ATLANTA (CN) - The 11th Circuit has upheld a ruling allowing the St. Joe Co. to develop more than 48,000 acres in the Florida Panhandle.
The National Resources Defense Council and the Florida Sierra Club claimed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Clean Waters Act by permitting developers to dump "limited types and amounts of dredged and fill material" into federal waters near the development area.
But the circuit said the permit and the district court's 115-page opinion were thorough and carefully considered.
"The permit is replete with special conditions designed specifically to narrow the category of activities authorized by the permit ... and minimize the environmental effects of development by preserving much of the area," the appeals court concluded. See ruling.
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