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Showing 57 results

Evan Isaacson

Former CPR Policy Analyst

Evan Isaacson | December 8, 2016

Pair of EPA Actions Show Long Road Ahead for Urban Water Quality, Climate Resilience

Over the last couple of months, a pair of actions taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demonstrate the glacial pace of federal stormwater management policy under the Clean Water Act. In October, EPA rejected a series of petitions by a group of environmental organizations to expand regulatory protections for certain urban waterways. Then […]

Evan Isaacson | November 18, 2016

Long-Term Forecast for Bay Restoration: Cloudy with a Chance of Storms

Last week, the Center for Progressive Reform co-hosted a symposium with the University of Maryland School of Law entitled "Halftime for the Bay TMDL." The symposium was supposed to be about what states, cities, counties, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), industry, and citizens can do to accelerate progress in the second half of the […]

Evan Isaacson | October 17, 2016

Assessment Finds Wide Variety in Quality of County Stormwater Plans in Maryland

Today, the Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) is releasing an assessment of the plans and progress of Baltimore City and the nine largest counties in Maryland to comply with their federal stormwater permits, a key component of the ongoing effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and restore it to health. The analysis looks carefully […]

Evan Isaacson | August 10, 2016

Climate-Related Catastrophes Require Proactive Solutions and Preparation

Two people died on July 30 after a 1,000-year storm brought devastating flooding to the lovely and historic Ellicott City, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. The 6.5 inches of rain that fell over the course of a few hours damaged or destroyed more than 150 vehicles and scores of buildings, and forced the rescue of […]

Evan Isaacson | July 29, 2016

Hidden Penalties and Secretive Settlements Make for Lousy Enforcement Policy

If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? More to the point, if law enforcement issues a civil or criminal fine or sentence without anyone knowing, does it have an effect? Thinking back to my criminal law course, I recall such philosophical discussions over the various […]

Evan Isaacson | July 5, 2016

Let’s Celebrate Some Progress on Infrastructure Investment

For decades, politicians, advocates, and the press have lamented America's aging, deteriorating, or even failing infrastructure and called for change – usually to little avail. Perhaps another strategy should be to celebrate success wherever we see it and spotlight achievements to demonstrate that we can change the situation if we choose key public investments over […]

Evan Isaacson | June 8, 2016

Lessons from Annual Bay Conference

Late last month, almost 250 water quality advocates and officials convened in Annapolis for what is likely one of the largest gatherings of Chesapeake Bay experts. The 2016 Choose Clean Water Coalition conference brought together experts from each of the seven Bay jurisdictions and the federal government to share their experiences and ideas and to […]

Evan Isaacson | May 18, 2016

Renewed Public Investment in Water Infrastructure Promotes Equality

Clean water: We can't take it for granted, as the people of Flint, Michigan, can attest. And they're not alone. In too many communities across the nation, drinking water fails to meet minimum safety standards, forcing consumers to buy bottled water and avoid the stuff coming out of their taps. We cannot say that we […]

Evan Isaacson | May 10, 2016

Trading Away the Benefits of Green Infrastructure

In the world of watershed restoration, there are multiple tools and tactics that government agencies, private landowners, and industry can use to reduce pollution and clean up our waterways. In Maryland, two of those approaches seem destined to collide. On the first track is nutrient trading, a least-cost pollution control concept predicated on the idea […]