January 2024 ENews - Waterkeepers Chesapeake

Preview of Clean Water Bills in Maryland & Virginia

The 2024 legislative sessions in Maryland and Virginia kicked off on January 10. We are partnering with our Waterkeepers in both states to pass legislation protecting clean water and healthy communities. In Maryland, we are working with Del. Love and Sen. Augustine to pass a bill that restores a critical right for communities to enforce clean water laws in state court. This bill, called the Clean Water Justice Act, is a top priority of the Maryland conservation community (see Maryland Summit below). In addition, we are advocating for bills on the safe disposal of toxic coal ash and to monitor and regulate industrial sources of PFAS, the toxic, forever chemicals.

In Virginia, we are supporting several bills on regulating toxic, forever chemicals and data centers, protecting wetlands, and strengthening water quality standards, as well as important budget items to fund Richmond’s combined sewer overflow system upgrade, agriculture conservation practices, mussel and shad recovery, and more. We encourage you to help support bills at VCN Water Lobby Day (see below).

We’ll have several opportunities for you to engage and support clean water legislation in the next several weeks. Look out for emails and social media from us and our Waterkeepers.

Welcome Taylor Swanson, Assateague Coastkeeper

We welcome Taylor Swanson as the new Assateague Coastkeeper. Taylor is a Maryland native, growing up in the Annapolis area with experience working across the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays. He spent several years at the Interfaith Partnership for the Chesapeake before becoming the Coastkeeper last fall. He considers himself a proud ‘river rat’ since his youngest days. This passion and curiosity for the natural world led him to the University of Vermont, where he received his B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. It was there that he developed an acute interest in environmental stewardship and education, and an even stronger desire to help give a voice to the landscapes and waterways surrounding him.

You Can Help Pass Clean Water Bills

The Virginia Conservation Network’s annual Conservation Lobby Day is your chance to advocate with fellow residents from your district for environmental action that matters to you. On Tuesday, January 30, the focus is on clean water bills. Register here.

The annual Maryland Environmental Legislative Summit is on Wednesday, January 31 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at the Graduate Hotel in Annapolis. The Summit will highlight legislative priorities, including our Clean Water Justice Act, with keynote speaker U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and other elected officials and community leaders. Join us there to engage on meaningful legislation for our collective future. Register here.

Our Lawsuit Results in New Protections from Slaughterhouse Pollution

At long last, the EPA issued new water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses and rendering facilities in December. These new standards follow lawsuits from community and conservation organizations, including Waterkeepers Chesapeake. The EPA states that new rules could help to prevent at least 100 million pounds per year of water pollution. Both slaughterhouses and rendering facilities require a near-constant flow of water, and they discharge staggering quantities of dangerous and damaging water pollution into rivers and streams, including millions of pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus, along with bacteria, grease, and other pollutants. We look forward to studying the proposed rule to see how it will protect waterways and our communities suffering from the flagrant disregard by slaughterhouses and rendering facilities of the public health harms they have caused.

Once the new standards are posted to the Federal Register, there will be a 60 day public comment period. There are two public hearings: Wed. Jan 24 (virtual) and Wed. Jan 31 at EPA.

Naturally Latinos Conference

We are excited to be co-sponsoring the Naturally Latinos Conference, Perteneciendo: Nuestras Raices, Nuestra Tierra (Belonging: Our Roots, our Earth), which begins on January 24th. This multi-day, multi-media conference will have virtual and in-person events. Register to hear the wonderful speakers and come visit us on January 26 and at our virtual booth.

Clean Water Act Playbook

We developed the Clean Water Act Playbook for Frontline Communities for communities that have experienced and continue to experience environmental racism. It offers easy online access to the Clean Water Act’s tools and resources to enforce the law when government fails to do so. We invite you to explore the Playbook and share it with groups and communities who could benefit from this open resource.

You Can Make Difference

We have made it easier to find and report pollution — and to report the fun things you see and do on the river. Working with Chesapeake Commons, we developed the free Water Reporter app so you can send reports directly to your local Waterkeeper. Download it today!

Take Swim Guide with you – wherever you go. The free Swim Guide app makes it easy to know the water quality at your beach. Several of our Waterkeepers post water quality monitoring results every week — check it out before you head to your favorite river, bay or beach.

Follow us on social media!

Waterkeepers Chesapeake fights for clean water and a healthy environment by supporting Waterkeepers throughout the Chesapeake and coastal regions as they protect their communities, rivers, and streams from pollution.

For info: www.WaterkeepersChesapeake.org or email info@waterkeeperschesapeake.org.