On Monday, the State of Virginia submitted its Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan to the EPA for its review. In doing so, Virginia both pledged to scale up its efforts to clean up the Bay while simultaneously reiterating concerns about the EPA’s process for developing the Bay TMDL (see previous post for more information). According to the State, the EPA is rushing the process of establishing TMDLs for state waters, which has caused sincere concerns in local governments and industry alike. Perhaps the most major concern is that with the current economic climate, taking on another federal unfunded mandate is going to place enormous financial stress on its stakeholders.

Even with these concerns, Virginia has come up with an ambitious and comprehensive strategy. Examples of its future efforts will include the widespread implementation of best management practices on agricultural lands, the expansion of the existing nutrient credit exchange program, and the additional reduction of 2.6 million pounds of nitrogen in the James River from wastewater treatment plants.

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