EPA will create fish consumption rule for Washington

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will come up with its own water quality standards for Washington state that are partly tied to how much fish people eat. EPA regional administrator Dennis McLerran on Thursday said the federal process will run parallel to the state’s own, which is currently underway. He says it ensures the EPA can get out a rule, if the state doesn’t do it by next year. Under federal law, rivers and other water bodies must be clean enough so people can safely eat fish from those waters. The state is finalizing a draft rule that dramatically raises the fish-consumption rate to 175 grams a day and would protect people who eat about a serving of fish a day. Tribes and others have criticized the proposal as not protective enough. Meanwhile, businesses have worried that too-strict rules will hurt economic development.