Even though no part of the Chesapeake Bay is in Pennsylvania, the state always has had a higher bar to meet than other states engaged in the joint effort to restore the bay.

The Susquehanna River is by far the biggest source of freshwater that enters the bay, and the portion of the river system’s watershed in Pennsylvania is enormous, covering 27,500 square miles.

Agriculture is the primary source of pollution that continues to degrade bay water quality and aquatic life. Pennsylvania has far more agricultural land than the other entities in the compact to clean the bay — New York, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Under 2010’s Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint, all of the governments agreed to major reductions in several types of pollution by 2025 — a deadline that will not be met, even though overall bay water quality has improved substantially due to the compact.

Pennsylvania has been a laggard in meeting its pollution goals. It has done well in municipal system upgrades but has failed to control agricultural pollution.

In 2020, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, along with Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland, sued Pennsylvania and New York for failing to meet their goals, and the Environmental Protection Agency for not forcing them to do so.

New York later upgraded its plan and was dropped from the suit. And on Thursday, the EPA reached a settlement with the plaintiffs that requires it to be more aggressive in enforcing Pennsylvania’s compliance. Pennsylvania is not a party to the settlement and now is the lone defendant.

Since the suit was filed, the commonwealth has upped its Chesapeake commitment. It has committed $154 million in pandemic relief money to helping farms reduce polluted runoff. And, it created a $220 million Clean Streams fund to more broadly address clean water issues.

And the good news in the settlement for Pennsylvania is that it also commits the EPA to finding more grant money to help the state meet its goals.

A cleaner Chesapeake is in everyone’s interest because it will produce better water quality throughout the Susquehanna watershed. The state should step up its effort, and the state’s congressional delegation should ensure that the EPA delivers help rather than enforcement directives alone.

— The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre via TNS