Chesapeake Bay Foundation Sues to Block Trump Climate Protection Rollbacks

Challenging the Trump Administration’s repeal of the landmark finding that climate change-fueling greenhouse gases pose a threat to the public, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) today joined partners in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

CBF, represented by Earthjustice, today joined a coalition of organizations from across the country filing litigation in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Since it was issued in 2009, the endangerment finding has supported regulations that fight climate change and its harm to people and the environment.

The Chesapeake Bay is on the front lines of climate change threats. Those include:

Sea level rise and flooding from increasingly intense storms overwhelm marshes and wetlands and damage homes and businesses in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.

Extreme heat exacerbated by climate change hurts people, plants, and animals across our region.

Stronger and more frequent storms due to climate change add pollution to the Bay. Heavy rains increase polluted runoff and sewer overflows and intensify erosion. This dumps more nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment into rivers and the Bay, contributing to dead zones and algal blooms.

Warmer water holds less oxygen and stresses aquatic life, from brook trout to striped bass.

CBF has worked for years to address threats from climate change. That includes planting trees to cool city streets that bake during heat waves, installing living shorelines that use nature to protect waterfronts from storms, and working with farmers to build healthier soil that’s more resilient to droughts and flooding.

CBF Senior Vice President for Programs Alison Hooper Prost issued the following statement.

“Climate change is already harming people and the Chesapeake Bay, regardless of the Trump Administration’s ridiculous claims. This latest rollback is a threat to us all.

“Flooding and sea level rise are walloping communities up and down the Bay. Heat waves send people to hospitals from Baltimore to Richmond. Warmer waters are driving away striped bass, brook trout, and other wildlife. And increasingly intense storms are washing more pollution into rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.

“We’re proud to join our partners in fighting this rollback that endangers everyone’s future.”