EPA grants pollution permit to Gulf Coast fish farm
A planned fish farm off Florida's Gulf Coast has received an environmental permit allowing operators to discharge nutrient-laden water from what could be the first commercial-scale saltwater aquaculture operation in the Gulf of Mexico.
EPA's issuance of the modified wastewater discharge permit for the Velella Epsilon project, about 40 miles west of Sarasota County, will allow Ocean Era to produce up 55,000 pounds of red drum annually. The permit includes strict measures to contain fish, minimize effluent and protect the facility against disasters like hurricanes.
The two-year permit, which takes effect June 17, further requires that discharges of food and animal wastes 'shall not cause unreasonable degradation of the marine environment underneath the facility and in the surrounding area.' Unreasonable degradation is defined as 'significant adverse changes in ecosystem diversity, productivity and stability of the biological community within the discharge area and surrounding communities.'
Advertisement
The facility, which could hold about 20,000 fish in water depths of about 130 feet, also may not discharge wastes within 12 nautical miles of the Florida coast, and effluent may not cause a visible sheen on the receiving water, according to the EPA permit under its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump administration issues rule undermining Biden car fuel efficiency rules
The Trump administration on Friday took a step to undermine Biden-era rules that tightened fuel efficiency requirements for cars and trucks. The Transportation Department published an interpretive rule that says the Biden administration improperly considered electric vehicles as a way to make vehicle fleets more efficient While this determination does not formally end the Biden-era rule, the Trump administration indicated that while the rulemaking process plays out, it may not enforce the Biden-era standards. 'Pending the rulemaking process for the establishment of replacement standards, [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] will exercise its enforcement authority with regard to all existing … standards in accordance with the interpretation set forth in this rule,' it stated. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, in a written statement, accused the previous administration of trying to push an electric vehicle 'mandate.' 'Under President Trump's leadership, we are making vehicles more affordable and easier to manufacture in the United States,' Duffy said. 'The previous administration illegally used [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standards as an electric vehicle mandate.' The Biden administration issued a rule requiring cars to be about 2 percent more fuel efficient each year while heavy duty pickup trucks and vans would have to be 10 percent more efficient each year from 2030 to 2032 and 8 percent more efficient in the years after. President Trump has long talked about getting rid of the Biden administration's efforts to promote electric vehicles. He has argued that these efforts harm consumers' freedom to choose what kinds of cars they want to drive and could lead to strife for autoworkers. Democrats, meanwhile, have argued that shifting toward more electric vehicles would mitigate air pollution and climate change — and put the U.S. at the forefront of an emerging market. While Trump has long lamented the previous administration's electric vehicle policy, the release of the administration's determination comes just one day after an explosive feud emerged between the president and Tesla mogul Elon Musk. The Transportation Department rules came alongside a separate, more stringent regulation for vehicle tailpipe emissions from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that in practice has a greater effect on the vehicle market's fuel efficiency and is not impacted by the Trump administration's latest maneuver. However, the department's fuel economy rules would act as a backstop if the EPA rule was to be overturned. Republicans are attempting to eliminate that rule through their 'big, beautiful bill.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
16 hours ago
- The Hill
Trump administration issues rule undermining Biden car fuel efficiency rules
The Trump administration on Friday took a step to undermine Biden-era rules that tightened fuel efficiency requirements for cars and trucks. The Transportation Department published an interpretive rule that says that the Biden administration improperly considered electric vehicles as a way to make vehicle fleets more efficient While this determination does not formally end the Biden-era rule, the Trump administration indicated that while the rulemaking process plays out it may not enforce the Biden-era standards. 'Pending the rulemaking process for the establishment of replacement standards, [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] will exercise its enforcement authority with regard to all existing… standards in accordance with the interpretation set forth in this rule,' it stated. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, in a written statement, accused the previous administration of trying to push an electric vehicle 'mandate.' 'Under President Trump's leadership, we are making vehicles more affordable and easier to manufacture in the United States,' Duffy said. 'The previous administration illegally used [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standards as an electric vehicle mandate.' The Biden administration issued a rule requiring cars to be about 2 percent more fuel efficient each year while heavy duty pickup trucks and vans would have to be 10 percent more efficient each year from 2030 to 2032 and 8 percent more efficient in the years after. President Trump has long talked about getting rid of the Biden administration's efforts to promote electric vehicles. He has argued that these efforts harm consumers' freedom to choose what kinds of cars they want to drive and could lead to strife for autoworkers. Democrats, meanwhile, have argued that shifting toward more electric vehicles would mitigate air pollution and climate change – and put the U.S. at the forefront of an emerging market. While Trump has long lamented the previous administration's electric vehicle policy, the release of the administration's determination comes just one day after an explosive feud emerged between the president and Tesla mogul Elon Musk. The Transportation Department rules came alongside a separate, more stringent regulation for vehicle tailpipe emissions from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that in practice has a greater effect on the vehicle market's fuel efficiency and is not impacted by the Trump administration's latest maneuver. However, the department's fuel economy rules would act as a backstop if the EPA rule was to be overturned. Republicans are attempting to eliminate that rule through their 'big, beautiful bill.'
New York Post
18 hours ago
- New York Post
Iran orders ballistic missile ingredients from China: report
Iran has reportedly ordered thousands of tons of ballistic missile materials from China amid tense negotiations with the United States over the future of its nuclear program. Ammonium perchlorate shipments — enough to fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles — will arrive in Iran in the coming months, sources familiar with the transaction told The Wall Street Journal. Some of the rocket propellant will likely find its way to Iran-aligned militias in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, who have been terrorizing ships passing through the Red Sea and firing missiles at Israel. Advertisement The deal with China comes as Iran looks to strengthen its military while brokering a deal with the Trump administration over its nuclear program. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called the US 'arrogant' as he rejected a revised nuclear deal that would allow Tehran to continue low-level uranium enrichment. Trucks carry Iranian long-range missiles Fatah during the annual military parade marking the Iraqi invasion in 1980 in September. ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA-EFE / Shutterstock Advertisement The chemical shipments could fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles, according to the report. via REUTERS 'The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear program. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?' he said in a televised speech. After the proposal fell through, Trump warned in a social media post that 'time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons.' The rocket fuel chemicals were ordered over the past few months by an Iranian company called Pichgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co. from a Hong Kong-based business Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd, according to the Journal's sources. Advertisement A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told the paper that China wasn't aware of the contract. 'The Chinese side has always exercised strict control over dual-use items in accordance with China's export control laws and regulations and its international obligations,' the spokesperson said.
