Marco Rubio and Steve Southerland Push Back Against EPA

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that he was introducing a companion measure to U.S. Rep. Steve Southerlands, R-Fla., bill forcing the federal EPA to adopt the states water standards -- and keep it from imposing its own draconian standards on the Sunshine State. The bill, entitled the State Waters Partnership Act, would ensure the EPA follows the standards that unanimously passed the state Legislature earlier this month.

Florida has one of the most aggressive water-quality protection programs in the nation implemented by the people who know our state best, and its time the EPA stop bullying us into accepting another Washington-contrived mandate that would devastate job creation," Rubio said in a statement. This legislation simply reaffirms that states and the federal government should be partners in making sure our water is clean, and prevents Washington overreaches from harming our economy. The EPA needs to step back and realize that Florida will not simply stand by as their policies negatively impact Floridas consumers, agriculture producers, municipalities, small businesses and other job creators.

This legislation would save up to 14,500 Florida agriculture jobs while building upon the tremendous successes already achieved on the state level to keep our water clean, said Southerland. I look forward to working with Senator Rubio to ensure that, when it comes to strengthening the health of our waterways, Floridians come first.

Florida Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson sent a letter to federal EPA administrator Lisa Jackson on Tuesday, praising the standards passed by the Legislature.