Bay Advocates Bring 19,000 Signatures To EPA

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Chesapeake Bay advocacy groups presented federal Environmental Protection Agency officials with the signatures of 19,000 Maryland and Virginia residents the groups say are urging strong federal action to clean the nation's largest estuary.

Tuesday's presentation in Annapolis comes a week before the EPA is scheduled to deliver a draft bay restoration strategy. The strategy was mandated under an executive order issued earlier this year by President Obama.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Environment Maryland displayed stacks of post cards and other documents containing the signatures at a press conference in front of the Chesapeake Bay Program's office.