Ag Report Challenging Bay Cleanup Plan Questioned
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A new assessment has found fatal flaws in an agriculture industry report calling for a halt in the new federally led bay restoration strategy.
The report said the strategy should be delayed until differences can be resolved between models developed by the Chesapeake Bay Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The assessment released Monday by the Chesapeake Bay Program, the regional, federal-state partnership coordinating restoration efforts, says the models were developed for different purposes and differences are unavoidable.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation scientist Beth McGee says the report was an effort to mislead the public. The federal Environmental Protection Agency, which developed the tough, new strategy in response to a presidential order, says it is pleased an independent panel supports its position.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
