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EPA's Bay Cleanup Strategy Heads To Court

By: Sabri Ben-Achour // October 6, 2012
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The Environmental Protection Agency's strategy for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay is called the pollution diet. It requires states to upgrade infrastructure and manage pollution that drains into the Bay in the form of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment.

But the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Association of Home Builders argue that the EPA is trampling on state's rights and using erroneous data to set pollution limits.

They argued that point in federal court earlier this week. EPA attorneys argued that without strong federal oversight and threat of sanctions, states repeatedly missed their pollution-reduction goals over the past 30 years.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the sides sparred for more than four hours in a Pennsylvania courtroom. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo did not say when she plans to rule.

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