WASHINGTON, DC—Today Rep. Scott Franklin announced his initiatives to curb federal government overreach and protect Florida’s authority to regulate its own natural resources were approved today by the House Appropriations Committee, during its markup of the FY25 House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. The bill was approved by the Committee, 29 to 25.
“DC bureaucrats believe they are best positioned to manage a state’s unique environmental needs,” Rep. Franklin said. “Instead of pursuing one-size-fits all, big government ‘solutions,’ the federal government should allow states to retain their own autonomy. This is critical in states like Florida, where the resilience and health of the economy and environment are so closely linked. These initiatives put Florida back in the driver’s seat, and I thank my colleagues for their support.”
Specifically, the bill included the following Franklin initiatives:
Protecting Big Cypress & Miccosukee Tribe Of Florida: Rep. Franklin worked to secure Section 158 in the bill, preventing the National Park Service from designating or managing Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve as wilderness.
The full text can be read below:
Sec. 158. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the National Park Service to designate or manage Big Cypress National Preserve as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Preserving Florida’s 404 Program: Rep. Franklin’s initiative, Section 492 is included in the bill, which restores Florida’s 404 Program, a model federal/state partnership allowing Florida to regulate its own state waterways by administering a dredge and fill permitting program in a manner consistent with section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
Background: A Trump-era policy allowed Florida to administer a dredge and fill permitting program within state waters, provided it was consistent with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In 2018, the State legislature gave the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) authority to begin the rulemaking process to develop such a program. On Feb. 15, 2024, a federal judge issued an order divesting the DEP of its authority to continue issuing State 404 Program permits in Florida. This halted more than 1,000 permit applications.
The full text can be read below:
Sec. 492. The notice of the Environmental Protection Agency approving the State of Florida's request to carry out a permit program for the discharge of dredged or fill material pursuant to Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344), published on December 22, 2020, and titled “EPA's Approval of Florida's Clean Water Act Section 404 Assumption Request” (85 Fed. Reg. 83553) shall have the force and effect of law.
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