Paul Schwiep was quoted in a February 11th Miami Herald news article regarding a federal hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Frederico Moreno, where the judge was deciding whether to approve a consent decree which would require the Miami-Dade county government to spend $1.6 billion over the next 15 years to fix its dilapidated sewer system.

Mr. Schwiep, who represents, Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, a group of environmental activists, opposed the proposal because the county would not be required to take into account the effects of climate change in its repairs.

The article says:

Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the Waterkeeper group, countered that the sewer system is already vulnerable to climate change, and those weaknesses should be targeted for improvement in the decree.

“They’re telling you that climate impact is real” yet choosing not to include it in the agreement, he said.

Schwiep also said the decree should include a ban on transferring Water and Sewer Department funds collected from user fees to Miami-Dade’s general fund. Past administrations raided the department’s budget, though the current mayor has stopped the practice.

To read the entire article, click here.