Scrapbook Photo 03/25/24 - 93 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/3729bhvv
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Other Groups Sue EPA Over Attempt To Restrict State Clean Air Efforts
Photo

On November 22, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation joined a coalition of NGOs filing suit in Federal Circuit Court in Washington, D.C. to overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to withdraw the Clean Air Act waiver previously granted to California’s Clean Cars program.

Four states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as the District of Columbia—have adopted elements of California’s program, which has reduced both nitrogen and greenhouse gas pollution.

Roughly one-third of the nitrogen pollution in the Bay comes from the air, much of it in the form of nitrogen oxides released from power plants and vehicle exhaust.

Pollution from cars is especially damaging to local rivers and streams because it does not travel as far as pollution emitted higher in the atmosphere and falls to the ground and water within the Bay watershed.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency recognized the critical importance of limiting air pollution to clean up the Bay, and the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint includes a specific goal to curb air emissions.

The problem is, to meet the goal by 2025, the agency is relying on many of the same clean air laws and regulations that the Trump administration is currently trying to weaken or repeal—including efforts to limit emissions from cars and trucks.

CBF joins a coalition of NGOs in this litigation, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Communities for a Better Environment, Conservation Law Foundation, Environment America, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, the Sierra Club, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

After the suit was filed, CBF Staff Litigation Attorney Ariel Solaski issued this statement--

“EPA’s actions threaten the progress of the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint and the health of local rivers, streams, and the Bay by undermining programs that reduce nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases from motor vehicles. This attempt to deprive states’ authority to protect their residents and natural resources from the damage caused by pollution violates EPA’s duties to protect public health and the environment under the Clean Air Act."

For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage.  Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column).  Click Here to support their work.

Visit DEP’s PA Chesapeake Bay Plan to learn more about what the state is doing to meet its Chesapeake Bay Watershed clean water obligations.

NewsClips:

300+ PA Environment & Energy NewsClips Waiting For You To Read Them

Related Articles This Week:

Op-Ed: Those Who Farm Pennsylvania & The Chesapeake Bay Deserve Our Thanks And Support; PA Legislators Should Support Our Farmers

PA U.S. Senator Casey Calls On USDA To Target Unspent Funds Helping Farmers In The Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Coldwater Heritage Partnership Now Accepting Applications For Coldwater Conservation Grants

House Agriculture Committee Holds Info Meeting With County Conservation Districts

Environmental Defense Fund: New Study Shows Conservation Delivers Real Financial Benefits For Dairy Farmers In Pennsylvania

Registration For PA Sustainable Agriculture Conference Feb. 5-8 Now Open

Penn State Master Watershed Stewards Now Holding Info Meetings For Prospective Volunteers in 5 Counties

Dec. 10 Workshop On Overcoming Risk From Extreme Weather Through Green Infrastructure In Community Redevelopment, Lancaster; Submit Your Site

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Names Harry Campbell Director Of Science Policy & Advocacy

[Posted: November 22, 2019]


11/25/2019

Go To Preceding Article     Go To Next Article

Return to This PA Environment Digest's Main Page