Blue crabs qualify as a "disaster." Oysters have all but disappeared. Each year the Chesapeake Bay spawns gigantic "dead zones" where nothing can live.
The Chesapeake Bay is dying. The entire region continues to use it as a dumping ground for pollution. And for years all we've heard is talk about how something needs to be done, about how something will be done.
It never gets better, only worse.
Finally, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation announced today that it is going to federal court to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to act to save the Bay. Here's the announcement from Will Baker, president of the foundation:
"For the better part of the last day and a half, I have been talking with reporters. And, just this morning, we formally announced our “notice of intent” to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to force the federal agency to keep its promises to reduce pollution and clean up the Bay. Such a notice is required 60 days before actual litigation is filed.
"We are taking this extreme step because not once, not twice, but three times, the EPA has signed agreements to reduce pollution in the Bay. The latest, the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement signed by the states and feds in June of 2000, would have cut nitrogen and phosphorus pollution enough to remove the Bay and tributary rivers from the federal Impaired Waters List. Eight years later, EPA admits they will miss this goal, and they are discussing moving the deadline back another twelve years!
"We’ve had it with these delays. So we are going to federal court. We are targeting EPA as the lead federal agency responsible for upholding the Clean Water Act. And, we are not going it alone. Watermen, recreational anglers, and former elected officials have joined in this action.
Here is a link http://www.cbf.org/site/R?i=kpftxMJw7xp-SvjJLvcnUQ.. to a lot more information about this action. We are going to need your support. Please sign the petition, send the EPA Administrator an e-mail, and sign up for our rally on November 20th in Washington, DC."
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4 comments:
Wow… and good for you! It will never cease to amaze me what pigs human beings have become. What are we thinking when we drill, drill, drill oil, till the earth is a fragile crust; or drain, drain, drain water till it literally dries up; or flush, flush, flush the contents of our overflowing sewers and manufacturing waste till our rivers and oceans are dying? We cut forests till the worldwide climate changes, we pollute till we can’t safely breathe the air or drink the water. It’s come to the point that we are cautioned to eat less and less of the creatures that do…mercury in tuna and ‘madcow’ are just small examples.
It just makes no sense to me. With so many people without work…why must we do everything so damn cheaply that it’s killing us in one way or another? Must we go so fast, or eat so unhealthily, or turn the heat so high that sweaters and slippers are obsolete?
Yes, I signed your petition and sent a personalized letter. I'm in Colorado...but this affects me too!
Thank you!
I know some people who work for the EPA who would probably like to sign the petition themselves. The agency has become the toady for the current administration and its overt preference for advancing business interests over protecting the environment...
Morale is very low among many old-school, long time, career EPA workers. They are just hunkered down, hoping for a change in the new administration...
Thank you for this information. I was raised on that bay and didn't know. How sad!
Beverly, I rant about the Bay frequently. It's a national disgrace and a scandal hiding in plane sight. Thanks for taking the trouble to sign the petition.
Susan, thanks for the reminder that this is a largely a political issue and that there are right-thinking civil servants populating every corner of our federal government. Now we can hope that the federal government will be on the right side of things again from the top down.
PP, yes, it's true. The Bay is dying and needs help--now.
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