Florida congressman meets with EPA Administrator Jackson, calls out “activist science”

In a tweet sent out this morning, Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, says that the EPA must stop using “activist/ junk science or lose their funding.”

According to his Twitter account, Ross will be meeting with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson today, one-on-one. Jackson has been criticized for her role as the head of the agency now often deemed a “job killer” and has been especially scrutinized for her role in a set of numeric nutrient criteria that are mandated for the state of Florida. The criteria would place more stringent limitations on nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, which are often found in industry effluent and are largely responsible for the growth of harmful algal blooms and fish kills.

The numeric nutrient criteria were actually mandated under the Bush administration and came about as a result of Florida’s failure to meet requirements of the Clean Water Act. Critics of the criteria often mistakenly argue that they are a result of the Obama administration, and that they are based on “bad science.”

During a January subcommittee meeting, Ross said that the regulatory risk that exists is “almost not manageable” and would cost millions to the phosphate, property and agriculture industries. Ross failed to mention the cost that water pollution poses to the fishing, tourism or waterfront real estate.

In a June press release, Ross said that the EPA needed to “take the plunge and end numeric nutrient nonsense” and that Floridians can take care of their own water. “Water is Florida’s lifeblood and no one knows how to take care of that lifeblood better than Floridians,” said Ross. “We welcome anyone from EPA to Florida – as a tourist.”