Epa Warns Of Grim Outlook Addressing Thousands Of Remaining Tmdls

摘要

EPA is warning regulators they face a grim outlook developing water pollution load limits over the next few years for nearly 70,000 impaired waters - nearly double as many as they have completed over the past decade -that pose the most complicated and controversial pollution control problems. Moreover, several recent court decisions have hamstrung the agency's ability to develop more flexible pollution control plans, known as total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), prompting a growing number of lawsuits from environmentalists seeking to force EPA to set stringent control requirements. Adding to regulators' burden, one legal source following the issue expects both environmentalists and industry to increasingly challenge the adequacy of TMDLs.