If state and federal authorities would simply enforce existing laws restricting pollution, the Chesapeake Bay (and the warming planet) would surely benefit.
CBF s 2020 State of the Bay Score Down Slightly
After Four Years of Assault on Environmental Regulations, There Is Hope
This year, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation s (CBF) assessment of the
State of the Bay remained at a D+, but declined by one point from 2018. While concerning, the decline is largely due to ineffective management of the Bay s striped bass population, as opposed to water quality concerns.
Of the 13 indicators CBF assesses, four showed declines. Despite several years of assaults to environmental protections and flagging political will, most water quality measures are showing improvements.
But much more needs to be done.
Efforts must be accelerated to achieve the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint goal of implementing practices by 2025 that will reduce pollution sufficiently to restore water quality in local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay. While efforts to save the Bay have been underway for decades, the Blueprint established in 2010 lays out a path to s