Challenge to Chesapeake cleanup tests EPA Power

[marions ghost]

Source: Pilot Online, Associated Press article

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Maryland is joining three other jurisdictions in supporting the Obama administration's plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay watershed, seeking to counter an election-year legal challenge by farmers and 21 attorneys general that could shape future U.S. environmental policy.

The case before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia asks whether the Environmental Protection Agency went too far in negotiating a 2010 agreement that sets pollution limits on the nation's largest estuary.

The last of the legal briefs in the case were submitted late Monday. Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler argues that the cleanup is making progress and shouldn't be derailed by outside states with no interest in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Signing onto his brief are Delaware and the District of Columbia; Virginia earlier had submitted a separate brief in support. That means four of the seven bay jurisdictions who consented to the EPA cleanup in 2010 are now defending the plan in court.

"This lawsuit attacks our efforts to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and strengthen its crucial economic value," Gansler said. "Maryland must preserve its partnership with an effective EPA to safeguard our environment and sustain the thousands of jobs supported by the bay."

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHESAPEAKE_BAY_CLEANUP?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=BUSINESS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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These states can butt out IMO:

Besides West Virginia, the 20 states who oppose the Chesapeake plan include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Most are led by Republican governors.

[rwsanders]

1. Missouri is just afraid that they won't be able to use the Mississippi River as a sewer anymore...

They know that if this stands, they will have to regulate (but probably won't enforce) limits on farmers because their run off is contributing to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
All for BigAg, and let the rest of the country including the fishermen be damned.
Still reminds me of the book "Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World" because it talks about how large fishing companies encouraged the fishermen to join in the cacophony against regulating the industry. It came back to bite them when the fisheries collapsed and the companies moved on to other areas to exploit. Well the lack of regulations are still haunting them as industrial and agricultural run off continues to destroy their livelihood. GOOD JOB guys.

[marions ghost]

3. Yes the Mississippi

needs help in a bad way also.

Right, OMG we might actually CLEAN UP and protect these polluted rivers and estuaries...

[packman]

2. Chesapeake Bay is a treasure

Spent many a time blue crabbing with my sons and fishing the Bay. It was a beautiful work of nature that truly is suffering from farm run off and various pollution. During my last years in Maryland, the quality of the water drastically declined and it was clear even to the most causal of observers. I hope this is a step in the right direction.

[KamaAina]

4. "Most are led by Republican governors."

The handful that aren't are mainly mining states, like WV and MT. Not sure what Arkansas's deal is.

[marions ghost]

5. Torpedoing the EPA is what they're after

Makes me so mad. We're not allowed to have healthier bays, rivers, and estuaries.

These scientists have worked hard to measure the underwater grasses, which prove that some protection policies are working, and also addresses the effects of climate change.

The health of the bay is all about the health and quantity of the submerged grasses:

http://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2014/abundance-of-chesapeake-bays-underwater-grasses-increases123.php

"Underwater Bay grasses are critical to the Bay ecosystem. They provide habitat and nursery grounds for fish and blue crabs, serve as food for animals such as turtles and waterfowl, clear the water by reducing wave action, absorb excess nutrients, and reduce shoreline erosion. They are also an excellent measure of the Bay's overall condition because their health is closely linked to water quality.

2013 findings in perspective

Across the entire Chesapeake, bay-grass abundance has fluctuated between 38,958 acres (1984) and 89,659 acres (2002), averaging 65,468 acres. This is 32% of the 185,000-acre Bay restoration goal.

Bay grass abundance in the Tidal Fresh Salinity Zone (no salt) has ranged from a low of 6,900 acres (1995) to a high of 25,481 acres (2008) averaging 12,399 acres. In 2013, bay grass abundance in this zone measured 13,990, achieving 68 percent of the zone goal, an increase of 1,841 acres over 2012 coverage.

Bay grass abundance in the Oligohaline Salinity Zone (slightly salty) has ranged from a low of 653 acres (1984) to a high of 13,918 (2005) acres, averaging 6,680 acres. In 2013, bay grass abundance in this zone measured 5,590 acres, achieving 54 percent of the zone goal, an increase of 78 acres over 2012 coverage.

Bay grass abundance in the Mesohaline Salinity Zone (moderately salty) has ranged from a low of 15,636 acres (1984) to a high of 48,443 (2005), averaging 27,851 acres. In 2013, bay grass abundance in this zone measured 25,579 acres, achieving 21 percent of the zone goal, an increase of 5,958 acres over 2012 coverage.

Bay grass abundance in the Polyhaline Salinity Zone (very salty) has ranged from a low of 9,959 acres (2006) to a high of 24,015 (1993), averaging 17,887 acres. In 2013, bay grass abundance in this zone measured 14,768 acres, achieving 44 percent of the zone goal, an increase of 3,859 acres over 2012 coverage.

[DebJ]

6. I'm surprised Pa isn't on the opposition list.

Shortly after I moved here in 2003 Pennsylvania FINALLY began requiring emissions testing on vehicles...
and it's such a joke that the automechanics laughed about it to me, the person forking over the money
for the test. I had a 13 year old van that I'd never been able to maintain properly. What is that thing called
the EGA valve or something like that, had never been changed. Didn't get regular oil changes, was just
barely moving. Much to my surprise, it passed the emissions test. I asked the mechanic how was that
possible. He said two things: 1) essentially, as long as I hadn't tried to remove or rig the original valve,
the car would pass, even if the valve didn't function anymore, and 2) the only purpose of the law was to
give mechanics some guaranteed business every year. Since then I have discovered that this is the only
reason any laws are passed in Pa... to put bucks in some businessmen's pockets. Nothing else matters here.

Pennsylvania has been a major polluter of the Chesapeake with farm run off for hundreds of years, from
what I understand. I'm surprised Governor Gashole hasn't signed on in opposition.

On Edit: probably they already bought someone off in a back-room deal and so he doesn't need to run off
at the mouth about it.

[Nihil]

7. They're providing the "neutral" venue for the court ...

... and probably all of the "impartial" decision makers within it ...

[marions ghost]

8. Pennsylvania officially touts their progress

--since the Susquehanna empties into the bay. Good neighbors...and deals.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pennsylvania-continues-to-reduce-water-pollution-in-the-chesapeake-bay-watershed-252024291.html

March 2014

"Pennsylvania's 40,000 farmers and 1,200 municipalities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have continued to voluntarily install BMPs such as riparian buffers, green infrastructure and cover crops. However, many of these voluntary BMPs can be difficult to track and are sometimes not taken into account when examining Pennsylvania's efforts to reduce pollution in the bay watershed. DEP continues to work to improve data collection for BMPs, particularly in the rural and urban sectors, so that these important voluntary efforts are accounted for when submitting progress data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Local initiatives, like the York County Coalition for Clean Waters and the Conewago Creek Initiative in Lancaster County, have also played a big role in pollution reduction in the bay watershed. For example, the York County Coalition for Clean Waters prepared a watershed implementation plan that targets pollutant-reducing BMPs to help municipalities and other stakeholders determine how to efficiently reduce pollutants. The Conewago Creek Initiative has helped create 21 residential stormwater management plans and install 60 acres of forested riparian buffers, 183 acres of cover crops and 4,700 feet of stream bank restoration.

Similar local watershed projects have been made possible by funding from the Marcellus Legacy Fund and Growing Greener Grants. Signed by Governor Tom Corbett, Act 13 of 2012 provided a natural gas impact fee which funds the Marcellus Legacy Fund and provided the first infusion of new money into the Growing Greener Grant Program in over a decade.

Milestones are pollution reduction goals based on EPA-mandated 2017 and 2025 targets for the Chesapeake Bay. Every two years, states in the bay watershed reevaluate to meet their milestones to help ensure continued progress in reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay."

Thanks for the input on PA.