A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 19, 1987 (Continued from Pag* A 1) and streams that feed into the Chesapeake.” At this very hour, the Common wealth’s Environmental Quality Board is considering significant changes to the rules and regula tions which-govern erosion and sedimentation control programs. The proposed regulations tighten permit requirements for earth dis turbance near streams and deve lopment of large tracts of land. “In November, the citizens of Pennsylvania endorsed a referen dum for a program to preserve agricultural land. This program supported by a $lOO million bond issue will provide conservation easements for at least 23 years to protect s agricultural land from development,” Case said. Maryland’s Governor William Donald Schaefer, host for the two day program, said he was especial ly impressed with the timetable set down by the agreement. “This timetable will be the most difficult part of the agreement,” Schaefer said. “But I am determined to speed up our efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay. This agreement is important. Just not because it represents a joint commitment of four political jurisdictions, the EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, but because it is based on specific goals and has a timetable that dictates deliberate action. We can restore the bay; and we must,” Schaefer said. On Monday the implementation of the agreement was discussed in six seminars by panels of policy makers representing each of the signators of the agreement These signators are: William Donald Schaefer, governor, state of Mary land; Rohm P. Casey, governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Lee M. Thomas, administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Kenneth J. Cole, chair man, Chesapeake Bay Commis sion; Marion Barry, Jr., mayor. District of Columbia and Gerald L. Baliles, governor, Commonwealth of Virginia. In the keynote address at the signing ceremony, former Mary land Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Jr., spoke of the findings of early explorers where fish, oys ters and crabs were abundant. He contrasted these findings with his own research that confirmed the bay had become a “dead sea”. “The enormity of the bay’s problems, the seemingly irreversi ble momentum toward disaster, made the problem seem almost hopeless. That this could have occurred within a 45-minute drive from the nation’s capital was a national shame, but at the same time it was an opportunity. With prodding from me and many other people who understood the urgen cy of the bay’s problems, the fed eral government finally swung into action and began -almost mad deningly slow at first- to focus its enormous resources on the bay.” “EPA Administrator Russell Train and I put our heads together and proposed a comprehensive study to pinpoint the problems. Congress provided the necessary money in 1975, and eight years later, in 1983, EPA released its study. EPA’s picture of the bay was not pretty. It sounded the alarm that the bay was dying, but the research findings gave us cause for hope. For the first time, yve were able to catalogue the causes of the decline in the bay’« water quality and living resources. Amk for the first time, we had targets, Agriculture Involved In Bay Cleanup (Lto R) Kenneth J. Cote, Chairman, Cheaa peake Bay Commiaaten; Marlon Barry Jr., Mayor, Diatrict of Columbia; Hobart P. Caaay, Govomor, Commonwaalth of Pannaylvania; William Donald Schaafar, Governor, Commonwaalth of Pannaylvania; Gorald L Balltea, Govarnor, Commonwaalth of Virginia and Lao M. Thomaa, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By the people, for the people, one nation under God, Indivisible.... priorities, and a plan of attack for reversing the problems.” “Recognizing that the danger to the hay was not just a federal responsibility, Maryland, Virgini a, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia rose to the-occasion, together committing more than $7O million to address the prob lems outlined in the study. The new EPA Administrator, William Ruckelshaus, championed the cause. He was able to persuade President Reagan to pour major federal funding into the bay and to single out this national treasure in his 1984 State of the Union Mes sage. Those state and federal com mitments proved to be a major turning point in the bay program.” “In 1985, EPA, other federal agencies and the bay states deve loped a comprehensive document - the Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection Plan which set forth general goals for reducing nutrients and toxics, and for restor ing living resources. The restora tion plan laid a solid foundation for a successful cleanup program. However, it was only the foundation.” ‘Today, by signing an agree ment with specific goals, we are building the structure that- will guide us to the 21st Century. For the first time, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia have made a long-term commitment to the bay that sets concrete, bay-wide strategies and goals.” inators fe tl imu-km 1 And solemnly vow, from this day forth, to join together, in common goal to reclaim the bay by this living trust. * itorlc agreement.. 1987 CHESAPEAKE Ye are all witnesses this day, December 15, 1987.
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