On the recordJuly 12, 2016
This amendment would allow those that pollute the Chesapeake Bay to ignore the Environmental Protection Agency's water quality standards. We finally have an administration that has made the Chesapeake Bay a priority by establishing mandatory water quality standards and providing financial assistance to help States, localities, and businesses actually meet the new standards. This amendment also would put the funding in this bill for the Chesapeake at risk. The Federal funding is tied to the requirements for results. So how long do you think the States and localities will meet their obligations that they agreed to this past December in an historic agreement if the Federal financial assistance goes away? If this amendment were to become law, it would block EPA's ability to enforce the court ordered settlement requiring the farm community and agri-business to meet watershed specific pollution limits. It would not, however, relieve the farms and agri-businesses from the requirements in this settlement. In the end, operators should be responsible for controlling the pollution that they dump into our rivers and streams across this country, both for the Chesapeake and elsewhere. The courts have already sided with the EPA on this matter. Again, I urge defeat of this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.
