Harry Campbell, the new Director of the PA Office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, this week outlined priorities for the next year or so in the Winter issue of the Bay Bound newsletter distributed Thursday.  Here’s a copy of his column--

The Susquehanna River—one of the nation's longest and most important rivers—is in trouble. Scientists and anglers have for several years been reporting unprecedented incidents of diseased and dying smallmouth bass in the Lower Susquehanna.

This nearly one-hundred-mile stretch of river, spanning from Sunbury to the Maryland border, has long been a destination for anglers seeking the smallmouth. Unfortunately many experts and anglers now speculate that current conditions in the Lower Susquehanna may lead to the possible collapse of this once-renowned fishery.

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and other agency scientists have committed to continue to study the issue, but DEP has not supported listing the River as Impaired.

CBF believes the federal Clean Water Act is clear—when a problem of this significance is found in our waters, it warrants listing it as an impaired water body. This action can galvanize state, federal, academic, and nonprofit resources to not only study the problem but, importantly, to devise a detailed plan to fix it. This issue is now in the hands of EPA.

We are mobilizing with partners and our Action Network to call on EPA to list this river as impaired.  Click Here to contact EPA immediately—before the Feb. 25 deadline—and ask that it Save the River and list the lower Susquehanna as impaired.

The Pennsylvania state budget proposal was released by Gov. Tom Corbett earlier this month. We are calling on Pennsylvania leaders and lawmakers to fight for programs and funding that help protect Pennsylvania's 86,000 miles of streams and rivers. Specifically, we are urging the following: 

-- Reinstate funding to County Conservation Districts who are on the front line in helping farmers meet long-standing requirements for soil conservation and manure management. These funds can help counties achieve local water quality improvements.

-- Provide assistance for local municipalities in the preparation and adoption of watershed-based stormwater management plans, and to subsequently regulate stormwater runoff in accordance with Act 167 (PA Stormwater Management Act). Implementation of Act 167 is vital for Pennsylvania to achieve local water quality goals, and to meet Blueprint requirements. But local municipalities need funding to make this happen.

-- Encourage lawmakers to include "green streets" components in the Transportation Bill. Communities throughout the watershed are going green, and proving that green infrastructure is a viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional solutions to urban and suburban stormwater issues.

-- Support Pennsylvania's Growing Greener program. Enacted in 1999, this program is a national example of innovative and effective funding for environmental protection projects. Growing Greener has funded farm preservation, park and open space maintenance, acid mine drainage clean ups, and watershed protection. This key source of funding must continue to make Pennsylvania a great home for fishermen, hunters, farmers, and families.

-- Support the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Program, which allows farmers and businesses to earn tax credits in exchange for conservation work that protects Pennsylvania's natural resources and is vital to meeting our Blueprint requirements. REAP has funded nearly 3,000 projects worth more than $39.5 million since 2007.

Ultimately, the health of our waters will be a lasting legacy we leave to our children, and it is our hope, and our goal, to ensure that our waters are clean and healthy for this and future generations. Thank you for your help in this effort.

—Harry Campbell, Pennsylvania Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

P.S. For more information on how you can help support these vital initiatives and get involved in clean water issues in your community, visit our webpage!

2/25/2013