Enviros Demand That EPA Toughen Chesapeake Pollution Rules

"Environmental groups presented a federal official with more than 19,000 signed letters and postcards Tuesday asking the U.S. government to set stricter rules to prevent pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

The presentation, held outside an Environmental Protection Agency building in Annapolis, came eight days before one of the most crucial deadlines in the Chesapeake's recent history.

In May, President Obama issued an executive order calling for federal agencies to act more aggressively to help the bay, which remains heavily polluted despite a 25-year government cleanup effort. On Sept. 9, next Wednesday, the agencies must turn in draft reports, revealing how they plan to do it."

David A. Fahrenthold reports for the Washington Post September 2, 2009.