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Clean Water Network Asks Federal Judge To Force EPA's Hand

The Florida Environmental Regulation Commission voted July 26th to adopt overdue water quality standards for Florida. Environmentalists are fighting in federal court.
The Florida Environmental Regulation Commission voted July 26th to adopt overdue water quality standards for Florida. Environmentalists are fighting in federal court.

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.
The Florida Environmental Regulation Commission voted July 26th to adopt overdue water quality standards for Florida. Environmentalists are fighting in federal court.

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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Jim Ash is a reporter at WFSU-FM. A Miami native, he is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.