Florida lawmakers are stepping into the debate over pending federal standards that could force the state to clean up polluted Florida waterways.
After losing on the legal front, a powerful coalition of agriculture and business interests, wastewater utilities, water managers and tax watchdogs last month mounted a lobbying assault on the rules that could force the state to clean up pollution that is fouling lakes, canals, streams and beaches statewide.
Now most of the state's congressional delegation has stepped into the fray, firing off a letter to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson that asks that "all concerned parties should be heard."
The letter – signed by both Florida senators — notes that Florida will be the first state subject to such federal water mandates, and that "While we all value the health of our waterways, this regulatory change will also have economic impacts on the state, and thus it is important that the standards are based on the best available science."
Opponents of the federal regulations — Associated Industries of Florida, Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Stormwater Association, Florida Tax Watch, Sugarcane Growers Cooperative of Florida and some 60 other organizations that collectively wield considerable political clout — argue the economic impacts could be staggering and far outweigh the environmental benefits.
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