Since May 2009, when President Obama issued Executive Order 13508: Chesapeake Bay Protection Restoration and a new federally mandated cleanup initiative for the Chesapeake Bay was born, it has been unclear what consequences might be imposed by EPA if the states did not meet the new clean up requirements. Now we know.

On December 29, 2009, in a letter to the six states in the Bay watershed and the District of Columbia, EPA’s “accountability framework” was revealed. The framework is in addition to the EPA requirements set forth in November, 2009, when standards for the implementation of Watershed Implementation Plans were set, and milestones towards achieving the goals of those plans were established.