When the failures of the Environmental Protection Agency threaten our way of life in Hampton Roads, we must fight back to protect our health, our economy and our environment from becoming the latest casualties of the Trump administration.
Our waterways are among our biggest assets. Thousands of jobs in the local economy depend on them. During the pandemic, many of us have found peace, solace and exercise along one of our many waterways and beaches. Many rely on fish they catch to feed their families.
But the health of our economic and recreational resources is now at risk. The EPA has failed to require Pennsylvania and New York to develop plans that sufficiently reduce pollution to their waterways, including the mighty Susquehanna — the source of approximately half of the Chesapeake Bay’s pollution.
EPA’s failure could completely undermine years of cooperation between six states and Washington, D.C., on the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. In 2010, these states and the District of Columbia committed to setting science-based goals for reducing pollution by 2025. The EPA is required to ensure they meet those goals.
If Pennsylvania and New York are given a pass now, the goal of clean water in Hampton Roads can never be met. Residents of the region will lose economic and recreational opportunities fundamental to our way of life.
Virginia has already invested significantly in clean water programs. Indeed, I sponsored legislation this year to create a low-interest loan program to assist inland and coastal communities subject to recurrent flooding, which could be used to mitigate future flood damage. The program prioritizes projects that implement community-scale mitigation activities or use nature-based solutions.
Now an exceptional united front is standing up against the EPA’s failures. Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation have all recently given notice that they intend to sue the EPA for imperiling bay restoration efforts.
Our states have worked together for years to bring about the changes we’re starting to see. Rivers once plagued by illness-causing bacteria are now safe for swimming. A growing oyster industry is creating jobs in coastal Virginia. A healthier Elizabeth River is contributing to the revitalization of Norfolk’s waterfront. But we must do more.
Hampton Roads tourism drew in more than $5 billion and supported about 45,000 jobs in 2018, according to the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Post-pandemic, clean beaches, vibrant waterways and local seafood will be a big part of bringing those tourists back. Virginia’s seafood industry was responsible for 18,000 jobs and nearly $1.5 billion in sales in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. All of this depends on healthy waters.
Meanwhile, sea-level rise is literally lapping at our doors. Under the Clean Water Blueprint, states are combating climate change while addressing recurrent flooding. Millions of trees are being planted. New living shorelines in Norfolk improve resiliency to flooding during storms while filtering polluted runoff. Pioneering plans for Norfolk’s Chesterfield Heights neighborhood will address flooding through rain gardens, parks and trees.
Restoration efforts are playing a role in environmental justice as well. Extreme heat and flooding often hit hardest in low-income communities. In Hampton Roads, people of color disproportionately suffer from industrial water and air pollution. The Clean Water Blueprint provides a framework of cooperation and public participation to tackle these longstanding challenges.
Unfortunately, walking back these commitments to restore the Chesapeake Bay is the latest in a string of ongoing and detrimental Trump administration environmental rollbacks.
President Donald Trump’s EPA must require New York and Pennsylvania to develop meaningful plans to reduce pollution under the blueprint by 2025 or going to court will be the only option for this commonwealth and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Our economy, health and way of life depend on it.
Del. Jerrauld “Jay” Jones represents the 89th District, which includes parts of Norfolk.
