In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed settlement with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its partners over a 2020 lawsuit regarding the Chesapeake Bay’s Total Maximum Daily Load, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Glenn “GT” Thompson, issued the following statement:
"EPA’s proposed settlement is the latest example of the agency putting activists over American farmers. This will not help further restore the Chesapeake Bay, but rather will result in additional permitting and compliance costs for family farms. While we all strive to be good stewards of the environment, this move will place an undue burden on the backs of Pennsylvania’s hard-working farmers. EPA should develop a more reasonable framework."
BACKGROUND: This settlement comes on the heels of the Committee’s hearing yesterday with Administrator Michael Regan in which the Administrator testified the 2025 goal will not be met and the agency is recalibrating the timeframe. The Administrator also suggested on-farm inspections are not going to ramp up as the 2025 deadline is too difficult to meet.
