The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, facing heated criticism and pressure from the Florida Congressional delegation, is delaying a key component of its plan to clean up Florida's waterways.
U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam announced
the decision Thursday that the EPA is withdrawing the downstream values
protection — the most debated and most stringent part of the new nutrient pollution rules
announced in January — and seeking a third-party scientific review.
The state Department of Environmental Protection, backed by a coalition
of Big Business groups, disputed the methodology used to make these standards, even though the EPA had its figures independently reviewed before the announcement.
It's a major reversal for the EPA, who earlier this month defended the science and methodology in a conference call.
Related posts: