Members of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council approved a revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement Tuesday following a meeting in Baltimore. The latest agreement establishes goals to guide the next phase of Bay restoration. 

The council was created in 1983 and includes the governors of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia and West Virginia; the mayor of Washington, D.C.; the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Since its inception, the council has used agreements to guide bay restoration efforts. 

During Tuesday's meeting, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was elected as chair of the council, succeeding Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who served as chair for two years. 

Latest Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement 

According to the council, many of the goals from the previous Bay Agreement have suggested completion dates in 2025. The updated agreement uses the latest science and focuses on conservation to build on the goals that have already been achieved. 

The new agreement includes four goals: Thriving Habitats, Fisheries and Wildlife; Clean Water; Healthy Landscapes and Engaged Communities. The agreement also includes 21 outcomes.

"It reflects our unanimous support for accelerating the completion of our current reduction targets and sets clear timelines for developing and meeting the next set of targets," said Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair Sara Love.

"The more than 18 million who call the Bay area home depend on its health, from farmers in Pennsylvania, to crabbers in Maryland, to boat builders in Virginia, and everyone in between," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi said.

Following the meeting, the Chesapeake Bay Program was tasked with updating and developing management strategies for each goal, outlining how it would be achieved. 

"The revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement will make our rivers and streams cleaner," Gov. Moore said in a statement. "It will bolster Maryland's seafood, tourism and recreational businesses. Most importantly, it will ensure we protect the precious heirloom that is the Chesapeake Bay so we can pass it down to the next generations in a better condition than we received it."

Meeting in Baltimore 

During the meeting, the council called for recommendations on how best to include federally recognized tribes in the Chesapeake Bay Program. 

"The work of this commission would not be complete without the ICC (Indigenous Conservation Council of the Chesapeake Bay)," Gov. Moore said. "Without your leadership, without your guidance, and without making sure that our tribal land and our tribal peoples are deeply ingrained with any future vision that we have."

The council also heard from four advisory committees that represent agricultural, local government, resident and scientific and technical interests. It was the first time the Agricultural Advisory Committee had participated in a meeting since it was established in December 2024.