The US Defense Department has found that an environmental impact statement for a proposed artificial reef off the Florida coast won’t be needed.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been funding the development of am artificial reef program called “Reefense” to mitigate the impact of big waves hitting military bases.
For a proposed artificial reef off the Florida coast, DARPA announced this week:
“The Proposed Action would involve the deployment of Reefense structures at Baker Point, Florida, located adjacent to Tyndall Air Force Base (Tyndall AFB) and within East Bay of the St. Andrew Bay estuary. The Reefense project at Baker Point would be deployed over two phases with multiple components being proposed for each deployment. Phase 1 is anticipated to occur as early as fall of 2024, and the Reefense structures would remain on the seafloor at Baker Point at least through May 2027, when DARPA’s funding of the project is anticipated to end. At the end of DARPA funding, responsibility for maintenance of the structures may transfer to a third party, or if a new responsible party cannot be identified, the structures may be removed.“
