The Environmental Protection Agency says it’s going to clean up its act in the Chesapeake Bay, settling a lawsuit with conservationists that will require the agency to take an aggressive stance on pollution in the region.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation sued the agency during the Bush years, claiming that officials were ignoring cleanup and anti-pollution laws. The Obama administration promised to change tack and will announce new policies to rescue the United States’ biggest estuary on Wednesday.
“We believe this is a major development,” foundation spokesman John Surrick told the Washington Examiner. “It’s a binding agreement that we can go back into court and ask a judge to enforce.” The foundation agreed to put the suit on hold while the new administration crafted regulations. The suit was filed just days before Obama took office. Shortly after his inauguration, Obama issued an executive order, calling the Bay “a national treasure” and directing the EPA to lead a restoration and anti-pollution crackdown. The foundation had worked out agreements with federal officials in 1983, 1987 and 2000, but this one requires the EPA to set rigid pollution and cleanup standards and require states to enforce them. Since Obama took office, the agency has been more aggressive in tackling polluters. The agency now says it wants to put the area on “a pollution diet.” Last month, EPA officials announced a $1 million pollution settlement with New Jersey-based home giant Hovnanian. The suit alleged that the company routinely ignored anti-runoff laws that led to extensive pollution in the Chesapeake region. Environmentalists say the Chesapeake once teemed with fish and wildlife but pollution and overfishing have damaged the area’s economy and ecology. “The Bay is in critical condition,” Surrick said. Last year, the government declared the Bay a federal disaster and set aside millions to relieve hard-pressed watermen, whose blue crab stocks plummeted, before rebounding this year. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., hailed the announced settlement and said he would soon introduce about $2 billion in legislation to aid in cleanup and enforcement. “We can restore the Bay, but we need a strong commitment and strong leadership,” he said in a statement.
