Choose Clean Water Coalition Statement on Potential Litigation against EPA

(ANNAPOLIS, MD)—Following repeated failures by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hold the Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions accountable to meet their pollution reduction goals, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a member of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, announced they are preparing a notice of intent to sue EPA. In response, Choose Clean Water Coalition Director Kristin Reilly issued the following statement:

"For decades, efforts to improve local water quality throughout the Bay watershed failed until EPA provided accountability to ensure cleanup goals were met. Regrettably, EPA has absolved itself from enforcement and abdicated its responsibility to hold jurisdictions accountable. This is just part of the larger trend from the current administration to rollback critical environmental regulations that safeguard our land, air, and water.

"The Chesapeake Bay is getting cleaner. Bay grasses are increasing, upstream water clarity is improving, and pollution is declining. These positive results are not a result of wishful thinking. The District of Columbia and the six states and that are part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed have taken significant steps towards restoring and protecting their local waterways. Critical to this success is EPA's role in enforcing cleanup efforts.

"Legal actions taken against EPA are the unfortunate result of the agency not doing its job. With the Bay beginning to heal, now is the time to accelerate cleanup efforts. We stand ready to work with all stakeholders to take positive steps towards clean water in our local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay."

The Choose Clean Water Coalition is an organization that harnesses the collective power of more than 240 local, state, regional and national groups to advocate for clean rivers and streams in all communities in the Chesapeake region.

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Media Contact:
Drew Robinson
443-927-8049
RobinsonAQ@nwf.org