The EPA, between late April and mid-May, 2010, has been unveiling a new federal strategy for the Chesapeake region. The program will affect about 64,000-square-miles of watershed and industries surrounding it in Virginia and Maryland. The strategy includes using rigorous regulations and conservation practices on 4 million acres of farms, conserving 2 million acres of undeveloped land and rebuilding oysters in 20 tributaries of the bay. Federal agencies plan to establish milestones every two years for actions to make progress toward measurable environmental goals.

A lawsuit brought against the agency (during the last administration) for dereliction of duty in the watershed was a contributory impetus for this action. According to court documents for that case, the EPA must implement the Chesapeake total maximum daily load (TMDL) by Dec. 31, 2010, expand regulation of urban and suburban stormwater and concentrated animal feeding operations, and increase enforcement activities and funding for state regulatory programs.

The "Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed" (available here) was developed under the executive order issued by President Obama in May 2009, which declared the Chesapeake Bay a national treasure and ushered in a new era of shared federal leadership, action and accountability.

According to the EPA, agencies will be "dedicating unprecedented resources, targeting actions where they can have the most impact, ensuring that federal lands and facilities lead by example in environmental stewardship and taking a comprehensive, ecosystem-wide approach to restoration." In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will launch a bay-wide oyster restoration strategy. A map tracking enforcement actions in the region is available clicking here.

SOURCES: EPA Press releases on May 10, 2010 and April 28, 2010, plus press release from District Court of the District of Columbia.