Source: Wiki Commons

It’s shaping up like a championship bout.

In one corner are the “protagonists”, the environmentalists, Chesapeake Bay lovers and stakeholders (collectively the “Rocky” of this match) in preserving the cleanliness of the bay.

In the other corner stand the “antagonists,” the farmers, developers and other stakeholders in agricultural production and development, groups that sometimes operate at the expense of the bay’s cleanliness.

We’ve seen this match before. But there are new wrinkles: President Obama’s backing and a new bill called the Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act, proposed by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

The current political landscape offers plenty of challenges to passage of this bill. The Chesapeake clean water act could become another football in the political game that the Republicans and Democrats like to engage in, which might put a damper on real reform to the bay.

While political maneuvering is always a concern with ambitious legislative measures, it is even more so in an election year, especially one in which the president is promising to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Pro-farming and agriculture lobbyists undoubtedly will attempt to stymie this bill, arguing that it would increase expenses for farmers by requiring them to reduce their run-off (pollution) and thus slow down food production.

Local environmentalists support it because of the obvious benefits to the Chesapeake Bay. National environmentalists support it because it could set a precedent for stronger and wider enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

The bill’s success likely will boil down to two major factors: party cohesion (all 59 Democrats would likely need to be on board if this bill has a prayer of passing in the Senate) and constituent mobilization and support. Citizens, advocacy groups and corporations alike will have to make their voices heard if they hope to persuade their representatives to resist the lobbying they will face from opponents.

If national trends and history are any indicator, then the environmentalists have a major hurdle to leap.