Our Say: Any bay cleanup effort needs federal muscle

It was cold at Sandy Point State Park on Monday when U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin announced his legislative plan to jump-start stalled cleanup efforts for the Chesapeake Bay.

It will be much colder in another place - one where the sign over the entrance advises new residents to "abandon all hope" - before bay-area states voluntarily meet long-range cleanup goals. Nothing important will happen unless the federal government is ready to step in and yank development permits or withhold aid if - or, more likely, when - states fail to meet their pollution-reduction goals. Cardin's well-intentioned and useful legislation...