Fix Maryland's Latest Clean Water Plan!
- by: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- recipient: Maryland Department of Environment
Recently, Maryland released a draft of its final update to the Maryland Clean Water Blueprint. The plan includes front-line pollution management measures critical to hitting clean water goals by the 2025 deadline. But the draft plan does not invest enough in the types of practices critical to keeping our rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay healthy over the long-term.
Investing in more natural filters like forests, wetlands and well-managed pasture lands are cost-effective and have a lasting impact on our waters and our climate. The draft clean water plan needs to accelerate our work to address polluted runoff and include a plan to offset new pollution associated with land development.
Take action now and tell the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) you want a strong Maryland Clean Water Blueprint.
Your voice will have the greatest impact if you write to MDE in your own words. Describe how you value clean water in your community. Your comment will be added to the letter below.
Investing in more natural filters like forests, wetlands and well-managed pasture lands are cost-effective and have a lasting impact on our waters and our climate. The draft clean water plan needs to accelerate our work to address polluted runoff and include a plan to offset new pollution associated with land development.
Take action now and tell the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) you want a strong Maryland Clean Water Blueprint.
Your voice will have the greatest impact if you write to MDE in your own words. Describe how you value clean water in your community. Your comment will be added to the letter below.
Subject: Please Fix Maryland's Clean Water Blueprint
Maryland's record of dedicated funding and protective regulations puts the state on a path to meet 2025 goals but is not enough to sustain them. The Maryland Clean Water Blueprint must shift restoration toward lasting, cost-effective practices that benefit local communities and address emerging threats from climate change and new growth. The current draft fails to do so and risks leaving Maryland unprepared to maintain clean water into the future.
[Your comment will be added here]
Before you finalize the third draft of the Maryland Clean Water Blueprint, I would like to make the following recommendations:
-Accelerate polluted runoff work: The draft plan cuts expectations to treat polluted runoff by 50 percent or more--despite the fact that nitrogen from this source is increasing. Maryland's latest clean water Blueprint should keep stronger treatment requirements in place and increase assistance to local governments. The plan should also ensure that land developers offset new pollution from their projects.
-Invest in natural filters: The Blueprint relies on pollution management practices that require new investments every year, and which don't offer the climate and ecosystem benefits provided by trees, wetlands, and healthy pastures. Bigger goals for planting forest buffers, restoring wetlands and grazing lands, and building green infrastructure in our towns and cities are key to maintaining clean water beyond the 2025 goal.
-Provide stronger assurances: Enforcement of environmental violations has dropped to levels that state auditors consider detrimental to our waterways. The Blueprint should commit the state to fill vacant inspector positions and issue penalties that hold violators accountable for environmental damage. I hope you will act on these recommendations so that we can restore and protect Maryland's waterways for years to come!
Ký thỉnh nguyện thưKý thỉnh nguyện thưMaryland's record of dedicated funding and protective regulations puts the state on a path to meet 2025 goals but is not enough to sustain them. The Maryland Clean Water Blueprint must shift restoration toward lasting, cost-effective practices that benefit local communities and address emerging threats from climate change and new growth. The current draft fails to do so and risks leaving Maryland unprepared to maintain clean water into the future.
[Your comment will be added here]
Before you finalize the third draft of the Maryland Clean Water Blueprint, I would like to make the following recommendations:
-Accelerate polluted runoff work: The draft plan cuts expectations to treat polluted runoff by 50 percent or more--despite the fact that nitrogen from this source is increasing. Maryland's latest clean water Blueprint should keep stronger treatment requirements in place and increase assistance to local governments. The plan should also ensure that land developers offset new pollution from their projects.
-Invest in natural filters: The Blueprint relies on pollution management practices that require new investments every year, and which don't offer the climate and ecosystem benefits provided by trees, wetlands, and healthy pastures. Bigger goals for planting forest buffers, restoring wetlands and grazing lands, and building green infrastructure in our towns and cities are key to maintaining clean water beyond the 2025 goal.
-Provide stronger assurances: Enforcement of environmental violations has dropped to levels that state auditors consider detrimental to our waterways. The Blueprint should commit the state to fill vacant inspector positions and issue penalties that hold violators accountable for environmental damage. I hope you will act on these recommendations so that we can restore and protect Maryland's waterways for years to come!
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