At its annual meeting on May 12, the Chesapeake Executive Council set new short-term goals to reduce pollution to the Bay and dramatically accelerate the pace of restoration of the Bay and its rivers.

 

Instead of pursuing a distant deadline, the seven Bay jurisdictions -- Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, New York and the District of Columbia -- will now focus on short, two-year goals called milestones.

 

The milestones announced at the 2009 EC meeting are set to be met by December 31, 2011.

 

Many states will significantly increase the pace of cleanup.

 

-- Maryland will increase progress to reduce nitrogen by 138 percent and increase progress to reduce phosphorus by 502 percent;

 

-- Virginia will increase progress to reduce nitrogen by 86 percent and increase progress to reduce phosphorus by 52 percent; and

 

-- Pennsylvania will increase progress to reduce nitrogen by 93 percent and increase progress to reduce phosphorus by 159 percent, although no new financial resources were provided.

 

Watershed-wide:

 

-- The rate of progress in reducing nitrogen will accelerate by 77 percent, for a projected reduction of 15.8 million pounds and

 

-- The rate of progress in reducing phosphorus will increase by 79 percent, for a projected reduction of 1.1 million pounds.

 

By meeting these and future milestones, the Bay jurisdictions will put in place all pollution control measures necessary for a restored Bay no later than 2025.

 

Matthew Ehrhart, Pennsylvania Office Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, issued this statement in response to the announcement of the new milestones--

 

"CBF acknowledges that, based on EPA Bay Program numbers, Pennsylvania has been outpacing the other bay states for the past several years in nutrient reductions. Pennsylvania’s agricultural community has been providing the biggest reductions of any sector in any state. The new milestones increase those reductions significantly, based, in part, on increased funds from the Federal Farm Bill.

 

"We believe that the appropriate milestone is a “stretch goal” which goes beyond the existing resources available for implementation. DEP argued for the 2 yr milestone approach because it makes commitments for a shorter span of time in which there can be political accountability. CBF agrees.

 

"But where is the need for political accountability if the resources necessary for accomplishing the milestone goals are already in place? Additionally, we are troubled that while the Rendell Administration acknowledges the scope of the problem and the work that is necessary, both Gov. Rendell’s proposed budget and the Senate Republican budget in Senate Bill 850 make dramatic cuts to the programs which are central to achieving our goals.

 

"In particular, there is widespread acknowledgement that technical assistance is a key limiting factor for reductions in non-point source pollution, at a time when both budget proposals cut funding for the County Conservation Districts which fill that critical role."

 

In Pennsylvania, the cost of complying with the nutrient and sediment reduction requirements for Chesapeake Bay cleanup is over $2 billion-- $1.4 billion for wastewater treatment plants, according to a  Legislative Budget and Finance Committee report and over $650 million for agriculture, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

 

“We have charted a new course for the Chesapeake Bay’s recovery that will succeed because it includes the short-term goals necessary to make steady progress and is backed by federal and state leaders who share a profound conviction to protect our environment,” said Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council.

 

Further federal action is coming from the U.S. EPA, which is creating the Chesapeake TMDL. The TMDL is essentially a pollution diet for the Bay that will drive the six states and D.C. to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus entering the waterways in their states that flow to the Bay.

 

Under the Executive Order, the EPA will also be developing strategies to ensure compliance and enforcement with pollution laws throughout the watershed. Additionally, the Clean Air Interstate Rule will reduce nitrogen pollution to the Bay by an estimated 10 million pounds annually beginning in 2010.

 

A copy of the interim milestones is available online.