Okaloosa County BOCC — July 2, 2013 — Trip Report NRDA July 25 — reading text

Trip Report: Meeting of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustee Council in Pensacola on July 25, 2013 at 6:30PM (This was apparently the only meeting of this type to be held in Florida) Purpose of Meeting: Public Listening Session on the Early Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and General Comments on the NRDA Early Restoration Attendee: Commissioner Dave Parisot, Vice-Chairman (Note: Myself and Commissioner Robinson of Escambia County were the only commissioners present) The PEIS is an attempt to evaluate the potential environmental effects of types of early restoration actions, as well as specific projects including those that the Trustees intend to propose in the Phase III Draft Early Restoration Plan (ERP). The PEIS will also evaluate the cumulative effects of early restoration. I was made aware of this meeting at about 9:00PM on July 24th. Previous NRDA Trustee Council meetings have been much better noticed earlier and with more detail. I did not comment on the draft PEIS as I did not have an opportunity to review it prior to the meeting. However, I did comment to the Trustee Council under General Comments in four areas: 1. Slowness of Early Restoration: The NRDA Early Restoration process was announced in July 2010 to benefit, in Florida, the 8-Disproportionately Impacted Counties in the Panhandle. This process has just started ite 4th year with few projects having been completed, particularly in Florida. I also emphasized the positive economic impacts the performance of projects can have on local and State economies. 2. Stream-Lining the Federal Permitting Processes: As we move forward with both NRDA and RESTORE, many projects will require permitting by various federal agencies to include the Army Corps of Engineers. It is essential that we develop stream-lined procedures for federal permitting so that, when funding becomes available, the funds do not languish for extended time periods awaiting permits. Since most of the federal agencies involved in permitting are on both the NRDA and RESTORE Councils this item should be actively pursued by both agencies. (Commissioner Robinson also commented briefly on this topic.) 3. Florida Counties: I reminded the NRDA Council members that there are eight counties in Florida eligible for Early Restoration funds; however, in the first three phases of the ERP, the far greater of the projects and funding allocations have gone (or are proposed for) to Escambia County. All eight counties have submitted viable projects and need to be equally considered; we need to share the wealth. I also commented that the NRDA ERP projects in Florida to date are centered in the Pensacola Bay, St. Andrews Bay, and Appalachicola Bay watersheds, but the projects submitted for the Choctawhatchee Bay watershed shared by Okaloosa and Walton counties and Eglin AFB are also important to the health of the Gulf of Mexico. (Note: Speakers from other Panhandle counties also commented on this issue.) 4. Storm Water Projects: I asked the Trustee Council to please reconsider doing coastal storm water projects with Early Restoration funding. I commented that not less than three of the federal agency speakers from EPA, Agriculture and Interior had commented at the Dec. 11, 2012 meeting of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council had stated that the single factor that negatively impacts on the water quality of the Gulf of Mexico is storm water runoff. If we do not address and fix the storm water issues, the added oyster beds and other shellfish enhancements will have to work overtime to clean up the bays. Dave Parisot Okaloosa County Commissioner, Dist. 2