Environmental groups threaten new lawsuit over ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ site
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Environmental groups threaten new lawsuit over ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ site
Environmental groups say they could sue over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades say they plan to sue within 60 days. The state last week began operating the detention center at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. Gov. Ron DeSantis has contended the facility, which could house 3,000 undocumented immigrants, does not pose environmental threats.. Environmental groups warn that it could cause wide-ranging ecological damage and harm a variety of species such as endangered Florida panthers. The notice was addressed to officials at several federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The notice was in addition to a lawsuit filed June 27 that alleges violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, a federal law that requires evaluating potential environmental impacts before such a project can move forward.
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The notice warned that if the alleged violations are not resolved within 60 days, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity plan to sue. Elise Bennett, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an email that the allegations would be amended onto the already-existing lawsuit.
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The state last week began operating the detention center at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a remote site used for flight training surrounded by the Everglades and the Big Cypress National Preserve. While the state is operating the facility, officials have said they will seek federal reimbursement for the costs.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has contended the facility, which could house 3,000 undocumented immigrants, does not pose environmental threats. Among other things, the airport has existed for decades.
But environmental groups warn that it could cause wide-ranging ecological damage and harm a variety of species such as endangered Florida panthers.
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Friday’s notice was addressed to officials at several federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In part, attorneys for Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity contended in the notice that federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act by not going through what is known as a “consultation” process related to the construction and operation of the facility. That process would include agencies consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the potential effects on species..
The notice described consultation as the “heart” of the Endangered Species Act and said it includes a “substantive duty for federal agencies to ensure the actions they authorize or carry out are not likely to jeopardize listed species or destroy or adversely modify critical habitat designated” for species.
“Based on our review of publicly available information, the federal agencies have failed to initiate and complete formal consultation over their respective agency actions associated with the construction and operation of the mass immigration detention center in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve, which may affect — and is indeed likely to adversely affect — species listed under the ESA (Endangered Species Act),” attorneys from the Center for Biological Diversity and the Earthjustice legal organization wrote.
The notice also alleged federal and state agencies violated the Clean Water Act by not obtaining a dredge-and-fill permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “for apparent filling and paving of federal jurisdictional waters associated with the construction and operation of the mass detention center.”
Environmental groups add to legal complaints about Alligator Alcatraz
Environmental groups say they could sue over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. If alleged violations are not resolved within 60 days, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity plan to sue. The state last week began operating the detention center at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. Gov. Ron DeSantis has contended the facility, which could house 3,000 people, does not pose environmental threats. But environmental groups warn that it could cause wide-ranging ecological damage and harm a variety of species such as endangered Florida panthers. The center is in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve.
The notice was in addition to a lawsuit filed June 27 that alleges violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, a federal law that requires evaluating potential environmental impacts before such a project can move forward.
The notice warned that if the alleged violations are not resolved within 60 days, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity plan to sue. Elise Bennett, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an email that the allegations would be amended onto the already-existing lawsuit.
The state last week began operating the detention center at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a remote site used for flight training surrounded by the Everglades and the Big Cypress National Preserve. While the state is operating the facility, officials have said they will seek federal reimbursement for the costs.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has contended the facility, which could house 3,000 people, does not pose environmental threats. Among other things, the airport has existed for decades.
But environmental groups warn that it could cause wide-ranging ecological damage and harm a variety of species such as endangered Florida panthers.
Friday’s notice was addressed to officials at several federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In part, attorneys for Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity contended in the notice that federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act by not going through what is known as a “consultation” process related to the construction and operation of the facility. That process would include agencies consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about the potential effects on species.
The notice described consultation as the “heart” of the Endangered Species Act and said it includes a “substantive duty for federal agencies to ensure the actions they authorize or carry out are not likely to jeopardize listed species or destroy or adversely modify critical habitat designated” for species.
“Based on our review of publicly available information, the federal agencies have failed to initiate and complete formal consultation over their respective agency actions associated with the construction and operation of the mass immigration detention center in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve, which may affect — and is indeed likely to adversely affect — species listed under the ESA (Endangered Species Act),” attorneys from the Center for Biological Diversity and the Earthjustice legal organization wrote.
The notice also alleged federal and state agencies violated the Clean Water Act by not obtaining a dredge-and-fill permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “for apparent filling and paving of federal jurisdictional waters associated with the construction and operation of the mass detention center.”