21 states jump into industry challenge of EPA's Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan

摘要

Twenty-one states have joined an appeal by agricultural interests that challenges a court decision last year upholding U.S. EPA's cleanup plan for the Chesapeake Bay. In a friend-of-the-court briefing filed yesterday, the states argue that EPA overstepped its authority by compelling the Chesapeake Bay states to abide by a "pollution diet" meant to limit nutrient runoff into the bay. Many of the states have big farming constituencies and say they are worried EPA might embark upon a similar cleanup plan in other watersheds.