The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that the states surrounding the ailing Chesapeake Bay will face stiff penalties and increased federal oversight for failing to comply with new pollution standards.

The agency plans to use its power in choosing which local agencies may receive permits for waste disposal and which development projects — as possible sources of added pollutants — can move forward. The EPA outlined its plans in a letter to the District, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and West Virginia as part of President Obama’s Chesapeake restoration plan.