George LeMieux Strikes Back at EPA Over Proposed Water Regulations

Republican U.S. Sen. George LeMieux pushed back against the EPA on Wednesday, looking to strike water regulations from that agency impacting the Sunshine State.

This rule will hurt Floridas families, insisted LeMieux. It will cost our state billions of dollars, thousands of jobs, and drive up water bills. This is lawsuit-driven regulation without a sound scientific basis and the result will be unnecessarily catastrophic for Florida. The EPAs actions threaten Floridas economy and are unlikely to provide little, if any, biological benefit.

We all support clean water, added LeMieux. Florida is a nationally recognized leader in promoting water quality. But at a time when our state is suffering from high unemployment, budget deficits and depressed real-estate values, we must be cautious about forcing unwise, unaffordable and unproven federal water mandates on our communities."

The senator offered a stark take on what the EPA mandates meant to Floridians.

It is estimated that under this new mandate, the average Florida family will pay an additional $700a year in water bills, he said.