Chesapeake Bay Executive Council Elects EPA Administrator As Chair, Starts Discussion On Steps Needed For States To Get Closer To Meeting 2025 Pollution Reduction Milestones

The Council includes governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chair of the tri-state legislative Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the EPA on behalf of the federal government.

Not Meeting Milestones

On October 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its evaluations of how the seven jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed did in meeting the 2020-21 and 2022-2023 cleanup milestones.

Only the District of Columbia and West Virginia are on track to meet their overall cleanup goals by 2025, but the other jurisdictions are not on track to meet all the cleanup goals.  Read more here.

"Pennsylvania continues to make incremental progress toward its goals; however, the current pace of implementation is not on track to meet its overall nutrient and sediment targets. EPA expects Pennsylvania to accelerate BMP implementation in the agricultural sector," the report said.

“Pennsylvania is at a truly historic moment in its work to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. “Our ramped-up work over the past six years is paying off. A record number of county-level partners are implementing changes on the ground. 

“Farmers are achieving their most efficient fertilizer application rates and modernizing with other practices to improve soil health and water quality. More landowners than ever are partnering on streambank tree plantings. 

“The Clean Streams Fund and other allocations in the recent state budget provide a major boost to these and many other Pennsylvanians working to reduce water pollution. 

“These significant milestones fuel Pennsylvania's momentum to drive toward our 2025 goal and beyond for a healthy watershed for all who depend on and enjoy its benefits,” said Gov. Wolf.

"During the past year, significant legislation and appropriations have been adopted at both the state and federal level to accelerate restoration of the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said Maryland State Senator Sarah Elfreth, chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission.  “New funding initiatives in Pennsylvania, climate legislation in Maryland and efforts to improve resiliency in Virginia—all led by Bay Commission members—collectively benefit our shared challenge and common goals.  Coupled with important federal action, these initiatives put us on course to maximize our progress to 2025 and beyond."

Council Meeting

At the meeting, the Council agreed to set a path forward over the next year to outline the necessary steps, and prioritize the actions needed, to meet the targets of the Watershed Agreement outcomes. 

This charge will consider recommendations on how to best address and integrate new science and restoration strategies, as well as emerging issues and changing conditions in the watershed (e.g., climate change). 

This critical plan is expected to be put into place in time for the 40th anniversary of the Chesapeake Bay Program in 2023.

In addition to the Watershed Agreement outcomes, the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, or Bay TMDL, calls for 100% of pollution-reducing practices to be put into place by 2025 to ensure the Bay will meet standards for healthy water quality, as defined by the EPA. 

The EPA recently released a review of the progress that the seven watershed jurisdictions are making toward this goal.

Members and designees of the Executive Council heard from Dr. Kandis Boyd, director of EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office. 

In her remarks, she reflected on the important work undertaken by the watershed jurisdictions over the past year, praising them for their ongoing leadership in working to meet these critical milestones and for the many significant improvements made to the agricultural sector.

Additionally, Dr. Boyd unveiled the 2021-2022 Bay Barometer: An Annual Report on the State of the Program and the Health of the Bay, offering a snapshot of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s activities and accomplishments over the past year. 

In particular, the most recent Bay Barometer provides data updates for the following Watershed Agreement outcomes: 2025 Watershed Implementation Plans, Blue Crab Abundance, Forest Buffers, Oysters, Public Access Sites, Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV), Sustainable Schools, Toxic Contaminants Policy & Prevention and Water Quality Standards and Attainment. 

The Council also heard from retiring Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, Ann Swanson, was the keynote speaker for the meeting, where she reflected on her 40 years of service to the Bay, which has included working across political and geographic boundaries to ensure watershed restoration remained a priority when it came to support and funding.

“The Chesapeake Bay is a vital economic engine and an irreplaceable environmental asset,” said Michael S. Regan, administrator of the EPA. “EPA is honored to join our partners as we work to deliver on our restoration goals, build resilience to climate change and ensure that the benefits of our efforts are shared by all. With the support of historic levels of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will work to advance our collective commitments to a clean Bay and watershed.”

For information on the most up-to-date progress for all 31 outcomes of the Watershed Agreement, please visit ChesapeakeProgress.

Reaction

Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Hilary Harp Falk issued this statement on the Council meeting--

“We appreciate that the partnership is taking action to assess current strategies and begin to chart a new course. However, the devil is in the details with what happens next, and we’ll be watching closely.

“After decades of missed deadlines, the watershed and people who call it home deserve a new plan that addresses challenges like climate change and growth, builds on lessons learned, and accelerates progress. 

“With historic new levels of investment, especially in Pennsylvania, and water quality improving, saving the Bay and its rivers and streams is still within reach. We cannot afford further delay.

“Fifty years ago this month, the Clean Water Act was established to guarantee fishable and swimmable waterways for the American people. The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint provides a framework—based on science and accountability—that could be successful. What has been missing to date is accountability.

“By recommitting to the core principles of partnership, science, and accountability, we can still leave a healthy, resilient watershed for the next generation.”

Last week, CBF called on the EC to demonstrate leadership, acknowledge that the states are not on track to meet the 2025 commitments, recommit to the partnership and the Bay restoration goals, and agree to develop a new plan with a specific timeline and accountability to permanently protect the Bay. 

For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage.  Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column).  Click Here to support their work.

Also visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to learn how you can help clean water grow on trees.

CBF has over 275,000 members in Bay Watershed.

Visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed webpage to learn more about cleaning up rivers and streams in Pennsylvania's portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates on Pennsylvania’s progress.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

Check DEP’s 2022 Water Quality Report to find out how clean streams are near you.

(Photo: Muddy water coming from Pennsylvania and New York through the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River just south of the Mason-Dixon Line.)

Related Articles:

-- EPA: Most States, Including Pennsylvania, Did Not Meet 2-Year Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Milestones

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation 2022 State Of The Chesapeake Blueprint Report Finds Restoration Efforts Are Off Track

-- Bay Journal: With 2025 Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Goal Out Of Reach, Region Plans For What's Next At Oct. 11 Executive Council Meeting

-- Final PA State Budget Includes Nearly $700 Million In Funding To Support Local And State Environmental, Recreation Infrastructure Projects!

Related Articles This Week:

-- IRRC Sends Order Laying Out Formal Reasons For Disapproving The Final EQB Manganese Reg; EQB/DEP Now Have 40 Days To Decide How To Proceed  [PaEN]

-- DEP Begins Accepting Applications For $103.4 Million In Abandoned Mine Reclamation Grants Starting Oct. 24  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Before The Federal Clean Water Act, There Was The Rivers And Harbors Act Of 1899 To Help Clean-Up Pittsburgh’s 3 Rivers - By James M. Seif, Former EPA Region III Administrator, Secretary of DEP  [PaEN]

[Posted: October 11, 2022]  PA Environment Digest