VICTORY for clean water in Pennsylvania -- again!!

The plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay has survived a second attempt to quash it. This is a big win, not just for the Bay and the ongoing efforts for its restoration but also for the Pennsylvania streams and rivers that are being cleaned up as part of that restoration work.

In 2013, Federal Judge Sylvia Rambo rejected the arguments made by big agricultural and developers' lobby groups that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had exceeded its authority when it developed the Chesapeake Bay TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load), or pollution diet, in 2010. These same deep-pocketed lobby groups appealed this decision -- and lost again.

On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed Judge Rambo’s decision and ruled that the Bay TMDL is fully authorized by the Clean Water Act. This victory makes it clear that Pennsylvania and the other Bay states should continue -- even accelerate -- the work they have done to reduce water pollution.  

Pennsylvania has thousands of miles of polluted streams and rivers where residents cannot fish or swim or enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of clean water. After two failed legal challenges, we can only hope that more time and money won’t be wasted on legal challenges as there’s a lot of work to be done and money could be better spent on outreach and education, technical assistance to farmers, and implementation of conservation practices.

PennFuture, along with other environmental groups, was an intervener in both cases.

Jen Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.

PennFuture goes to Washington

On March 5, PennFuture staff will be heading to Washington, D.C., for the Choose Clean Water Coalition’s third annual Bay Day on the Hill. In our efforts to improve water quality in the Susquehanna River and, in turn, the Chesapeake Bay, it is essential for us to engage with our elected officials.  Members of the Coalition will be requesting support for programs that are essential to maintaining and restoring clean water throughout the Bay watershed.

We will be seeking funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program, which is a regional partnership comprised of federal and state agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations and academic institutions that leads and directs restoration of the Bay. The majority of the Bay Program’s funds make their way to states and local communities for important on-the-ground restoration work through programs like the Small Watershed Grants (SWG), Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants (INSR), State Implementation Grants, and the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program grants.

The INSR grants have supported approximately 122 on-the-ground conservation projects that provide innovative approaches to accelerating adoption of cost effective and sustainable nutrient and sediment pollution reductions throughout the watershed. The SWG grants have supported approximately 229 conservation projects that contribute to improving water quality throughout the watershed and to the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay.

We will also be seeking support for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), which provides low interest loans to local governments in Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia for capital construction projects at wastewater treatment facilities and nonpoint source pollution control from farms and development. Almost 1,800 local governments are eligible for these loans and over the past twenty-five years, the CWSRF has provided over 33,320 low interest loans.

Meeting with elected officials is something we do as advocates for the environment because it’s important to educate, engage, and hold accountable the folks who make the decisions that impact us all. But it’s not something just for us to do -- it’s something all citizens should be doing. Whether your concerns are clean water, clean air, sustainability, or renewable energy, speak up! Contact your elected officials and tell them what matters to you and why it matters.

To quote Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

Jennifer Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.

A bit of cheer before the old year ends

We're going off topic in this last post of 2014 with news entirely unrelated to the Cromnibus, budgets, and fighting off anti-EPA efforts. Dig in and feel free to share.


I know we're looking forward to some break time in Penn's Woods and exploring the wintertime beauty of Pennsylvania's 86,000 miles of waterways. We'll see you back in the New Year!

• Bridge to somewhere: If you've ever visited New York City's amazing High Line---an elevated rail-to-trail---read on to learn about how London may take it even a giant step further. Two million lbs. of dirt and nearly 300 trees will be part of a riverview park that crosses the mighty River Thames. Inspiration for our state's many river crossings, perhaps?
• An environmental impact report is a key facet of planning all kinds of public infrastructure projects but, frankly, is known mostly to legal and policy folks. This transportation report, however, catches the eye for far more than its technical data. Do we need more like this one?
• Speaking of our Commonwealth's tens of thousands of rivers and streams: Pennsylvania water trail maps make for great off-season paddle planning for 2015 adventures. Anyone who's paddled them all and sends us an email gets a public high-five and a piece of candy in the next blog post. Bucket list, anyone?
• Dolphins. Yes, dolphins. This clip from a special view precludes the need to say anything more. One of the many reasons that clean water matters to all of us.

Kate Gibbons is northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator and is based in our Wilkes-Barre office.

Proposal will protect water (yours and mine) nationwide

Clean water is important.  If you agree, click here.  End of post.

Just kidding! Our communications director would never let me get away with a two-sentence blog post so I’ll elaborate. Keep in mind, however, that my message today is painfully simple: Clean water is important and if you agree, you need to speak up.

Water is important to everyone, every day -- for drinking, bathing, fishing, and swimming.  Businesses and agriculture need it, too. So it might surprise you that over half of all streams and millions of acres of wetlands across the country are lacking clear federal protections from pollution (the reasons why have been discussed on this blog previously). This lack of protection puts the drinking water of 117 million Americans, including 8 million Pennsylvanians, at risk.

Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have a proposal that will clarify and strengthen protections for vital upstream headwaters that provide clean water to all of us downstream. EPA’s proposal is important so if you agree, please let them know. Now. And thanks!

Jennifer Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.

Pennsylvania is making progress, but needs to do more for clean water

The Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint is made up of the Bay pollution limits (TMDL) and state-specific plans to achieve these pollution limits. The Bay states committed to reduce pollutants enough to remove the Bay from the nation’s impaired waters list by 2025, and to be 60 percent of the way to that goal by 2017.

In order to stay on track, Bay states committed to two-year goals -- or milestones -- which allow progress to be measured with respect to the larger 2017 and 2025 pollution reduction goals by taking a critical look at the implementation rates of pollution reducing practices and programs.

Yesterday, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Choose Clean Water Coalition, of which PennFuture serves as the lead organization for Pennsylvania, released their report evaluating Pennsylvania’s progress. We evaluated eight practices/programs: five from the agricultural sector, two from the stormwater sector, and one from the wastewater sector. Pennsylvania achieved its 2013 goals for four of the eight practices, however, particularly concerning is the gap between what has been done and what needs to be done by 2017.

We’ve made great progress when it comes to permitting wastewater treatment facilities but we’re struggling with agricultural practices and urban and suburban stormwater management. We’re only halfway to our 2017 goal for installation of forest buffers, one of the most cost-effective practices to improve water quality. To meet its 2017 goal, Pennsylvania needs to install 50 new acres of forest buffers per day. You can read more about each of the practices here. 

The Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint has given us a clear path to clean water. While we’ve made progress, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. In order to meet our goals, we need cooperation and collaboration between government, industry, and citizens as well as a sense of urgency and dedication to cleaning up our waters.

Reducing pollution isn’t just good for the Chesapeake Bay, it’s good for Pennsylvania. By reducing the amount of pollution in the Susquehanna and its tributaries, we’re protecting our drinking water, improving fish habitat, and increasing the number of places we can safely swim and boat. It’s pretty simple -- you can’t have a clean Chesapeake Bay without a clean Susquehanna River.

Jennifer Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.