Chesapeake Bay Foundation says pollution control regulations creating thousands of jobs

Thursday, 05 January 2012 16:40

Chesapeake Bay Foundation says pollution control regulations creating thousands of jobs

Written by Scott LaMar, Director of Radio Smart Talk

Radio Smart Talk for Friday, January 6:

Earlier this week on Radio Smart Talk, the National Federation of Independent Business said federal regulations were hurting small businesses and in turn costing them jobs.

Meanwhile, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation released details of a report that claims environmental regulations actually create jobs instead of eliminating them. The report looked at two decades of reports and finds no support for the claim businesses along the bay's tributaries, like the Susquehanna River, have been hurt by such policies. Foundation President Will Baker says anti-pollution measures, such as upgrades to sewage treatment plants and farm runoff controls, could actually save money and create jobs in the long run.

The Foundation estimates more than 100,000 jobs could be created across the bay's watershed. New federally mandated pollution controls aim to curb the amount of wildlife-killing nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment that are washed downstream into the bay. But, some local governments and businesses have opposed the regulations, citing the costs.

Appearing on Friday's Radio Smart Talk will be William Baker, the president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Foundation's Executive Director of Pennsylvania, Matthew Ehrhart.

View the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's job report

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comments

# Rodger Waldman 2012-01-06 10:20

Although the cleanup cost is borne initially by the taxpayer, for many of these payers the cost will be returned in less health costs.

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# kyle 2012-01-06 10:20

this makes total sense. and the jobs would be good jobs, not like hashing hamburgers or selling socks.

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# J 2012-01-06 10:39

Thanks to your guests for their important work. I'm wondering if there are similarities in environmental job creation and energy job creation. The complaint with shale development is that outside companies reap the benefits while the locals bear the cost. Would the situation be the same in the environmental case?

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# Joel 2012-01-06 10:40

Can you comment on the geographic area of the Bay Watershed, especially in PA? I don't think people realize how far reaching it is. Also, how much of the Marcellus Shale drilling is going on in watershed area, and how does that impact the watershed, and the effort to upgrade infrastructure and keep it clean?

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# Tom 2012-01-06 10:42

Despite what businesses, big and small, say about their environmental concerns and responsibilitie s, the only way to get them to actually control their pollution is to force them by environmental law. If it costs money, most will not control their discharges on their own. They must be forced. Then they complain...

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