A Baltimore Sun article (2016-11-09) discussed concerns that President-elect Donald Trump would dismantle the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The article noted that while “the real estate mogul campaigned on plans to…leave nothing but ‘tidbits’ of the Environmental Protection Agency,” Trump cannot unilaterally dismantle the Bay TMDL as it is partly within federal statute (the Clean Water Act) and survived a United States Supreme Court challenge. However, the article highlighted that some advocates remained concerned:
“Anything that’s dependent on the EPA or federal funding I think we need to consider at least in jeopardy,” said Josh Tulkin, director of the Sierra Club’s Maryland chapter. …
“I don’t think there’s a lot of wiggle room that one person could come in and do away with it,” said Valerie Connelly, executive director of the Maryland Farm Bureau. …
Still, [Chesapeake Bay Commission Executive Director Ann] Swanson said, she hopes Trump’s rhetoric around a new approach to environmental policy was overstated “campaign talk.”
The article noted that while it was unlikely Trump could undo the Bay TMDL, enforcement could be affected.
This year’s MACo Winter Conference will feature a special opportunity for a peer-to-peer exchange between county elected officials on the Bay TMDL.
COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS ROUNDTABLE
DETAILS:
Who: County Elected Officials
When: Wednesday, December 7, 2016, noon-1 pm
What: Join a post-election discussion of county environmental requirements including the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Environmental Protection Agency stormwater mandates. 2017 not only marks the TMDL midpoint assessment, but also ushers in a new U.S. President in an area driven largely by federal regulation. Share your county’s current challenges and hear what changes could be ahead in a roundtable facilitated by the University of Maryland Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology.
Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference: