Environmental groups are cheering the latest development in the ongoing debate over the clean up of the Chesapeake Bay. The Supreme Court decided it will not take on a case challenging the federal government's comprehensive bay pollution reduction plan.
An appeals court ruled in July that the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to clean up the bay under the federal Clean Water Act is legal. Since the Supreme Court has chosen not to consider the case, the lower court's decision stands.
The American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Home Builders and a coalition of other agriculture groups challenged the EPA's plan, which the Obama administration issued in 2010.
Known as the Chesapeake Bay TMDL or Total Maximum Daily Load, the plan is a blueprint for the six states in the bay watershed and Washington D.C. to follow. It sets limits on the amount of phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment pollution each state is allowed to release to the bay annually.
Agriculture groups argued that the EPA is overstepping its authority with the sweeping plan. They fear it will lead to the agency controlling zoning decisions in the watershed areas.
Meanwhile, the EPA and environmental groups applauded the court's decision, calling the TMDL an important and necessary partnership to protect and preserve the Chesapeake Bay.
