Environmental deregulation bill causes concern
(July 8, 2011) Watchdogs of America’s waterways are concerned about a debate in Congress on the federal government’s power to oversee pollution offenses.
During its recent national conference in Chicago, the National Waterkeeper Alliance announced a full court press against a bill that would take power from the Environmental Protection Agency to oversee violations of air and water quality, and put it exclusively into the hands of the state, said Kathy Phillips, executive director of the Assateague Coastal Trust. Phillips said EPA oversight of air and water quality regulations under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act has been invaluable for water quality advocacy nationwide.
“The laws guarantee that if government agencies aren’t taking of care of water pollution, then citizens can bring lawsuits against polluters,” Phillips said. “Maryland is better than some other states at enforcement. But as long as the state underfunds [Maryland Department of the Environment] so it can’t hire people to monitor pollution cases, there will be nobody watching over them.”
A press release the EPA issued in response to the bill said the proposal would overturn decades of work enforcing the Clean Water Act, which turns 40 in 2012, and has allowed the agency to require state enforcement of national water quality standards.
Those national standards were the point of concern for House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-Fla.), and the committee’s Ranking Member Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), who co-authored the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011. The bill is also searchable online as HR 2018. Mica said in a statement that “one-size-fits-all” federal nutrient standards limit state authority.
“The EPA’s regulatory jihad is strangling any chance of economic recovery,” Mica said in a statement. “Its costly, burdensome policies will double struggling families’ water bills while providing little to no benefit to water quality.”
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) is also a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“The congressman believes that the residents of the 1st District will see no difference in enforcement, as this is something that has historically been done at the state level,” according to Ryan Nawrocki, press secretary for Harris.
Phillips said she had pushed Maryland toward EPA compliance in the past.
“In 2009, our Waterkeepers Chesapeake group petitioned the EPA to remove Maryland authority to administer the national pollutant discharge program because of the state’s failure to properly enforce pollution offenses,” Phillips said.
Other attempts have been made by some Republican politicians in recent years to curtail the enforcement power of the EPA. The current Republican majority in the House has also voted on several bills this session aimed at saving the government money through deregulation and shrinking the responsibilities of government agencies.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in his Democratic Whip statements that H.R. 2018 is more of a “partisan agenda” move than a pitch to encourage economic growth.
“We have a Congress focused on deregulation because it sounds good,” Phillips said.
She was also concerned that the Maryland could not handle the exclusive responsibility for pollution oversight.
Jay Apperson, spokesman for the Maryland Department of the Environment, said the full-time staff of the department for the 2011 fiscal year is 936, which is the lowest full-time staff equivalent level since 1998.
