Going After the Chesapeake

By Andy Fellows, Chesapeake Regional Director On March 8, 2012, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA6) introduced H.R. 4153, a disastrous proposal misnamed the “Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act.”  Rep Goodlatte's bill would not only remove important federal oversight for the Chesapeake, like limits on discharging pollutants, but also attempts to undermine President Obama's Executive Order to restore and protect the Bay. This bill needs to be stopped. If enacted, this bill would end all hope of restoration of the Chesapeake, or its many tributaries.  Rep. Goodlatte’s proposal manages to be bad for the 6^th District, bad for the Commonwealth of Virginia, bad for the Chesapeake and bad for all the Bay states. After years of inaction, thanks to a court order and a presidential directive based on the Clean Water Act, the states of the Chesapeake Bay have finally put together plans to reduce the pollutants that have degraded the Bay.  The plans address the contaminants that come off our streets and parking lots, our farms, and other sources of pollution that can be successfully tackled, but only if everyone pitches in. Rep. Goodlatte seems to be doing the bidding of polluters who have never supported the Clean Water Act, and perhaps have become alarmed that this landmark federal law is spurring effective action in the Chesapeake.  Defeating H.R. 4153 should be a top priority for any member of Congress who cares about clean water.