A Panhandle environmental group opposed to Florida’s sweeping new water quality standards is asking a federal judge to intervene.
![The Florida Environmental Regulation Commission voted July 26th to adopt overdue water quality standards for Florida. Environmentalists are fighting in federal court.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/02c057e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/280x187+0+0/resize/880x588!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmediad.publicbroadcasting.net%2Fp%2Fwfsu%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Fcard_280%2Fpublic%2F201701%2FERCWater.jpg)
The Florida Clean Water Network’s complaint names the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and asks a judge to force her to weigh in. Tallassee attorney David Ludder says state regulators ignored a 30-day deadline to submit the new standards to the EPA.
“It’s up to the EPA to enforce those deadlines. EPA historically has not enforced those deadlines and as a consequence, states feel that they can do whatever they want.”
A state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman said regulators are waiting for administrative challenges to be resolved. Ludder says critics are worried the state is waiting for a more sympathetic Trump Administration to take office.
Clean Water Network activist Linda Young is urging members to flood a legislative committee next week when regulators give an update on the standards to lawmakers.
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