The Chesapeake Executive Council was established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983. Under the 1987 Agreement membership changed from cabinet secretaries to the Governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a legislative body serving Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The Executive Council establishes the policy direction for the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its living resources. A series of Directives, Agreements and Amendments signed by the Executive Council set goals and guide policy for the Bay restoration.
The Executive Council exerts leadership to marshall public support for the Bay effort and is accountable to the public for progress made under the Bay Agreements. The Council meets annually. Its Principal Staff Committee meets as needed to facilitate communication among the Implementation Committee, the advisory committees (Citizens Advisory Committee, Local Government Advisory Committee and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee), and the Chesapeake Executive Council.
Recent Annual Meetings