Judge Strikes Down Florida Notification Rule Designed To Alert Public To Toxic Spills
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Over the holidays, the emergency rule requiring Florida businesses and government entities to alert the public to pollution spills was quietly eliminated by an administrative law judge; citing the Governor's lack of authority in demanding such transparency.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) wrote the 24-hour notification rule after two major pollution incidents in the Tampa Bay Area. First was the dumping of hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into local bays. The next, in August of 2016, was the massive toxic sinkhole that opened up on a Mosaic fertilizer facility in Lake Wales.
"We clearly have a law with regard to public notification that didn't make sense," said Governor Rick Scott days after the Mosaic sinkhole was finally made public in September. "We have to notify people. It's the right thing to do." Now that the DEP's emergency rule has been deemed invalid, the Governor is encouraging a solution through legislation.
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"Protecting Florida’s pristine environment is our top priority and DEP will continue the public pollution notification process to ensure all Floridians and visitors are notified of pollution incidents. Moving forward the notification process from the Department may change, however it was imperative that the notification to the public continued seamlessly," a wrote a DEP spokesperson on Wednesday.
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http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/tampa-bay-legislator-trying-to-fix-floridas-pollution-notification-system