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TSCRA News Update, Nov. 20, 2009
Chesapeake Bay Act could impact farmers and ranchers across the nation The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee's Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife held a hearing last week on S. 1816, the Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act. S. 1816 goes well beyond a simple extension of the current Chesapeake Bay program; it sets a dangerous precedent for federal regulation that could be applied to watersheds across the country. The act proposes setting hard caps on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment; expanding the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act; and usurping a process already begun by the stakeholders in the region to address water quality in the Bay. In comments submitted for the hearing record, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and a group of agriculture associations expressed concerns that the bill would impose severe economic hardship on the agriculture sector, without effectively achieving the goal of improved water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. "By codifying executive and regulatory authorities, S. 1816 will hamper innovative solutions in areas such as nutrient trading, economic growth, farm adaptive management and overall water quality restoration," the comments said. "Without adequate time and science to effectively work through processes such as the drafting of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), S. 1816 will impose burdensome regulations and penalties before defining procedures and practices that are proven to efficiently achieve desired water quality goals. This accelerated course of action is expensive and damaging to the watershed's economy, viability of our agriculture sector, and overall water quality objectives." Similar legislation has been introduced in the House.
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