EPA Launches Novel Effort To Impose Strict Numeric Nutrient Limits In States

摘要

EPA is launching a novel effort to require key Midwestern states to adopt strict numeric limits to protect waters from excessive nutrients, requiring Illinois and possibly other states to translate their narrative water quality criteria into stricter and more controversial numeric permit limits.The agency's move comes months after it issued a controversial, first-time numeric criteria for nutrient discharges in Florida waters, an approach that states and industry groups have urged the agency not to adopt nationally since there is no proven or reliable method for setting numeric effluent limits from narrative standards.