Chesapeake Watershed Bill to be Introduced

Chespeake Bay Executive Order Website: http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/

Use this to send your feedback to the EPA.

Report on the August 11 Chesapeake Bay Town Hall Meeting

In case you missed it, read Pam Wood's story about the Chesapeake Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday at this link.

It should be noted that there were so many people at the meeting that some had to park more than 1/4 mile away and it really was standing room only. The officials, who did not include EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson but did include her point man on the Bay, Chuck Fox, had interesting things to say but there were really three big thoughts for the night.

town hall meetingFirst, if we want real action on Bay cleanup issues, we have to vote it in. Only through persistent, unyielding pressure on our elected officials at all levels -- federal, state, county & city -- will anything significant happen. We at Annapolis Green have been saying this for some time. At this stage of Bay degradation, only mandated action by government will bring about big changes. That doesn't mean that we should stop recycling or controlling our stormwater runoff or replacing chemicals with environmentally friendly products. That is all good. But for the big problems, we need government action. So as we said in an article in last December's Capital, make your voice heard in Congress, in the State House, in the Arundel Center, and at City Hall -- through letters, emails, phone calls, and by joining the group closest to your issues. That includes the waterkeeper groups, the conservancies, the river associations, the national level groups such as the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters. There really is power in numbers. Descriptions of many of these groups are on our website. Photo courtesy Paul W. Gillespie, The Capital.

Tuesday, August 11- Chespeake Bay Town Hall Meeting
6:30 - 8 p.m., St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 730 Bestgate Road, Annapolis
 Following President Obama’s executive order on May 12, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (who has been invited to attend) and other federal officials are writing plans for watershed-wide restoration efforts. The EPA is also in the process of developing a regulatory pollution budget for the Bay watershed, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Show your support for strong standards, enforceable pollution limits, and increased accountability!
Those expected to attend include:
Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator (invited); Chuck Fox, EPA Senior Advisor on the Chesapeake Bay; Will Baker, President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Dr. Don Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Rev. Rick Edmund, United Methodist Churches, Smith Island; Brad Heavner, State Director, Environment Maryland.
RSVP: www.environmentmaryland.org/baytownhall
Info: Tommy Landers, Environment Maryland, 410-467-0439 or Terry Cummings, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 410-268-8816.

Second, according to Dr. Don Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, we don't understand the Bay as a complete ecosystem as well as we think we do. "The path of ecosystem recovery is not well worn nor is it straight," he said. He also reminded us that we can't be totally parochial. We have to act on climate change too if we expect to have a Bay that is anything like what former Senator Bernie Fowler remembers.

Third, federal efforts are not on the same page as local land use policies and there is evidence that existing laws on all levels are not being enforced. The meeting demonstrated that there is a great deal of dissatisfaction with local authorities' permitting of land use that ends of degrading tributaries and rivers. Speakers were more than passionate about this.

Following President Obama's executive order on May 12, the EPA and other federal officials will have to write plans for watershed-wide restoration efforts by Sept. 9, which means they're making critical decisions today. And the EPA is also in the process of developing a regulatory pollution budget for the Bay watershed, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load, and Congress is working on a bill that could give states and the EPA the tools they need to limit Bay-killing pollution. So the time to make yourself heard is now.

For more info on the meeting and ideas on how you can make your voice heard contact Tommy Landers, Environment Maryland, at 410 467-0439 or Terry Cummings, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at 410 268-8816.

 

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