The Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal from farm groups challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s limits on pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.
The decision by the high court means a lower court’s decision will be upheld, keeping intact EPA restrictions on water runoff from farming operations and wastewater treatment. Animal waste and fertilizer runoff from agriculture is the largest contributor to Chesapeake Bay water pollution, the EPA says.
Environmental and clean water proponents lauded the high court’s decision as a historic victory.
“This is a historic day for the bay,” William Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said after the court’s decision. “Everyone who cares about clean water can breathe easier now that the Supreme Court has let stand the lower court decision that the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is perfectly legal under the federal Clean Water Act.”
The states adjacent to the bay have agreed with the EPA’s pollution control standards for limiting runoff, but groups such as the American Farm Bureau Federation have been fighting the restrictions in court. The groups argue that the EPA is attempting to overstep state authority by enforcing the rules.
The environmental group Defenders of Wildlife said the court made the “right call” Monday, according to the group’s senior attorney, Jane Davenport. The decision “will help restore the incredible economic and recreational benefits that a clean, healthy bay provides, and will ensure that the water and wildlife of the bay are protected.”
