Restrictions upheld limiting bay pollution

A federal plan to limit pollution in the Chesapeake Bay was upheld in a U.S. appeals court Monday; despite objections from farmers who accuse the Environmental Protection Agency of abusing it’s power.

The ruling upholds restrictions on construction, farm runoff, and wastewater treatment. Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland are three out of the six states that have agreed to the pollution limits. 

The American Farm Bureau Federation and others fought the restrictions, arguing the EPA was usurping state authority to regulate waterways.

Environmentalists like William Baker, the president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation found this ruling to be a clear win. 

Baker goes on, “Clean water should be a right, not a luxury you have to fight for. This is the nation’s estuary. This is a huge national treasure. We can all be part of the success cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and all it’s streams and rivers if we work together.”  

The EPA says the single largest source of bay pollution is fertilizer and animal waste that move from streams into the Chesapeake.