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Office of Inspector General
At a Glance
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Why We Did This Review
This review is one of several
conducted by the Office of
Inspector General (OIG) in
response to a request from a
U.S. Senator from Maryland.
We were requested to
determine how well the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is assisting its
Chesapeake Bay partners in
cleaning up the Bay. Since
atmospheric nitrogen
deposition contributes to
nitrogen loads in the Bay, we
sought to determine the impact
air pollution control activities
have had in cleaning up the
Bay.
Background
The Chesapeake Bay is the
largest estuary in the United
States, covering 64,000 square
miles. Six States and the
District of Columbia, various
Federal agencies, and others are
involved in Bay restoration.
EPA estimates that nitrogen
depositing back to the earth
from the atmosphere accounts
for approximately 32 percent of
the man-made nitrogen load to
the Bay and is a significant
contributor to continuing water
quality problems in the Bay.
For further information, contact
our Office of Congressional and
Public Liaison at (202) 566-2391.
To view the full report,
click on the following link:
www.epa.aov/oia/reports/2007/
20070228-2007-P-00009.pdf
Catalyst for Improving the Environment
EPA Relying on Existing Clean Air Act Regulations
to Reduce Atmospheric Deposition to the
Chesapeake Bay and its Watershed
What We Found
EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program Office is relying on anticipated nitrogen
deposition reductions from Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations already issued by
EPA, combined with anticipated reductions from other non-air sources, to meet
water quality goals for the Bay watershed. EPA believes these CAA-related
activities will provide sufficient nitrogen deposition reduction to enable the Bay
to meets its overall nitrogen cap load, assuming non-air activities achieve planned
reductions. EPA estimates that CAA regulations already issued will reduce
nitrogen that falls directly into the Bay, as well as nitrogen deposited to the Bay
watershed, by 19.6 million pounds annually by 2010. Even greater reductions
should occur as States undertake additional measures in the next few years to
meet the ozone and fine particulate matter standards. Accordingly, State and
EPA strategies do not include additional air reduction activities specifically
designed to clean up the Bay. Many State activities being implemented to meet
national air quality standards should have the co-benefit of reducing nitrogen
deposition in the Bay watershed, including the adoption of legislation and/or
regulations by four Chesapeake Bay watershed States that go beyond EPA's air
regulations.
Whether all of the Bay nitrogen reduction strategies will be successful remains to
be seen. EPA acknowledges that its goal of cleaning up the Bay by 2010 will not
be met. EPA plans to meet with its Chesapeake Bay Program partners in 2007 to
re-visit their strategy for cleaning up the Bay.
If additional reductions in air emissions are needed to clean up the Bay, one
potentially significant source of deposition not currently controlled is ammonia
emissions from animal feeding operations. The magnitude of these emissions to
nitrogen deposition in the Bay is uncertain. Ammonia emissions monitoring of
animal feeding operations, expected to begin in the spring or early summer of this
year, should provide data to help EPA better determine the amount of such
emissions from farming operations.
What We Recommend
We recommend that the EPA Region 3 Regional Administrator instruct the
Chesapeake Bay Program Office to use the results of animal feeding operations
emissions monitoring studies to determine what actions and strategies are
warranted to address nitrogen deposition to the Bay from such operations. EPA
concurred with our recommendation.

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