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From Clive Pinnock:
We are asking for your help to protect the last of south Florida’s near-shore coral habitat. The Army Corp of Engineers (Corp) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for a Broward County beach nourishment project (segment II) that is guaranteed to bury ESA protected staghorn coral and essential fish habitat.
To arrive at the FONSI the Corp conducted a Environmental Assessment (EA) as opposed to a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). According to the Center for Bilogical Diversity the EA is an unacceptable shortcut (see the Center’s comment letter@ http://www.scribd.com/doc/229231579/Center-for-Biological-Diversity-s-Comments-on-Broward-County-Segment-II-beach-project).
As we have seen from recent beach projects, where silt/turbidity plumes travelled for miles in Boynton, Delray and Boca, the Corp can not even comply with their own permit conditions. Sand from the Corps truck haul dune project in Pompano, completed a few months ago, was supposed to stay on the beach, but divers are already documenting reef burial from this project .
The EA for Broward Segment II admits staghorn coral and acres of reef habitat will be buried by the project, image how bad the impact will really be on the last of the South Florida near-shore reefs.
The deadline for public comment is June 14, 2014.
WHERE TO SEND COMMENTS: eric.p.summa@usace.army.mil (Civil Works) and garett.g.lips@usace.army.mil (Regulatory)
We would appreciate it if you also send a copy of your comments to reefteam2@yahoo.com or call if you need more local information Dan Clark, (www.cryofthewater.com) 954-242-0327
WHAT TO SEND:
Ask that your comments be submitted to the official record of the Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) for the Broward County Segment II Shore Protection Project (Civil Works) and SAJ-1999-05545 (Regulatory)
Request an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), General Reevaluation Report (GRR) and a Public Hearing for the Broward County Shore Protection Project.
Click here for more info and a link to the EA: http://reefrescue.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/broward-staghorn-coral-at-risk-of-burial/
Please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in protecting are vanishing coral reefs.
Thank you.
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PO Box 207 * Boynton Beach, FL 33425
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