Chesapeake Executive Council charts new course for next phase of bay restoration

BALTIMORE -- The Chesapeake Executive Council, which includes the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, pledged to update the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement which was signed a decade ago.

The council met at Governor Calvert House in Annapolis on Tuesday for what may have been considered the most important meeting in the effort to have cleaner waterways and a healthy Chesapeake Bay.

"This is not just a shared blessing, it is a shared responsibility," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. "We're adjusting our Chesapeake Bay implementation strategy based on the latest science."

The council agreed to update the agreement by the end of the year based on the findings of a 2023 report by the Chesapeake Bay Program that revealed states were not on track to meet the pollution reduction goals set forth in the 2014 agreement by the 2025 target. 

"We have to not hit the reset button," Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said. "That means streamlining, that means focusing, that means clarity in our objectives and that means delivering."

Farmers work on reducing pollution

The Chesapeake Executive Council also committed to establishing an Agricultural Advisory Committee to work with farmers on reducing pollution in the bay.

"Addressing agricultural runoff and stormwater pollution remains a priority," said Martha Shimkin, Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Investments to clean waterways

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced $24 million in investments to clean up the rivers and streams that flow to the Chesapeake Bay. Gov. Moore announced plans to introduce a new package of bills aimed at advancing bay restoration in Maryland.

"To ensure that we're comprehensively evaluating the pollution-reduction methods that we are pursuing," Gov. Moore said.