For
Immediate Release
February7,
2020
**PRESS RELEASE**
SIERRA CLUB SUES TO STOP THE RIDGE ROAD EXTENSION THROUGH THE SERENOVA
PRESERVE IN PASCO COUNTY
JACKSONVILLE FL – The Sierra Club filed
suit on February 6 to challenge the permit recently given by the US Army Corps
of Engineers (ACOE) to Pasco County for the Ridge Road Extension. The suit was brought under the National
Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act, pursuant to the
Administrative Procedure Act. The suit
is the next step in a twenty-year fight to protect the Serenova Preserve.
The Sierra Club also filed an
Emergency Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and/or
Preliminary Injunction in order to
stay the Section 404 Permit that has recently allowed construction to begin.
Heidi Mehaffey,
Esq., the attorney representing the Sierra Club, stated: “The permit was approved in violation of a
number of federal statutes and regulations, all extant to prevent this kind of
environmental damage. ACOE failed to adequately look at direct, indirect, and cumulative
impacts on the environment contrary to the National Environmental
Policy Act and neglected to choose the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative
(LEDPA) under the Clean Water Act, while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
relied on outdated surveys, 7 years outdated to be exact, for determining the
impact on endangered and threatened species and wetland habitats when there was
no effort to collect reliable and present day data in complete contradiction to
the spirit of these environmental laws. We also filed an emergency motion for an injunction to halt
construction at the site, which began last week – we have eye-witness reports
that they are removing gopher tortoises as we speak.”
Tim
Martin, Sierra Club Florida Conservation Chair stated: “After the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE)
permit decision was announced on the Friday before Christmas, Save Our Serenova
Coalition activists worked day and night over the holiday season to fight the
permit. We are dedicating significant resources to stopping the destruction of
the Serenova Preserve. Contrary to what county officials are claiming, there
will not be traffic through the Serenova in nine months. There should never be
traffic inside a nature preserve."
Conservation
Biologist Reed F. Noss, Ph. D., whose review of the decisional documents lead
to an expert report supporting the Sierra Club’s arguments that the project
will be environmentally detrimental said:
“I
find the Corps’ decision to issue the permit indefensible. This project, if
implemented, will cause severe impacts and irreparable harm to one of the most
biologically significant natural areas in west-central Florida. It would likely
preclude regional recovery, and perhaps cause regional extinction, of some
species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, as well as leading to the
decline of other native species (many of them already rare) and compromising
the ecological functions of the wetland and upland ecosystems of the Serenova
Tract.”
Martin added, “The
Serenova case has likely already influenced national policy. In
justifying their rationale for streamlining the Army Corps' permitting process,
the Trump administration recently cited that some roads are taking over ten
years to permit. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, wrote an open letter to Trump calling for him to intervene in the
Serenova case, which may be the longest running permitting application in
history, thanks to the local activists who have worked diligently for twenty
years to protect this precious land.”
Filings: Complaint and Emergency Motion
Background:
Hashtag: #SaveSerenova
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