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Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

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The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Florida Fights EPA on Clean Water Rules

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Wednesday, July 8, 2015   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida's State Attorney General Pam Bondi is getting the state involved in clean water lawsuits lately and conservation groups contend she's on the wrong side of the issues.

On Tuesday, a federal judge rejected a case by the American Farm Bureau Federation, that Bondi joined as a friend of the court, that would have stopped restoration of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

David Guest, managing attorney with the environmental law firm Earthjustice, calls Bondi's involvement "hypocritical."

"It's a tragedy that Florida, with problems that are really worse than the Chesapeake Bay, and our Attorney General is joining with the factory farm corporations to try to get off the hook and prevent this problem from being solved," says Guest.

Last week Bondi, joined six other states in suing the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA over whether smaller tributaries are covered under the "Waters of the United States" rule, which governs implementation of the Clean Water Act.

Bondi claims it's a state's rights issue, saying, "Florida is better suited than the federal government to establish the regulatory rules necessary to protect our unique waterways."

Kathy Aterno, Florida director of the nonprofit group Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund, says the state of Florida is doing a terrible job protecting its waters, so she's OK with the EPA taking the lead.

"They could have a stronger standard on fertilizer use, for instance, on residential communities and even for agriculture," says Aterno. "So there's lots of things they can do to protect our waters that Florida is not currently doing."

She says the issue is particularly relevant in Florida, which is second only to Alaska in numbers of acres of wetlands.


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