The Dead Zone of Chesapeake Bay & How it is Suffocating The Marine Life
EPA wants that there be more control over what kind of water spills onto the bay. They call it a pollution diet. In response the American Farm Bureau has filed a case against the EPA claiming that it has no right to dictate what and how clean-up of Chesapeake Bay is conducted. This EPA plan to put in major controls over what goes into Chesapeake Bay is going to wreck havoc with the economy of 6 states surrounding the bay. Billions of dollars are at stake and EPA has no right to step in. They want the 6 states to monitor the pollution control instead.
As a matter of fact, the Farm Bureau feels that the report EPA is basing their action on is flawed and incorrect. Chesapeake Bay is not as polluted as EPA is making it out to be. However, no one can dispute the presence of dead zones.
Dead zones refer to pockets of water where the oxygen level is critical and marine life cannot survive living in these pockets. The efforts of EPA is more noble in that all it wants is a sustainable life for everyone. Many affected Americans are angry with EPA because they feel it is stepping beyond its borders. It wants to enter into private farms and property to protect endangered species, and now with the Chesapeake Bay plan, more businesses may have to spend more.
Yet from an objective point of view, both parties want the same. If only they could set aside emotions and deal with the immediate problem of dying marine life. This is an important decision both parties have to make because Chesapeake Bay is the country’s biggest estuary. A polluted bay means less to harvest and a weaker economy. On the other hand, the pollution diet is going to cost taxpayers $20 billion in 15 years. Meanwhile, the fish and other sea life are dying because of too much nitrogen, sediment, and phosphorous in the water.