The Trump administration faced pointed questions Monday about EPA’s approval of Florida’s wetland permitting program, with one federal judge raising concerns that it ran afoul of the Endangered Species Act.
In the final days of the first Trump administration, EPA granted Florida’s request to assume responsibility for permitting infrastructure that might harm federally protected wetlands.
Environmental groups challenged the decision, and a federal judge overturned it in 2024 on the grounds that risks to endangered species were not adequately considered.
The Biden administration appealed the ruling, and the Trump administration is continuing with the appeal. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is similarly pining to restore its wetland permitting authority.
