Legal Action Against EPA Unfortunate but Necessary

(ANNAPOLIS, MD)—Today, Choose Clean Water Coalition member Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) announced its Notice of Intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to adequately enforce the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). CBF is joined in their Notice of Intent by Anne Arundel County, Maryland, the Maryland Watermen's Association, and Bobby Whitescarver, a farmer from Swoope, Virginia. In addition, the state of Maryland, Commonwealth of Virginia, and District of Columbia, also announced their Notice of Intent to sue EPA. The TMDL is a comprehensive pollution diet, requiring the six states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the District of Columbia to meet strict pollution reduction standards. In response, Choose Clean Water Coalition Director Kristin Reilly issued the following statement:

"Improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams will not happen by accident. Reducing pollution entering our waterways from farmland, city streets, and suburban neighborhoods takes a coordinated and collaborative effort at the local, state, and federal level. Unfortunately, over the past few years we have seen a lack of leadership and sense of urgency from this administration's EPA, which has unfortunately led to this action today.

"Critical to the success of cleaning up the Bay is the implementation of the Chesapeake TMDL. And the early signs show us the Bay is beginning to heal. Underwater grasses are increasing, blue crab populations are rising, and upstream water clarity is improving. But progress is fragile. We find ourselves in the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century, making our need for clean water stronger than ever. We cannot afford delays.

"The Choose Clean Water Coalition, made up of more than 250 organizations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, will ensure the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort continues to make progress on our goals toward clean rivers and streams across the Chesapeake Bay watershed."

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