Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed the creation of a rigorous accountability framework for reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and the region’s streams, creeks and rivers. A letter sent to the six states in the Bay watershed and the District of Columbia outlined a series of consequences EPA could impose if jurisdictions do not make adequate progress in reducing water pollution.
While the six Bay states – Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia – and D.C. have considerable flexibility in how they achieve reductions, the jurisdictions must meet milestones every two years for implementing pollution controls. EPA may impose a variety of consequences for inadequate plans or failure to meet the milestones, including:
· Expanding coverage of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to sources that are currently unregulated.
· Increasing oversight of state-issued NPDES permits.
· Requiring additional pollution reductions from point sources such as wastewater treatment plants.
· Increasing federal enforcement and compliance in the watershed.
· Prohibiting new or expanded pollution discharges unless sufficient offsets are provided.
· Redirecting EPA grants.
· Revising water quality standards to better protect local and downstream waters.
· Establishing finer scale load allocations in the Bay TMDL.
Within 60 days of receiving a deliverable – such as a plan, milestone or permit – EPA will provide an assessment. If EPA finds a deliverable inadequate, the state or D.C. will then have 30 days to respond. EPA will deliver its final assessment and indicate any consequence the agency intends to impose within 120 days of the original submission.
The Chesapeake Bay TMDL will be completed by December 31, 2010. Under the TMDL, EPA expects the states and D.C. to provide specific timelines for enhancing programs and implementing controls to reduce pollution. By November 2010, the states and D.C. are required to identify gaps in current programs that must be addressed to meet pollution limits. Bridging these gaps may require expanding regulatory authorities, improving compliance with existing regulations, securing additional financial resources and issuing more stringent permits for wastewater facilities.
By 2011, EPA expects the states and D.C. to divide their allocated pollution loads to the local level so that counties, municipalities, conservation districts and watershed organizations understand their role in meeting water quality goals. States and D.C. must also offset any increased loads from population growth and land use changes anticipated in the coming decades. EPA expects that pollution controls will be in place that should result in approximately 60 percent of the required reductions by 2017. All measures needed to reach the pollution load limits must be in place no later than 2025.
To view the letter visit http://www.epa.gov/region03/chesapeake/bay_letter_1209.pdf
Source: December 29, 2009 EPA News Release
Prepared by: This message was distributed by Kellen Mahoney, who may be reached at e-mail: kmahoney@eetnews.com
