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Gov. O'Malley: Make the chicken companies pay their fair share

To make real progress in restoring the Chesapeake Bay, we need enforceable pollution limits and penalties for polluters who don't comply.

After 26 years of voluntary programs to reduce pollution, up to a third of the bay still becomes a dead zone every summer. 

Maryland is required to create a plan to finally clean up the Bay. But with big agribusinesses like Perdue standing the way, only bold leadership will turn the tide. Gov. O'Malley needs to hear from you to stand up to these polluters.

Urge Gov. O'Malley today to tackle agricultural pollution in Maryland's plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

Sign the petition:


Dear Gov. O’Malley,

As your administration crafts new plans to restore the Chesapeake Bay, I urge you to require large poultry producers like Perdue and Tyson to pay their fair share to help clean up the Bay. Maryland’s Watershed Implementation Plan is your opportunity to create more equitable economic opportunities for farmers across the state.

For decades, companies like Perdue and Tyson have been able to suppress their prices by avoiding responsibility for pollution created by their animals’ manure. This pollution is a leading source of the Chesapeake Bay’s environmental degradation.

If you required poultry processors in Maryland to be responsible for their pollution, they would have a tangible incentive to help their growers manage the animal manure properly. This would help level the playing field for those who are already engaged in more sustainable farming practices.

I urge you to make poultry processors legally responsible for their pollution, because Maryland’s consumers, farmers, and waterways deserve better.

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Top Photos Courtesy of the J. Lynskey, Copyright A. L. Spangler under license from Shutterstock.com, and NOAA