By Lynn Hatter
Tallahassee, FL – A lawsuit against the state Department of Environmental Protection has been filed. A coalition of environmental groups is trying to block the state from skirting federal water rules. Lynn Hatter reports the lawsuit is the latest in a battle over how much pollution can be in the state's water bodies.
The group of clean water advocates is suing the state to block an override of water rules handed down by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The state argues the federal rules would do more harm than good by imposing a "one-size-fits-all" standard in a state that has varying water way systems. But David Guest, an attorney for the group Earth Justice, says that's not true.
"The system we have now favors polluters over people and that's not fair. That's why we filed this case."
Meanwhile the EPA has given a tentative green-light to the state's alternative pollution controls. Guest says if the EPA maintains its position, the group is prepared to sue the federal government as well.