Kim Coble, Maryland Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), has issued the following statement regarding the final Maryland Watershed Implementation Plan:
“CBF has completed a preliminary review of Maryland’s plan. We commend the state for providing additional details and timelines, and for the hard work of staff. But the state has not completed the job, yet.
“We applaud concrete steps in the plan to reduce pollution from suburban lawns, to hold wastewater treatment plants accountable for reducing nitrogen pollution, and toward improvements in phosphorous management on farms.
“But we remain concerned that the plan falls short of providing reasonable assurance the state can meet its goals, including goals to reduce pollution from agriculture and from stormwater. The state appears to have postponed difficult decisions and actions pertaining to these and other areas.
“A strong plan to clean our creeks, rivers, and the Bay could create potentially thousands of jobs for Marylanders. But thousands could lose their jobs, especially in the seafood industry, if Maryland falters, and our water remains fouled by pollution.
“Recent surveys show the public’s strong feelings that Bay states must abide by the Clean Water Act and act forcefully to Save the Bay. We hope Maryland will work with the Environmental Protection Agency to satisfy that desire.”
source: CBF press release
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