. (Read…Everglades) But it is speeding up pretty quickly. Why, you might ask? It’s simple. The Fanjul Brothers, some Dominicans that got here thru political clout and happen to own US Sugar, need water for their 500,000 acres of sugar cane. Ever wonder why sugar costs so much? Thank your local S. Fl congressmen who have been on the pad for the past 40 years. If we could buy sugar from the islands, it would be half the cost. That would not be to the local pols benefit since the Fanjuls keep them in office. To give you an idea about how powerful the Fanjuls are, a few years ago, President Clinton was entertaining a young intern who had crawled under his desk. While he did not order her to stop her ministrations, he did take a call from the Fanjuls.
More of the same. It is getting worse, not better.