The U.S. Supreme Court has turned back a challenge by the American Farm Bureau Federation and others to the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint.
The Farm Bureau claimed that the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority in efforts to clean up the Bay and its tributaries.
The high court’s decision let’s stand lower court panel’s ruling that the EPA did not exceed it authority.
The Farm Bureau and the National Association of Homebuilders among others had argued that the Blueprint trampled on state authority in setting clean up goals for the Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation president William Baker reacted to the decision saying that with the end of the legal challenges time and effort will now be devoted to cleaning up the Bay.
The Blueprint calls for cutting nitrogen by 25% and phosphorous by 20% over the 64-thousand square miles of watershed.
The agreement calls for meeting 60 percent of the goals by next year and all of them by 2025.
