11/18/24 - 107 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/3zb7jppr
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DEP Will Bring No New Financial Resources To Cleanup Chesapeake Bay
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Unlike the states of Maryland and Virginia, Pennsylvania has not made a commitment to bring new financial resources to cleanup watersheds feeding into the Chesapeake Bay in the wake of President Obama's Executive Order this week renewing the federal commitment to water quality improvement in the Bay.
In an announcement this week, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger cataloged the efforts made by the Commonwealth to date.
In concert with the President's announcement, the Executive Council announced a series of two-year milestones for reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that cause murky water and algae blooms that block sunlight from reaching bay grasses and dramatically reduce oxygen levels for aquatic life.
"Pennsylvania has taken a leadership role in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since the signing of the original Chesapeake Bay Agreement in 1983," Secretary Hanger said. "All of the steps we have taken in the past to reduce the pollution entering the bay from Pennsylvania, and the steps we will take in the next few years, are putting Pennsylvania in a good position to comply with the EPA's forthcoming TMDL for the entire watershed and to keep our commitment to do our part to restore the Chesapeake Bay."
Pennsylvania is responsible for 50 percent of the fresh water entering the Chesapeake By through the Susquehanna and Potomac rivers.
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. |
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5/15/2009 |
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