Baltimore, MD - Every summer, Marylanders and other visitors flock to our waterways to seek relief from the summer heat and this summer was no different. Maryland saw more than 8 million visitors in our national parks with waterways, according to Environment Maryland’s new Summer Fun Index. The new fact sheet comes as summer draws to close, and as officials consider a new rule to restore protections for 59% of the state’s rivers and streams.
“We all know clean water means summer fun. There’s nothing quite like tubing near Gunpowder Falls every summer,” said Joanna Diamond, Director of Environment Maryland. “Our Summer Fun Index shows how important it is to protect our waters.”
According to the index, fishing and boating are popular activities for Marylanders, in addition to enjoying waterways in our state parks.
Despite their popularity, more than 10,000 miles of Maryland’s streams are not guaranteed protection under the nation’s Clean Water Act, thanks to a loophole in the law secured by developers and other polluters nearly a decade ago.
In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to restore protections for the headwaters, streams, and wetlands left in limbo by the loophole; but agribusinesses, oil companies, and others are campaigning heavily against it.
EPA is taking public comments on the measure through the fall. Environment Maryland has already gathered more than 10,000 public comments in favor of restoring Clean Water Act protections to all of Maryland’s waterways.
“Whether we enjoy them for fishing, boating, or swimming, we all have a stake in the health of the Pocomoke River, Assateague, and the rest of our waterways,” said Diamond. “We should be doing everything we can to protect all of our rivers, lakes and streams.”
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5 comments:
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0880This proposal does nothing to increase the health of any waterway, but only serves to over regulate and gain control over anything that happens to get wet and to collect permit fees or fines from it. If the issue here is to "provide clarity" to anything, I suggest that the time and money spent on writing all this proposed regulation be better spent on dredging out the settling lake above the Conowingo dam so that silt stops killing the upper half of the Chesapeake bay. That "Clarity" of the water would serve more benefit to the entire Eastern United States than sitting around thinking up new regulations would. I'm sure that there are other similar locations in the U.S. that are in need of the same type of attention as well. So. my comment is to throw this proposal in the trash. and get to work on complying with your already existing rules you already do not enforce.
That's my comment I sent in. Feel free to copy and paste it to them!
is anybody else as sick as I am of these "non-profit" groups of "stakeholders" minding everybody else's business? greasing the way for the EPA to take total control of our lives........
The phrase "everything we can" should tell you their intent.
Environmental groups trying to protect their jobs of course.All of the hoopla for nothing ¬hing changes unless mother nature says so.Man has no influence other than cashing a paycheck every 2 weeks for absolutely nothing.
How are you all so ignorant? Without the EPA we wouldn't have half of the natural resources that we still see today. Forests would be nothing but stumps, rivers and lakes so polluted that you can't fish or swim in them and Agribusiness so powerful that nobody could even challenge them. "Over-reach" is a cowardly phrase to use when explaining the efforts of an organization whose sole effort is to protect and enhance America's natural environment. Educate yourselves and maybe you'll begin to understand why following along with the masses is what the real problem is, instead of pointing fingers at the people trying to make a difference and screaming "traitor"
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