The new standards, which will be voted by the Environmental Regulatory Commission, would impose tougher limits on some toxic chemicals, including cyanide and beryllium.

Linda Young, director of the Florida Clean Water Network told, "What we have is a governor who has his agency playing God with our lives. I don't think there's anyone out there other than the polluters and the politicians who benefit financially from them who think we need to dump more toxic chemicals in our water supply."

Of course, that's not how the Florida Department of Environmental Protection paints the issue. DEP's spokesperson told the Miami Herald that the change has been about updating out-of-date standards. The state's current standards for chemicals in the water had not been updated since 1992, and DEP has developed their computer safety models.

The new standards, which will be voted on today by the Environmental Regulatory Commission, would definitely impose tougher limits on some toxic chemicals, including cyanide and beryllium.

But according to Young and other critics the new standards may have weaken the rules for many other dangerous drugs, including carcinogens such as benzene, which is a byproduct of fracking operations. The state would allow almost double the federal limit on benzene under the new rules.  

Young said, "DEP has this whole statistical computer method that's not available to anyone else. You just don't know how bad your risk level is."

The board which will vote today is stocked entirely with five business-friendly Scott appointees. Two vital slots were unfilled on the commission: the environmental representative and a local community rep. She said, "We have five people all appointed by Scott, all representing business interests and not the public interest,"

Young said, "We have a governor who hates regulation, and we have his agency that is doing his bidding. This is wrong, and it's bad public policy. Scott is saying, 'I don't care if there are millions of people at much greater risk of cancer.”

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By Prakriti Neogi