An aerial view looking from the Guinea section of Gloucester out into the Chesapeake Bay. (Rob Ostermaier/Newport News Daily Press/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has revoked a 2009 executive order that coordinated efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay has been the focus of a federal restoration effort for more than a decade.
What we know:
The Trump administration said the new approach will give states more control and cut down on costs.
Maryland leaders spoke out against the move immediately, saying they are not changing course.
"The Chesapeake Bay is not just an environmental issue, we're talking about massive economies, jobs. The cost of doing nothing or the cost of rolling back regulations is so much more of an expensive decision than choosing to invest in making sure we have a healthy climate, healthy bay," said Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann, who has more than 30 years of experience as an environmental engineer.
President Trump’s executive order means things are changing, particularly in the way the federal government plans to help.
The new order cancels the federal plan put in place in 2009 during the Obama administration and tells federal agencies to focus on projects that directly cut out pollution going into the Bay.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the president’s action provides more than $100 billion in annual economic gains to the region. However, environmental groups say the change could weaken the federal partnership that has helped clean up the Bay for years.
The Trump administration said the old plan was too broad and said some communities used it to justify stormwater fees, sometimes called "rain taxes."
Environmental advocates respond
What they're saying:
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation said the old plan helped bring states and the federal government together to reduce pollution.
"Seems like the new executive order unfairly focuses on stormwater fees. Stormwater is one of the fastest growing pollution sources to rivers and streams and those are addressed by locally identified funding mechanisms," said President and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Hilary Harp Falk.
"One concern we have in the immediate is that we are going to see less accountability and transparency around this critical work," said Alison Hooper Prost with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The full Maryland Delegation, including Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, said they need the federal partnership now more than ever. They emphasized that the Chesapeake Bay is vital to lives and livelihoods across the state. The lawmakers said they will continue to fight for it.
The Source: Information in this article is from the White House.