Chesapeake Executive Council - All Meetings

The Chesapeake Executive Council will convene for their annual meeting on Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Chesapeake Executive Council consists of the governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia; the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chair of the tri-state legislative Chesapeake Bay Commission; and the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, who represents the federal government.

The Chesapeake Executive Council establishes the policy direction for the restoration, protection and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay and it's habitats, wildlife and fisheries. They provide leadership in promoting public support for Bay restoration, protection and conservation, and are held accountable by the public for progress made under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. 

Attendees:

• Governor Wes Moore, State of Maryland (Executive Council Chair)
• Governor Matthew Meyer, State of Delaware
• Governor Josh Shapiro, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Governor Glenn Youngkin, Commonwealth of Virginia
• Mayor Muriel Bowser, District of Columbia
• Maryland State Senator Sara Love (Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair)
• Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi
• Elizabeth Wolters, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Agriculture and Markets, State of New York
• Jeremy Bandy, Director, Division of Water and Waste Management, State of West Virginia

• View agenda [PDF, 68.6 KB] 2025 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2024 Chesapeake Executive Council meeting took take place on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at the Governor Calvert House in Annapolis, Maryland. The Chesapeake Executive Council was established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983 to set goals and provide guidance for the regional federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. To learn about the meeting, read our Press Release: Chesapeake Executive Council announces plans to revise existing Watershed Agreement.

Attendees

• The Honorable Wes Moore, Governor, State of Maryland (Chair)
• The Honorable Josh Shapiro, Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Glenn Youngkin, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
• The Honorable David Bulova, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Jane Nishida, Acting Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• Richard Jackson, Director, Department of Energy and Environment, District of Columbia
• Scott Mandirola, Deputy Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, State of West Virginia
• Carol Lamb-Lafay, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Water Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York

• View agenda [PDF, 56.8 KB] 2024 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2023 Chesapeake Executive Council meeting was held at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, October 19, 2023.

Attendees

• Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Acting Chair)
• Wes Moore, Governor, State of Maryland
• Muriel Bowser, Mayor, District of Columbia
• Pennsylvania State Senator Scott Martin, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• Rich Negrin, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Travis Voyles, Secretary, Natural and Historic Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia
• Jim Tierney, Deputy Commissioner for Water Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York
• Scott Mandirola, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, State of West Virginia

• View agenda [PDF, 96.6 KB] 2023 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2022 Chesapeake Executive Council meeting was held at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

Attendees

• The Honorable Michael Regan, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable Larry Hogan, Governor, State of Maryland
• The Honorable Glenn Youngkin, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
• The Honorable Sarah Elfreth, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• The Honorable Basil Seggos, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York
• The Honorable Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy and Environment, District of Columbia

• View agenda [PDF, 105.9 KB] 2022 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The Chesapeake Executive Council met in Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. The public meeting took place from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. in the East Reading Room at the Patrick Henry Building.

Attendees

• The Honorable Ralph Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable David Bulova, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• The Honorable Ben Grumbles, Secretary, Maryland Department of the Environment
• The Honorable Basil Seggos, Commissioner, New York Department of Environmental Conservation
• The Honorable Russell Redding, Secretary, Maryland Department of Agriculture
• The Honorable Tommy Wells, Director, District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment
• The Honorable Scott Mandirola, Deputy Secretary of External Affairs and Chief Science Officer, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

• View agenda [PDF, 101.3 KB] December 2021 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2021 Chesapeake Executive Council meeting was held at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach on Friday, October 1, 2021. 

Attendees

• The Honorable Ralph Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable Larry J. Hogan Jr., Governor, State of Maryland
• The Honorable David Bulova, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Diana Esher, Acting Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Russell Redding, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy & Environment, District of Columbia
• The Honorable Scott Mandirola, Deputy Secretary of External Affairs and Chief Science Officer, State of West Virginia
• Terry Deputy, Director, Division of Water Stewardship, State of Delaware

• View agenda [PDF, 68.1 KB] October 2021 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2020 Executive Council meeting was held virtually on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.

Attendees

• The Honorable Larry J. Hogan, Jr., Governor, State of Maryland (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable Ralph Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
• The Honorable Gene Yaw, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Doug Benevento, Associate Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Austin Caperton, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, State of West Virginia
• The Honorable Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• The Honorable Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Basil Seggos, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York
• The Honorable Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy and Environment, District of Columbia

• View agenda [PDF, 83.7 KB] 2020 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2019 Executive Council meeting took place Thursday, September 5, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET at Oxon Hill Manor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Attendees:

• The Honorable Larry J. Hogan, Jr., Governor, State of Maryland
• The Honorable Ralph Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
• The Honorable Tawanna P. Gaines, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Andrew Wheeler, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Austin Caperton, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, State of West Virginia
• The Honorable Shawn M. Garvin, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• The Honorable Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Jim Tierney, Deputy Commissioner for Water Resouces, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York
• The Honorable Rashad Young, City Administrator, District of Columbia
• The Honorable Richard Fordyce, Administrator, Farm Service Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture

• View agenda [PDF, 85.3 KB] 2019 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2018 Executive Council meeting took place on August 7, 2018 from 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. ET at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park in Baltimore, Maryland.

Attendees:

• The Honorable Larry J. Hogan Jr., Governor, State of Maryland (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable Ralph Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
• The Honorable John C. Carney, Jr., Governor, State of Delaware
• The Honorable Frank Wagner, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Andrew Wheeler, Acting Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Austin Caperton, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, State of West Virginia
• The Honorable Kevin Donahue, Deputy City Administrator, District of Columbia
• The Honorable Jim Tierney, Deputy Commissioner for Water Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York
• The Honorable Jamie Clover Adams, Chief of Staff, Farm Production and Conservation, U.S. Department of Agriculture

• View agenda [PDF, 247.3 KB] 2018 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The 2017 Executive Council meeting was held Thursday, June 8, 2017 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in Annapolis, Maryland. The public meeting took place in the Governor's Reception Room in the State House.

At the meeting, representatives from the six Chesapeake Bay watershed states, the District of Columbia and the Chesapeake Bay Commission signed a resolution in support of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. The 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. Because of advocacy statements contained within the resolution, federal law and practice prohibited the EPA from signing.

Members of the Executive Council also elected Maryland Governor Larry Hogan as the new Chair. Governor Hogan succeeds Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who became chair on January 1, 2015.

Attendees

• The Honorable Terence R. McAuliffe, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable Larry J. Hogan Jr., Governor, State of Maryland
• The Honorable L. Scott Lingamfelter, Vice-Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Austin Caperton, Cabinet Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, State of West Virginia
• The Honorable Shawn Garvin, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• The Honorable Patrick McDonnell, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy and Environment, District of Columbia
• The Honorable Ken Wagner, Senior Advisor to the Administrator for State and Regional Affairs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• View agenda [PDF, 286.3 KB] 2017 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

On Tuesday, October 4, 2016, the Chesapeake Executive Council held its annual meeting to set goals and guidance for the partnership at the Virginia State Arboretum in Boyce, VA.

During this meeting, members of the council adopted a resolution to support and collaborate with local governments and noted the signs of resiliency that are beginning to be seen throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Executive Council also heard from Chesapeake Bay Program Director, Nick DiPasquale, who discussed the partnership’s work over the past year, and Brigadier General William Graham, who presented the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chesapeake Bay Comprehensive Plan.

As chair of the Executive Council, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe presided over the public meeting and press conference following a private luncheon at the Virginia State Arboretum in Boyce, VA.

Attendees

• The Honorable Terence R. McAuliffe, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable Thomas Wolf, Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Thomas McLain ‘Mac’ Middleton, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Gina McCarthy, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Ben Grumbles, Secretary, Department of the Environment, State of Maryland
• The Honorable Kara Coats, Deputy Secretary, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• The Honorable James Tierney, Deputy Commissioner for Water Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, State of New York
• The Honorable Beverly Perry, Senior Advisor, District of Columbia
• The Honorable Brigadier General William Graham, Commander and Division Engineer, North Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• The Honorable Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Event Photographs

To view photographs from this event, please visit our Flickr album.

• View agenda [PDF, 246.6 KB] 2016 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

On Thursday, July 23, the Chesapeake Executive Council held its annual meeting to set goals and guidance for the partnership at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. During their afternoon press event, Council members announced the release of twenty-five management strategies outlining the Chesapeake Bay Program’s plans for achieving the goals and outcomes of the landmark Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, advancing the restoration, conservation and protection of the Bay, its tributaries and the surrounding lands.

In addition to announcing the strategies, the Executive Council also passed two resolutions—first, endorsing the recommendations of the State Riparian Forest Buffer Task Force and committing to collaborative efforts that will increase the miles of forests on agricultural lands, and second, that the Bay Program hold a symposium on financing environmental restoration efforts. Members also agreed to two joint letters, one supporting programs to keep livestock out of streams and another supporting funding in the President’s 2016 budget for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which includes more than $33 million for the Rivers of the Chesapeake collaborative proposal. The Executive Council also heard from Bay Program Director Nick DiPasquale, who discussed the partnership's work over the last year.

As chair of the Executive Council, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe presided over the public meeting, which began with a private luncheon at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. The Council then held a public session, followed by a press conference.

Attendees

• The Honorable Terence R. McAuliffe, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia (Executive Council Chair)
• The Honorable L. Scott Lingamfelter, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission (Delegate, VA)
• The Honorable Muriel Bowser, Mayor, District of Columbia
• The Honorable Gina McCarthy, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Boyd K. Rutherford, Lieutenant Governor, State of Maryland
• The Honorable Ed Kee, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, State of Delaware
• The Honorable John Quigley, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Event Photographs

To view photographs from this event, please visit our Flickr album.

• View agenda [PDF, 189.7 KB] 2015 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

On Monday, June 16, the Chesapeake Executive Council held its annual meeting to set goals and guidance for the Chesapeake Bay Program. During their afternoon press event, the Council announced and signed the new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, a collaborative plan that will guide the seven Bay jurisdictions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Chesapeake Bay Commission in the restoration and stewardship of the Bay, its tributaries and the lands that surround them.

The Executive Council also heard from Bay Program Director Nick DiPasquale, who discussed the partnership’s work over the last two years; the Bay Program’s three advisory committees, which represent citizens, local governments and scientific and technical interests from across the watershed; and four high school students from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, who spoke about the importance of engaging future generations in environmental restoration, advocacy and leadership.

As chair of the Executive Council, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley hosted the meeting, which began with a public session in the Governor’s Reception Room at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Following a private luncheon, the council held a press conference at Susan B. Campbell Park.

Details

• 10 to 11:40 a.m.: Public Meeting: Governor's Reception Room, Maryland State House Annapolis, MD
• Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Private Executive Council Luncheon
• 1:30 p.m.: Press Conference: Susan B. Campbell Park, Annapolis, MD

Attendees

• Gov. Martin O'Malley, Maryland (Executive Council Chair)
• Rep. Ronald Miller, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• Gov. Jack Markell, Delaware
• Mayor Vincent C. Gray, District of Columbia
• Gov. Thomas Corbett, Pennsylvania
• Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Virginia
• Scott Mandirola, Director, Division of Water and Waste Management, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
• Gina McCarthy, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Ann Mills, Deputy Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Nick DiPasquale, Director, Chesapeake Bay Program

Event Photographs

To view photographs from the 2014 meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council, please visit our Flickr set.

• View agenda [PDF, 501.9 KB] 2014 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting and Press Conference

On Thursday, December 12, the Chesapeake Executive Council held a public presentation and press event at the U.S. National Arboretum Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. Executive Council members highlighted the Chesapeake Bay Program's thirty-year history, discussed future restoration and conservation efforts, and named Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley its new council chair. O’Malley served two consecutive terms as chair in 2007 and 2008, and accepted this transfer of leadership from District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray, who became chair in July 2012. O'Malley promised to lead the Bay Program and its partners into a new era of progress and accountability, which will include the signing of a new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. The agreement, now in its draft form, will be the fourth of its kind and will set a series of goals and outcomes that will guide restoration across the watershed.

In Attendance

• Vincent C. Gray, Mayor, District of Columbia
• Martin O'Malley, Governor, Maryland
• Maggie McIntosh, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• Robert Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Collin O'Mara, Secretary, Delaware Department of Recreation and Environmental Control
• Kylah Hynes, Associate Director, New York Governors Office
• Andrew Zemba, Director, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
• Doug Domenech, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources
• Teresa Koon, Assistant Director, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
• Ann Mills, Deputy Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Event Photographs

To view photographs from this event, please visit our Flickr album.

The Chesapeake Executive Council announced progress under the first set of Chesapeake Bay cleanup milestones at its annual meeting on July 9 at Gunston Hall, near Lorton, Virginia. They discussed the benefits of this system of short, two-year milestones and how, in the future, it will help partners meet the requirements of the Bay “pollution diet.” The Council also announced the 37 recipients of technical support under the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s “Local Government Green Infrastructure Initiative” and elected Mayor Vincent C. Gray of the District of Columbia as its new Chair.

In Attendance:

• Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency & Executive Council Chair
• Governor Martin O’Malley, Maryland
• Mayor Vincent C. Gray, District of Columbia
• Senator (Va.) Emmett Hanger, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Doug Domenech, Secretary of Natural Resources, Virginia
• Michael Krancer, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania
• Collin O’Mara, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control, Delaware
• James Tierney, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation, New York
• Teresa Koon, Assistant Director, Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia

• View agenda [PDF, 420.6 KB] 2012 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The Chesapeake Executive Council announced progress toward Chesapeake Bay cleanup milestones, discussed plans for meeting requirements of the Bay “pollution diet,” and encouraged individual Bay stewardship at its annual meeting on July 11 at the Maymont Foundation in Richmond, Virginia.

Attendees:

• Lisa Jackson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency & Executive Council Chair
• Governor Robert McDonnell, Virginia
• Governor Martin O’Malley, Maryland
• Governor Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania
• Mayor Vincent Gray, District of Columbia
• Senator Michael Brubaker, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• James Tierney, Assistant Commissioner for Water Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, New York
• Teresa Koon, Assistant Director, Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia
• Collin O’Mara, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control, Delaware
• Ed Kee, Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Delaware

The Chesapeake Executive Council held its annual meeting on Thursday, June 3, 2010, at the Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland. At the meeting, the Executive Council launched ChesapeakeStat, an online tool to increase accountability and improve coordination of Bay Program restoration activities. ChesapeakeStat:

• Presents comprehensive information about Bay Program activities, funding and progress toward goals.
• Allows Bay Program leaders, federal and state agencies, local governments, non-governmental organizations and members of the public to use the same information to track and plan restoration efforts.
• Highlights local restoration activities by allowing people to upload photos and videos to a map.

In addition to launching ChesapeakeStat, Executive Council members discussed restoration work done since the last Executive Council meeting in May 2009 and progress on the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

Executive Council members spent part of the afternoon with Baltimore students restoring a wetland.

Attendees:

• Robert Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Martin O’Malley, Governor, Maryland
• Robert McDonnell, Governor, Virginia
• Adrian Fenty, Mayor, Washington, D.C.
• Thomas “Mac” McLain Middleton, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission

The Chesapeake Executive Council held its annual meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at Historic Mount Vernon, Virginia. Executive Council members charted a new course for the Chesapeake Bay’s recovery by setting new short-term goals to reduce pollution to the Bay and dramatically accelerate the pace of restoration.

Instead of pursuing a distant deadline, the seven Bay jurisdictions -- Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, New York and the District of Columbia -- will now focus on short, two-year goals called milestones. The milestones announced at the 2009 EC meeting are set to be met by December 31, 2011.

Watershed-wide:

• The rate of progress in reducing nitrogen will accelerate by 77 percent, for a projected reduction of 15.8 million pounds.
• The rate of progress in reducing phosphorus will increase by 79 percent, for a projected reduction of 1.1 million pounds.

By meeting these and future milestones, the Bay jurisdictions will put in place all pollution control measures necessary for a restored Bay no later than 2025.

The same day as the 2009 EC meeting, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order that declares the Chesapeake a national treasure and increases the federal commitment to restoring the Bay. The Executive Order includes:

• Establishing a Bay federal leadership committee
• Directing EPA to fully use its Clean Water Act authorities
• Reducing water pollution from federal property
• Developing a Bay climate change strategy
• Improving agricultural conservation practices
• Expanding public access to the Bay

Attendees

• Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Virginia, and Executive Council Chairman
• Lisa Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Governor Martin O’Malley, Maryland
• Jay Jensen, Deputy Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Mayor Adrian Fenty, District of Columbia
• Delegate John Cosgrove, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• John Hanger, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
• Collin O’Mara, Secretary, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Bill Brannon, Deputy Director, West Virginia Water & Waste Management
• Navis Bermudez, Associate Director of Federal Policy, Office of the Governor, New York

The Chesapeake Executive Council met on November 20, 2008 at Union Station in Washington, D.C., to announce plans to set new milestones for Bay restoration, request support for the Bay from the President-elect, pursue development of next-generation biofuels in the Chesapeake region and increase partner accountability for restoration of the Bay and its watershed.

Led by outgoing chairman Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and incoming chairman Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, the Executive Council adopted a new strategy to speed up the pace of Bay restoration and become more accountable by setting two-year milestones to reduce pollution to the Bay and its rivers. The new two-year milestones will:

• Focus the Bay Program partnership on achieving short-term goals that will intensify restoration efforts.
• Be set and announced in spring 2009, when the most current scientific data about pollution levels becomes available through the annual Health and Restoration Assessment.
• Lead up to an overall deadline for Bay restoration, which will also be set in spring 2009.

In addition to the new two-year restoration milestones, the Executive Council announced:

• Progress toward completing the Chesapeake TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load), a federal pollution budget that will be the largest of its kind in the nation. (Read more about the Chesapeake TMDL)
• A request to the President-elect and 111th Congress to support legislative measures to accelerate Chesapeake restoration.
• Plans to position the Chesapeake region as a leader in the production of next-generation biofuels. (Read the Executive Council Biofuels Directive.)
• Bay Program partners’ progress on the “champion” roles they selected at the 2007 Executive Council meeting. (Read more about the champion roles.)
• Plans for an independent scientific evaluator to help improve the Bay Program’s effectiveness.
• Support for Chesapeake Bay FieldScope, a National Geographic education project.

Participating in the 2008 Executive Council meeting were executives from the six Bay states, the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Chesapeake Executive Council (EC) met at the State House in Annapolis, Maryland on December 5, 2007 to chart a new course to accelerate efforts to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution throughout the Bay watershed.

Led by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Chair of the Executive Council, principals attending the meeting each agreed to “champion” an issue or issues that are vital to restore our streams, rivers and the Bay, intending that the outcomes of the various projects or programs be models that are transferable to towns, municipalities, counties and other cities and states. Looking to the areas of most concern in individual jurisdictions, each leader found that there were specific issues they could focus on, using the expertise available to them. As each ‘Champion' makes progress, they will report back to the partnership and the partners will be encouraged to consider these individual models, and modify them for their respective uses.

Champion Issues by Jurisdiction

Chesapeake Bay Commission

• Along with Pennsylvania, the CBC will convene a Biofuels Summit which will explore ways to accelerate use of cellulosic material such as switchgrass as sources of ethanol instead of corn.
• Encourage Congress to pass a Farm Bill that sharply increases funding for conservation practices in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Lead the region's action to secure funding from Congress to upgrade the Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant in the District of Columbia, which is the largest single nutrient discharger in the Bay watershed.
• Work with Maryland and Virginia to develop actions that enhance blue crab stock

Delaware

• Host a workshop on carbon sequestration to help identify activities on agricultural and forest lands that both contribute to Bay restoration efforts and absorb carbon dioxide gas, which contributes to global climate change.

District of Columbia

• Promote green development techniques, including the use of green infrastructure, such as planting urban trees, to reduce runoff.

Maryland

• Improve accountability in the Bay cleanup through new approaches such as Maryland's “BayStat” program which seeks to target, track and measure the impact of restoration practices.
• Hold Local Leadership Summit that focuses on finding ways to make local governments, communities and citizens true partners in the cleanup effort.
• Along with Virginia and CBC, develop actions that enhance blue crab stock.
• Create an Innovative Technology Fund to promote investments in technologies that could speed Bay restoration efforts. MD and EPA have pledged $250K each and requested contributions from other partners.

Pennsylvania

• In partnership with CBC, convene a Biofuels Summit which will explore ways to accelerate use of cellulosic material such as switchgrass as sources of ethanol instead of corn.
• Also in partnership with CBC, encourage Congress to pass a Farm Bill that sharply increases funding for conservation practices in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Support a study to better understand the movement of sediments trapped behind the Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River.

West Virginia

• Share proven strategies, and develop new strategies to engage headwater communities in local water quality activities.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• Develop a comprehensive implementation action plan reflecting Federal and State action to restore and protect the watershed and Bay
• Create an Innovative Technology Fund to promote investments in technologies that could speed Bay restoration efforts. EPA and MD have pledged $250K each and requested contributions from other partners.
• Promote green development techniques, including the use of green infrastructure, such as planting urban trees, to reduce runoff in conjunction with the District of Columbia.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

• Coordinate implementation of Forest Conservation Goals

U.S. Department of the Navy

• Low Impact Development Policy - Implement new policy for "no net increase" of stormwater runoff from all Navy and Marine Corps facilities.

Other Actions

The Executive Council signed a letter to Congress in support of the 2007 Farm Bill. The Council also signed a “2007 Response to Directive 06-1” which commits to conserve an additional 695,000 acres of forest in the watershed, by discouraging conversion of the most valuable forests and giving priority to forests in land conservation programs.

• View agenda [PDF, 27.7 KB] 2007 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

Political leaders of the Bay region met on Friday, Sept. 22, on Kent Island, Md., for the annual Chesapeake Executive Council meeting to adopt new measures aimed at improving water quality throughout the watershed.

The waters of the Bay served as the backdrop for the signing of four important policy directives:

• Protecting the Forests of the Chesapeake Watershed
• The Healthy Lawns and Clean Water Initiative, which will reduce the amount of phosphorus in lawn fertilizer sold in the watershed.
• Assisting Farmers: Accelerating Agricultural Implementation of the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategies, which recognizes the need for increased funding for conservation programs and technical assistance in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Prior to Friday's formal meeting, a Watershed Restoration Fair was held at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, Md., to celebrate the organizations throughout the watershed that are helping to make Bay restoration a reality. The fair included exhibits and presentations by over 90 conservation and restoration groups, including:

• American Rivers
• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• Perdue AgriRecycle
• Snyder County (Pa.) Conservation District
• Upper Susquehanna Coalition
• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fish

Four Businesses for the Bay facilities received recognition from Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich for their pollution prevention and nutrient reduction successes: Volvo Powertrain (Md.), Wenger's Feed Mill (Pa.), Trammell Crow Company (D.C.) and Degussa Goldschmidt Chemical Corporation (Va.).

Forest Conservation Directive

The Forest Conservation Directive obligates the signatories to identify where forests are needed most to protect water quality in their jurisdiction, and to establish individual numeric goals for forest conservation. In addition, the directive provides guidelines for developing a framework with milestones to help implement and track progress toward the numeric goal.

This directive will mark the first time the partners have joined together to support a forestland conservation initiative, formally recognizing the vital and often overlooked role forests play in improving water quality.

Coinciding with the signing of the Forest Conservation Directive is the release of The State of Chesapeake Forests. This in-depth report paints a clear picture of the values of and threats to the watershed's forests, and is the first-ever comprehensive look at how retaining and expanding forests in critical areas of the watershed may be the most cost-effective strategy to ensure long-term nutrient load reductions to the Bay.

The Healthy Lawns and Clean Water Initiative

The Executive Council partnered with the Lawn Care Product Manufacturing Industry to sign another groundbreaking policy. The Healthy Lawns and Clean Water Initiative will, by 2009, reduce by 50 percent the pounds of phosphorus in lawn care products sold in the watershed. A second initiative addressing nitrogen in fertilizers will be developed for the 2007 Executive Council meeting.

Assisting Farmers: Accelerating Agricultural Implementation of the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategies

In a complementary action, the non-federal members of the council signed an agreement to support efforts to have funding included in the 2007 Farm Bill that would provide the watershed's 87,000 farms the ability to institute environmentally sound practices. The directive includes a statement recognizing the importance of technical assistance to conservation program implementation, and lists three state commitments regarding the leveraging of federal funds, the provisioning of adequate technical assistance and the coordination of state efforts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

• View agenda [PDF, 26.3 KB] 2006 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

On November 29, 2005, the Chesapeake Executive Council met at the National Geographic Society building in Washington, D.C. to adopt several measures to accelerate the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. This annual meeting was held in collaboration with a National Geographic Summit on Chesapeake Bay Education.

Executive Council members committed to the following initiatives that will produce immediate and long-term results in the Bay's health:

• Reducing nutrient pollution from livestock operations. Executive Council members adopted an animal manure management strategy that calls for working with farmers to reduce the surplus nutrients from agricultural operations throughout the watershed.
• Providing regional recommendations for the 2007 Farm Bill. Leaders from the Bay states presented a report outlining the region's top five priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill; their recommendations are further detailed in the report, The 2007 Farm Bill: Concepts for Conservation Reform in the Chesapeake Bay Region.
• Improving upon current fisheries management activities. The Executive Council adopted a framework for an ecosystem-based fishery management approach for the Chesapeake Bay.
• Expanding Chesapeake Bay stewardship efforts. Executive Council members, regional school system leaders and environmental education providers signed an agreement to continue to expand Chesapeake Bay stewardship efforts.

During the National Geographic Summit on Chesapeake Bay Education, regional experts discussed the future of environmental education in the Bay watershed. Sessions focused on opportunities provided by the upcoming 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, new directions and technologies in the education arena, and current education practices in the watershed.

• View agenda [PDF, 111.5 KB] 2005 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

The Chesapeake Executive Council gathered on the grounds of George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate on January 10, 2005 to adopt several measures that will improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.

At the meeting, the Executive Council announced plans for reducing pollution, improving living resource habitats, and expanding restoration funding, including:

• Adopting several recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Finance Panel including creating a panel of finance and legal experts to outline the actions necessary to establish a regional financing authority;
• Committing to a new animal manure and poultry litter directive that will promote sound agricultural waste management practices and reduce nutrient pollution flowing into the Bay;
• Continuing native oyster restoration efforts to meet goals set in the Chesapeake 2000 agreement;
• Expanding fish passage restoration goals to spur the reopening of 1,000 miles of high-quality migratory fish habitat within the Bay watershed; and
• Renewing efforts to provde Bay watershed students educational experiences linking them to the Bay and its rivers.

The Executive Council includes the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Representatives of the Bay's headwater states, Delaware, New York and West Virginia, joined the Executive Council in the meeting.

On December 9, 2003, Bay restoration leaders held the annual meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council at the George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement.

At the meeting, the Executive Council announced several Bay restoration initiatives for improving water quality, protecting native species and increasing Bay restoration funding:

• A new 10,000-mile forest buffer restoration goal will help protect riparian forest buffers along the streams and rivers that feed the Bay.
• A new submerged aquatic vegetation restoration strategy will aim to restore 185,000 acres of underwater grasses in the Bay.
• An amendment to the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan will include new harvest targets and thresholds to ensure the long-term health of the Bay's blue crabs.
• A Blue Ribbon Financing Panel will work with regional business and political leaders to find the billion dollars needed to improve water quality and protect the future of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Executive Council includes the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Representatives of the Bay's headwater states, Delaware, New York and West Virginia, joined the Executive Council for the first time in this annual meeting.

• View agenda [PDF, 85.9 KB] 2003 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

Chesapeake Executive Council members gathered on the banks of the Anacostia River on October 31st to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and look forward to the challenges of implementing more than 100 commitments set forth in the Chesapeake 2000 agreement. The annual meeting included discussion of improving water quality throughout the Bay watershed, expanding citizen and local government involvement and restoring habitats crucial to the well being of the Bay's living resources.

As part of continuing Bay restoration efforts, the Executive Council released for public comment a draft of a Comprehensive Oyster Management Plan designed to improve dwindling stocks of one of the Bay's keystone species, and accepted a Local Government Participation Action Plan that works to further coordinate the Bay Program's restoration efforts with those of the 1,650 local governments in the watershed. Members also signed a Resolution to Enhance the Role of the United States Department of Agriculture in the Chesapeake Bay Partnership that will enhance the current partnership by exploring ways in which federal support for farmers can also be used to restore the Bay and its rivers.

The Executive Council also elected Virginia Governor Mark Warner as its new chair. Since the signing of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement in June 2000, Mayor Williams had served as the Executive Council's chair.

• View agenda [PDF, 426.3 KB] 2002 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

On December 3, 2001, the Chesapeake Executive Council held its annual meeting at Washington, DC's Union Station. The Executive Council set in motion policies to improve storm water management on federal, state and District-owned land and hosted two signing ceremonies enhancing partnerships formed to restore the Chesapeake Bay.

In keeping with this year's theme of improving urban waterways, the 2001 Anacostia Watershed Restoration Agreement was signed to restore the Anacostia River, one of the key Priority Urban Waters identified in the Chesapeake 2000 agreement.

The second agreement, among the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Center for Watershed Protection and the National Association of Home Builders, launched the "Builders for the Bay" program which encourages Bay-friendly development practices.

• View agenda [PDF, 73.1 KB] 2001 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting

On June 28, 2000, the Chesapeake Executive Council met in Friendship, Maryland to sign a new agreement that will guide the next decade of restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The agreement contains commitments that will improve water quality and protect living resources in the Bay and its tributaries. It will also remove the Bay from the federal list of impaired waters by 2010. This action by the Executive Council -- Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening; Pennsylvania Governor Thomas J. Ridge; Virginia Governor James S. Gilmore, III; District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol M. Browner; and Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair Bill Bolling -- culminates two years of work to develop the new agreement. The jurisdictions and governmental bodies represented in the Executive Council lead the cooperative Chesapeake Bay Program. Council members also selected Mayor Williams to serve as chair of the Executive Council for the next year. Gov. Glendening has served as chair since 1997.

Chesapeake 2000: A Watershed Partnership is the most comprehensive and far-reaching agreement in the Bay Program’s history. The primary goal of the new agreement is to improve water quality sufficiently to sustain the living resources of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries and to maintain that water quality into the future. This will mean setting increased nutrient reduction goals and for the first time setting sediment reduction goals Baywide. Meeting these water quality standards by 2010 will preclude the need for regulatory measures slated to begin in 2011. EPA has placed the Bay and its tidal waters on the impaired waters list for an over abundance of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus.

The agreement has five sections containing commitments to protect and restore living resources, vital habitats, and water quality through sound land use by promoting stewardship and engaging communities throughout the 64,000 square mile watershed. The agreement is designed to build on past restoration actions and will continue all Bay Program commitments outlined in previous agreements or Executive Council directives.

Restoration Commitments

• Increase the number of native oysters tenfold by 2010
• Restore blue crabs by establishing harvest targets and implementing complementary state management plans Baywide
• New wetlands restoration and protection goals
• Reduce the loss rate of farm and forest land to harmful sprawl development in the watershed by 30 percent by 2012
• Permanently preserve from development 20 percent of the lands in the watershed by 2010
• Strive for zero release of chemical contaminants from point sources by 2010
• Provide a meaningful outdoor Bay or stream experience for every school student in the watershed before graduation from high school, beginning with the Class of 2005
• Expand public access by 30 percent by 2010, and add 500 miles of water trails
  by 2005

Chesapeake 2000 becomes the third Bay Agreement written to guide the actions of the multi-jurisdictional Chesapeake Bay Program. The first agreement, creating the Bay Program, was signed in 1983. A second was signed in 1987 and amended in 1992. Scientists, local government officials and conservation leaders all played a role in developing the new agreement. The process also included considerable public input and review. Most commitments in the new agreement are scheduled for completion within ten years. It is already being used to guide the use of Bay Program partner resources.