Bay Journal

Topics: Politics + Policy

As the new coronavirus spreads across the country, environmental regulatory enforcement is contracting.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced March 26 that it is “temporarily” suspending enforcement of environmental laws tied to a sweeping list of categories. The policy is retroactive to March 13, when President Trump officially declared a national emergency, and includes no end date.

Environmentalists sharply criticized the EPA announcement, arguing that it effectively allows many industries to skirt environmental rules, including oil refineries and chemical plants.

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Jeremy Cox
March 27, 2020
Politics + Policy,Pollution
0 Comments

Climate, environment come up short in MD legislative session curtailed by the coronavirus

In a legislative session cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, Maryland lawmakers approved a ban on an agricultural pesticide and passed a handful of other environmental bills before hurrying home Wednesday. But the General Assembly’s...

Jeremy Cox & Timothy B. Wheeler
March 20, 2020
Climate Change,Energy,Fisheries,Politics + Policy,Pollution
1 Comment

Chesapeake crab industry remains crippled by visa shortage, coronavirus

Responding to employers’ calls, including those of crab meat processing companies in Virginia and Maryland, the federal government announced March 5 that it would release an additional 35,000 temporary visas for foreign workers. That still...

Jeremy Cox
March 20, 2020
Fisheries,Politics + Policy
0 Comments

VA legislature wraps up session packed with environmental issues

The Chesapeake Bay and other environmental issues had more floor time — and legislative changes — than they have in years during Virginia’s 60-day General Assembly session that ended last week. Some observers attributed the...

Jeremy Cox and Whitney Pipkin
March 13, 2020
Energy,Fisheries,Politics + Policy,Pollution
0 Comments

Politics + Policy: Archives

VA moves to replace site for nesting seabirds, but will it fly?

When black skimmers, royal terns and other migrating seabirds return to South Island this spring, they will be greeted by a fresh layer of pavement. The Virginia Department of Transportation recently paved over the island to discourage the...

Jeremy Cox
March 04, 2020
Politics + Policy,Wildlife + Habitat
0 Comments

New wetlands rule imperils Bay cleanup, groups say

The Trump administration’s plans to remove federal oversight from some streams and wetlands will leave those waterways without protection in some of the Bay watershed states, while increasing the regulatory burden on others, officials...

Jeremy Cox & Timothy B. Wheeler
March 03, 2020
Conservation + Land Use,Politics + Policy
0 Comments

Chesapeake Bay crab industry pleads for more temporary foreign workers

UPDATE: The Trump administration on March 5 released 35,000 additional visas for temporary foreign workers in response to employers’ calls. Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the program, issued 30,000...

Jeremy Cox
March 03, 2020
Fisheries,Politics + Policy
3 Comments

Pipeline backers, opponents get their day in the Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday weighed whether a federal agency has the authority to grant or deny permission for a major pipeline to be built under the Appalachian Trail, hearing oral arguments from each side. The court’s decision,...

Whitney Pipkin
February 24, 2020
Energy,Politics + Policy
1 Comment

Money comes through to resume oyster reef work in MD’s Tred Avon

Oyster reef construction in Maryland’s Tred Avon River, held up since 2018 by a federal funding drought, could resume by year’s end. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has put $5 million this year toward continuing its oyster...

Timothy B. Wheeler
February 15, 2020
Fisheries,Politics + Policy
1 Comment

Environmentalists, Shore officials oppose Conowingo settlement

The Conowingo Dam controversy isn’t settled just yet. Environmental groups and some rural Maryland officials are calling on federal regulators to reject the deal that the state has reached with the owner of the Conowingo Dam to...

Timothy B. Wheeler
February 12, 2020
Energy,Fisheries,Politics + Policy,Pollution
4 Comments

White House targets Chesapeake cleanup funding for 91% cut in 2021 budget

Undeterred by previous rebuffs by Congress, the Trump administration has once again proposed slashing funding for the Chesapeake Bay restoration. The budget released Monday by the White House would provide $7.3 million to the U.S....

Timothy B. Wheeler
February 11, 2020
Politics + Policy,Pollution
3 Comments

Striped bass fishing cuts to hit Bay anglers harder than watermen

Anglers in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries will be limited to landing just one striped bass a day under new rules approved this week by East Coast fishery managers. The only exception is in Maryland, where state officials plan to let...

Timothy B. Wheeler
February 06, 2020
Fisheries,Politics + Policy
6 Comments

Override of Hogan veto sets new course for MD oyster management

Overriding a veto by Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland lawmakers enacted legislation Thursday requiring a more consensus-based approach to managing the state’s beleaguered oyster population. The new law is the latest round in a years-long tug...

Timothy B. Wheeler
January 31, 2020
Fisheries,Politics + Policy
2 Comments

EPA letter criticizes Maryland over Chesapeake lawsuit threat

In a letter to members of Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday maintained its support for Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts while criticizing Maryland, which has threatened to take the agency to court. The letter was...

Karl Blankenship
January 29, 2020
Politics + Policy,Pollution
0 Comments

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