Last week, the EPA set limits on phosphorus and nitrogen in Florida’s waters—the first time the agency has stepped in to set water-quality standards for a state.
EPA ordered states to set nutrient limits more than a decade ago, and Florida had been studying the problem and proposing some limits. However, in 2008 several environmental groups sued the federal government for not enforcing the Clean Water Act in Florida, leading EPA to set its own limits for the state. These are numeric limits rather than the previously used “narrative” approach to curbing nutrients that the state had been using. Nutrients are considered the most serious pollutant in the state. In some cases, the federal limits are more stringent than those the state had been considering.
An article published Saturday in the Miami Herald provides more detail on the limits. You can read EPA’s news release on the issue here.
The limits are set to take effect in October. Some business groups and utilities are protesting, saying the expense of complying with federal limits will hurt businesses. The federal government estimates it will cost polluters up to $1.5 billion to comply, while one group, Associated Industries of Florida, puts the figure at $50 billion. Florida’s governor and other government officials have previously objected to the federal government setting limits for the state; the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has not yet issued a response to the limits.
What’s your take—was this a necessary intervention, or should the federal government allow states to set their own water-quality standards?