EPA increases effort to reduce Chesapeake Bay pollution

Federal environmental officials have put together a plan for states in the bay’s watershed to encourage tighter pollution controls and protect the bay.

The Environmental Protection Agency is stepping up its efforts to enforce pollution controls for states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which includes Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The new enforcement effort outlines goals for reducing water pollution in the bay and details potential penalties for states that don’t comply.

The EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin says he doesn’t expect the penalty actions will be necessary because the states will meet the goals for preventing pollution from entering the bay.

“The idea of this is ensuring accountability, not looking to rattle the sabre just to rattle the sabre, also not looking to take actions just to take actions.  Our hope is that the states and all our other partners will be able meet the commitments and goals that are set out.”

The six bay states, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia and West Virginia, will have flexibility in how they reduce pollution, but they must meet certain milestones every two years.

Garvin outlined the new effort in a letter to the states that was sent out Tuesday.