Rulemaking Override Leading to Environmental Paralysis?

Florida legislators will be meeting on Tuesday in special session.  The main agenda item will be votes to override several bills vetoed by Governor Cirst earlier this year.  If the Governor’s veto is overridden on any of those bills, it will immediately become law and go into effect.  

One bill vetoed by Governor Crist is HB 1565 - Rulemaking which says that any rule set by Florida’s environmental regulators having an “adverse” impact on small businesses of $1 million over five years will have to be ratified by the Legislature. 

The “adverse” fiscal impact threshold equals just over a penny for each Floridian for five years.

Almost any rule that requires polluters to clean up their act or restricts land use could trigger the ratification provision, making it almost impossible to do anything to protect clean water,