WASHINGTON, DC, US — Imposing the first federal standards for nutrient pollution in the waters of a state, the US Environmental Protection Agency (美国环保署) has proposed placing limits on phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in Florida waters, according to 环境新闻社. P and N enter waterways from fertilization of crops and livestock manure through stormwater runoff and municipal wastewater treatment.
Up To 36% Of Florida’s Waters Affected
In a statement announcing the proposed action, EPA said nutrient pollution can damage drinking water sources and form byproducts, some of which have been linked with serious human illnesses like bladder cancer. The nutrients also increase harmful algal blooms of toxic microbes that can damage the human nervous system and even cause death, EPA said. Additionally, nutrient problems can degrade lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries, and create hypoxic dead zones where aquatic life can no longer survive. Studies have shown that high levels of N and P in agricultural runoff and stormwater are damaging the Everglades ecosystem.
一个 2008 佛罗里达环境保护部 report assessing the state’s water quality revealed that about 1,000 miles of rivers and streams (16% of the state’s total), 350,000 acres of lakes (36%) and 900 square miles of estuaries (25%) are not meeting water quality standards because of excess nutrients. EPA says the actual number of miles and acres of impaired waters is likely higher, as there are waters that have not yet been tested.
建议限制 P 和 N
与州环境官员一起制定的拟议行动将对允许的 P 和 N 数量设定一系列数字限制
in Florida’s surface waters. In January 2009, the EPA determined that numeric nutrient water quality standards in Florida were necessary to meet the requirements of the 清洁水法, with standards for lakes and flowing waters in Florida to be proposed within 12 months and for estuaries and coastal waters within 24 months. EPA’s proposed action includes a new regulatory process, called restoration standards, for setting standards in a manner that drives water quality improvements in already impaired waters. These standards would be specific to nutrients in the state of Florida.
In August 2009, EPA entered into a consent decree to settle a lawsuit filed by five environmental groups — the 佛罗里达野生动物联合会, 塞拉俱乐部, 佛罗里达州西南部保护协会, 佛罗里达州西南部环境联合会，和 圣约翰守河人 — alleging that EPA “failed to perform a non-discretionary duty to set numeric nutrient criteria for the State of Florida as required by the Clean Water Act.”
佛罗里达农场局反击
佛罗里达农场局联合会（FFBF), which contested the legal action as an intervenor, believes the proposed numeric nutrient standards will damage the state’s fragile economic recovery. FFBF represents 143,000 member families
“A coalition of concerned organizations is urging citizens to contact their elected representatives in Tallahassee and in Washington to alert them that this federal action is unacceptable,” said FFBF President John Hoblick. FFBF and other state growers’ associations along with cattlemen, pulp and paper and stormwater organizations argued before the court that the consent decree is “unreasonable and contrary to the public interest,” protesting that the Florida has suffered greatly in the economic downturn and additional major costs for nutrient treatment “may affect the economic recovery of the state economy and employment in the state.” FFBF argued that “Additional costs placed on Florida dischargers, which are not placed on equivalent dischargers in other states, may affect the ability of Florida to compete and attract new businesses and jobs.”
化肥期货
说一个 佛罗里达税务观察 researcher: “Florida, experiencing some of the worst economic conditions in the nation, is not the place to experiment with expensive new requirements, particularly when they are not applied in other parts of the country or in neighboring states.” However, Florida may not be alone in the experiment for long.
佛罗里达州的提议是美国第一个关于肥料流入地表水的数字限制。该行动很可能会开创先例，导致其他州采用类似的联邦标准；如果他们的水道不符合《清洁水法》的要求，他们也可能面临法庭诉讼，就像环保主义者在佛罗里达州起诉 EPA 所提起的诉讼一样。
EPA’s proposal will force federal numeric limits on farmers in Florida; however, several other states have already set their own standards, with others now in the process of developing numeric limits without federal intervention. The remaining states have no standards, or only vague requirements of polluters.
EPA 在佛罗里达州的提案是否会在其他污染州引起滚雪球效应还有待观察；然而，数字限制的影响将为农民创造更多工作，以减少施肥量、支付养分处理费用或找到防止多余养分被冲走的方法。