Search Results

Directive No. 98-2 directs the Chesapeake Bay Program to convene and manage an effort that will lead to the adoption of a Year 2000 Chesapeake Bay Agreement. It further directs that the process include: (1) An assessment of the progress to date under the Bay Agreements and directives. (2) A synthesis of new science relevant to the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort and the long-term health of the ecosystem.

Directive No. 24-1 establishes the Chesapeake Bay Program's Agricultural Advisory Committee. The intent of this committee is to facilitate greater engagement of the agricultural sector in the policy development conversations of the Chesapeake Bay Program and to serve as a voice for producers to Chesapeake Bay Program leadership by providing high-level policy recommendations to the Chesapeake Executive Council, Principals’ Staff Committee and Management Board. Reciprocally, Advisory Committee members will also help inform their agricultural networks on the goals and progress of the partnership.

This resolution calls upon the President and United States Congress to continue the current level of federal support for the Chesapeake Bay Program, including the coordinating role of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program. It also calls for science, monitoring, modeling and restoration to continue with the full participation of local, state and federal agencies and private sector partners as appropriate.

In 1992, recognizing the significant role that agriculture plays in Chesapeake Bay restoration, the Chesapeake Executive Council launched the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Initiative to develop strategies for the agricultural community to reach their nutrient reduction goals. Based on recommendations from the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Initiative Committee, Directive No. 94-2 commits the Chesapeake Bay Program to: (1) Develop reciprocal certification programs for nutrient management professionals among Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. (2) Determine the feasibility of developing reciprocal certification for other total resource management components such as forestry, integrated pest management and erosion control.

Through this resolution, the Chesapeake Executive Council recognizes that the new Farm Bill of 2002 can support both technical and financial resources in addressing nutrient reduction needs, as well as encouraging conservation, innovation and partnerships in watersheds such as the Chesapeake Bay. The resolution urges the Secretary of Agriculture to make the Chesapeake Bay watershed a priority objective by heightening coordination efforts with other federal departments and agencies in order to leverage resources available from federal programs, such as the Farm Bill, the private sector and the states. It also urges the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize, where appropriate, the experience of the Chesapeake Bay Program as Farm Bill rules are developed for programs included in Title 2: Conservation; Title 7: Research; Title 8: Forestry; and Title 9: Energy.

This resolution commends the Chesapeake Bay watershed's local governments and local utilities for taking the necessary steps to make the modifications required to reduce the wastewater sector’s pollutant discharges nearly a decade ahead of schedule. The resolution also commits the Chesapeake Executive Council to speak out on behalf of clean water and to help raise awareness about the benefits of investing public funds in watershed protection and restoration efforts and the importance of taking action at the local level, through the production and distribution of Public Service Announcements, and the use of social media and other public venues as appropriate. Finally, it charges the Principals’ Staff Committee to evaluate and pursue opportunities to increase public funding and private investment for local implementation of conservation and restoration activities that achieve local healthy streams, rivers and a vibrant Chesapeake Bay, particularly activities that reduce pollutants from stormwater runoff and address the problem of recurrent flooding.

The Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (GIT) Governance Protocols articulate the decision-making procedures and cross-sector communication processes observed by the GIT and its workgroups.

Outlines actions to be implemented by the Chesapeake Bay Program with the partnership of the Department of Agriculture, state and local governments, the environmental and agricultural communities, the private sector and other Federal agencies.