Chesapeake Executive Council

The Executive Council establishes the vision and strategic direction for the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay.

Meetings

About

The Chesapeake Executive Council consists of the governors of the six watershed states, the mayor of Washington, D.C., the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Executive Council meets at least annually, and:

  • Establishes the policy direction for the restoration and protection of the Bay and its living resources.
  • Provides leadership to promote public support for Bay restoration and protection.
  • Is accountable to the public for progress made under Bay agreements.
Members of the Chesapeake Executive Council stand in front of a large glass window overlooking the Baltimore Harbor.
The Chesapeake Executive Council met in Baltimore on December 2, 2025, to revise the partnership's guiding agreement. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

History

The Executive Council was established by the 1983 Chesapeake Bay Agreement. Under the 1987 Chesapeake Bay 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. Chesapeake 2000 marked the official inclusion of the Bay’s headwater states (Delaware, New York and West Virginia) in the Bay Program’s restoration efforts. The governors of New York and Delaware committed to the agreement's water quality goals through a memorandum of understanding signed in 2000. The governor of West Virginia added his signature in 2002.

Publications

Charge to the Principals' Staff Committee: Tribes as a Formal and Enduring Partner in the Chesapeake Bay Program

Publication date:

This charge directs the Principals' Staff Committee to work with federally recognized tribal nations to develop recommendations on how best to include tribes across the watershed in the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership.

View document [PDF, 73.8 KB] Charge to the Principals' Staff Committee: Tribes as a Formal and Enduring Partner in the Chesapeake Bay Program

Our Members