GR:  This seems like the wrong time to be destroying coral.  Is the pursuit of economic progress driving Florida and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mad?

Bob Berwyn:

Activists plan lawsuit to win more environmental protection

Staff Report:  Even with coral reefs around the world under the global warming gun, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking approval for a controversial Florida dredging project that could smother parts of the only coastal barrier reef in the continental United States.

But a coalition of environmental and community groups have banded together to try and the the Corps to provide mandatory, common-sense protections for reefs near the Port Everglades dredging project near Fort Lauderdale. The project’s goal is to increase coastal access for larger ships.Critics of the project say similar dredging at PortMiami injured and killed Endangered Species Act-listed staghorn corals and buried alive more than 200 football fields of reef habitat. They claim the damage stemmed from the Corps’ failure to collect and use accurate, up-to-date information or adequately account for potential impacts to nearby reefs.  More:  Florida harbor dredging threatens corals | Summit County Citizens Voice

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