USACE withdraws state application for Port Everglades dredging

In a major shift, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has withdrawn its state permit application for the Port Everglades Expansion dredging project.

The Center for Biological Diversity said that the withdrawal is the most significant progress in more than a decade of advocacy to protect Florida’s coral reef from this project, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said would result in “the largest impact to coral reefs permitted in U.S. history.”

“This hard-fought pause is more than a decade in the making and couldn’t have come at a more critical time for the future of our coral reefs,” said Rachel Silverstein, Ph.D., executive director and Waterkeeper at Miami Waterkeeper.

“This is meaningful progress. Our advocacy is working, and our voices are being heard. But until there is clear confirmation that this project will not move forward in a way that harms our reefs and water quality, we must remain vigilant, engaged, and keep the pressure on.”

More than 35,000 people have signed a petition calling on regulators to stop the dredging project. Now the Corps has indicated that elements of the project description are being reconsidered, which may result in changes to the project’s scope.