The St. Augustine Record
Guest column: Mica says EPA is gutting Clean Water Act
By U.S. Rep. JOHN L. MICA
Winter Park
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2011-09-17/guest-column-mica-says-epa-gutting-clean-water-act
All of us want clean water
and air. As someone who has worked to restore the Everglades and Rose Bay
Estuary, and to acquire a natural buffer to protect the St. Johns River, I must
correct some of the mischaracterizations of my legislation titled the
"Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act" and of my commitment to
clean water in Florida. (This in response to a guest column on Sept. 11 in The
St. Augustine Record.)
All of us want clean water
and air. As someone who has worked to restore the Everglades and Rose Bay
Estuary, and to acquire a natural buffer to protect the St. Johns River, I must
correct some of the mischaracterizations of my legislation titled the
"Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act" and of my commitment to
clean water in Florida. (This in response to a guest column on Sept. 11 in The
St. Augustine Record.)
The best way to achieve our
environmental goals is by making advances at a pace that is economically
sustainable. Otherwise, we degrade both our economy and our environment.
Florida was making advances
in water quality in a responsible manner before the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), in its response to a lawsuit by an activist group, nullified its
previous agreement with the state and imposed new nutrients requirements. Florida
is now required to implement these standards with little scientific basis,
while the state's deliberative effort, which would have led to scientifically
robust and sustainable standards, is put on the back burner. Meeting these
EPA-imposed standards, if it is possible at all, will cost Floridians billions
of dollars and reduce economic activity, possibly with no environmental
benefit.
H.R. 2018, the Clean Water
Cooperative Federalism Act, was crafted by Republicans and Democrats at the
request of state and local governments and community leaders who want to
protect our waters with responsible regulation. Anyone who says H.R. 2018 would
dismantle the Clean Water Act (CWA) ignores the facts and doesn't understand
the law. When enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act established a cooperative
relationship between EPA and the states in carrying out this important
function. For nearly four decades this partnership has worked remarkably well,
providing all Americans with cleaner water. But it is EPA that is gutting the
CWA by upsetting this successful cooperative relationship and replacing it with
federally-dominated edicts that overturn state decisions that EPA previously
had approved.
Critics say my bill would be
a step backward and turn over regulation of pollutants to states. These
statements are uninformed. Even a casual reading of the CWA reveals that it is
precisely the states that must regulate pollutants under the law. The problem
in 1972 was not that states were operating without oversight, it was that
states were not operating at all to protect the nation's waters.
The Clean Water Act created
the framework and the funding to get states to act. Under the law, states
established clean water programs that included regulatory schemes. EPA
provided, and still provides, technical assistance, funding, and approval authority
for the state programs. Once the programs are approved, the states carry them
out. It is not a reversal of progress for me and a bipartisan group of
legislators to try to maintain the federal/state partnership that has been in
law for nearly 40 years and has proven to be very successful.
No doubt there is still much
to be done. But replacing the federal/state partnership with dictatorial EPA
actions that ignore science and the proper role of states will not be
successful in the long run. The states, including Florida, can and must protect
their waters. They know how to create scientifically based standards for their
watersheds, and they know what standards are achievable and on what timeline.
Requiring EPA to honor its
approvals and allow states to manage their waters in accordance with
EPA-approved plans is the foundation of the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism
Act. It restores the process that has been working well for nearly four decades
and assures a sustainable pace of environmental improvement.
*
U.S. Rep. John L. Mica
represents District 7 which includes all of St. Johns County. He was first elected
to Congress in 1992. He is chairman of the House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure. As chairman, he serves on all six Transportation and
Infrastructure subcommittees. Among them is the Water Resources and Environment
subcommittee. He resides in Winter Park.