Nicholas DiPasquale, Director of EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office, sent a letter to the Department of Environmental Protection on May 4 reminding DEP his office can take action to assure Pennsylvania’s nutrient and sediment reduction goals are met if Pennsylvania does not act.

One action, DiPasquale said, was for EPA to directly use money awarded to Pennsylvania for Chesapeake Bay compliance to support on-the-ground implementation of reduction measures.

The letter goes on to outline EPA’s suggests on how to meet the water pollution reduction goals in the two major sectors the furthest behind in meeting those goals-- agriculture and urban/suburban stormwater runoff.  Here are some highlights--

-- Eliminate the three strikes and you’re out enforcement policy for non-CAFO and non-CAO (livestock) farms that now allows a farmer to delay action to address compliance issues;

-- Institute annual self-reporting by farmers on environmental compliance for all non-CAFO, non-CAO operators;

-- Revised enforcement policies to take immediate enforcement action if farmers are found to be in violation of environmental requirements;

-- Expand nutrient management planning beyond CAFO and CAO (livestock) operations to all cropland to meet Pennsylvania’s nutrient management commitments;

-- Accelerate installation of high priority conservation practices on farms, including enhanced nutrient management, stream exclusion, forest buffers, cover crops, precision dairy feed management, conservation tillage and more;

-- Fix the deficiencies in Pennsylvania’s agricultural conservation programs identified by EPA in March;

-- Revise the MS4 (PAG-13) stormwater management permit to include specific load reduction requirements and encourage more watershed-based or regional permits and plan preparation; and

-- Finalize a revised stormwater BMP Manual that is consistent with Chesapeake Bay Program requirements.

DEP Secretary John Quigley has acknowledged Pennsylvania is not meeting its Chesapeake Bay commitments and said a reboot of the program is needed.  He said he and Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding are developing a revised plan for meeting those commitments.

DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council will hear a presentation at its meeting on July 21 by Suzanne Trevena, EPA Region III Water Protection Division, on EPA’s evaluation of Pennsylvania’s progress in meeting its Chesapeake Bay cleanup milestones.

A copy of the EPA letter is available online.

NewsClips:

EPA Says PA Behind In Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

Lancaster Farm’s Future Depends On Nutrient Management

Stream Bank Restoration Projects Completed Along Loyalhanna Creek

Flatwater Challenge Promotes Susquehanna River Beauty

New Federal Rules To Protect Streams Near Coal Mines

Coal Mines Targeted In New Federal Stream Rules

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Further Reading:

Pennsylvania Has 530 Days To Meet 2017 Clean Water Milestones

DEP’s Quigley On PA Chesapeake Bay Cleanup: Clearly Not Enough

EPA: PA Substantially Off Track Meeting Chesapeake Bay Commitments

CBF: Milestone Assessment Finds PA Falling Short Of Its Water Cleanup Commitments

Rep. Everett: If We Don’t Meet Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Milestones, It Isn’t Pretty

Prepare For EPA Action If PA Does Not Meet 2017 Stream Cleanup Milestones

Analysis: Will PA Show Leadership On Water Cleanup Issues, Or Surrender To Feds?

Analysis: PA Isn’t Cleanup Up Our Streams Quickly Enough To Meet Our Obligations

CBF: New EPA Report Examines State Oversight Of Agriculture Programs In PA

Historic Court Win For Clean Water In Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Now Get It Done

12 Maryland Legislators Urge EPA To Force PA to Meet Clean Water Commitments

7/20/2015