EPA TO CLAMP DOWN ON CHESAPEAKE POLLUTION
News Date September 15, 2009
In the wake of President Obama’s executive order calling on federal agencies to protect the Chesapeake Bay, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intention to more strictly enforce rules on farmers surrounding the bay. This is the fourth time the agency has made promises to clean up the area since the mid 1980’s. In hopes of achieving a different outcome, EPA will aim its efforts at state-level officials, giving them two years to devise plans to reduce pollution levels by a predetermined amount. If the EPA determines that the state’s plans are insufficient, states risk losing federal grant money or being denied permits necessary for new developments such as subdivisions, retail outlets and sewage plants. States affected by the new regulation include Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) has recently introduced legislation giving the federal government the ability to incentivize farmers to lessen their impact on the water system, allowing them to sell credits for reducing pollution levels below their allotted amount. (By: Ethan Mathews, Policy Contact: Nathan Bowen)