"Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Bay Cleanup Challenge"

"Farm and building interests, plus 22 states had contested EPA's authority to impose pollution limits".

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ended a five-year legal challenge to the Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan, rejecting without comment the American Farm Bureau Federation’s request that the court hear its argument that the federal government is effectively seizing land use authority from state and local governments.

The decision removes any legal cloud from the pursuit of the Bay pollution reduction strategy imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. It leaves in place a ruling last year by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that said the plan “is reasonable and reflects a legitimate policy choice” by the EPA and the states in the Bay watershed.

In a statement, the EPA said it was pleased with the high court’s decision, which it said confirms that the agency’s action in imposing the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL, on the 64,000-square-mile Bay watershed is in keeping with the Clean Water Act."

Karl Blankenship report for the Bay Journal February 29, 2016.