A draft update of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed is open for public feedback through Sept. 1, and people across the region can urge leaders to adopt a stronger Bay Agreement here.
Since 1983, various iterations of the Bay Agreement have held together the federal-state Bay restoration partnership. Starting in 2010 under the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, states in the partnership committed to a 2025 deadline for legally-binding goals to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution.
The 2014 agreement included this and additional Bay restoration goals.
Though states have made notable progress on many Bay Agreement goals, including reducing pollution, they will not meet the 2025 pollution-reduction deadlines.
Meanwhile, new science shows how Bay restoration work can be done more efficiently and effectively.
Last December, the federal and state Bay restoration partners committed to revising the Bay Agreement by the end of 2025.
The partnership includes the governors of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York, the mayor of the District of Columbia, state legislators, and leaders at federal agencies.
These partners have worked toward a more effective agreement, including laudable efforts to bring more voices into the process.
Draft Agreement Falls Short
However, the draft agreement still falls short.
The revised Bay Agreement should apply the latest science, implement innovative environmental and economic strategies, and increase accountability.
It must:
-- Set one uniform deadline of 2035 across all goals to provide accountability, with regular check-ins every two years;
-- Clearly define targets, including for habitat restoration and pollution reduction;
-- Include the voices and perspectives of Indigenous communities;
-- Address challenges from climate change across goals; and
-- Affirm commitments to meeting the pollution reductions the federal government and states are legally required to meet under the Clean Water Act, despite missing the 2025 deadline.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Policy Director Keisha Sedlacek issued the following statement.
“This is a defining moment for the Chesapeake Bay. We have made tremendous progress, but the system remains out of balance. Growing threats from climate change add to the challenge.
“This August is the chance for everyone to speak up, or risk a future with dirty rivers and streams and a struggling Chesapeake Bay.
“The current draft of the Bay Agreement is incomplete—and the holes matter. While key goals and outcomes are included, the draft agreement lacks accountability and important details.
“It falls short in charting the course to clean water, healthy habitats, and engaged communities.
“To provide accountability, the agreement needs one uniform deadline of 2035 across goals with regular check-ins every two years.
“Clearly defined targets, including for habitat restoration and pollution reduction, are critical.
“Including the voices and perspectives of Indigenous communities will strengthen the partnership.
“Addressing challenges from climate change should be woven into each goal and outcome.
“Most importantly, the revised Bay Agreement must reaffirm commitments to pollution reductions the federal government and states are legally required to meet under the Clean Water Act.
“The Bay Agreement adds additional accountability and transparency to reducing pollution to the Bay.
“We can’t afford further delay. If those pollution reduction commitments are abandoned, we will explore all options—including litigation.
“The Chesapeake Bay is home to one of the largest and longest-running environmental restoration movements in the world.
“We have faced challenges before, banded together to set aggressive goals, and come out stronger.
“Future generations are counting on us to do it again. We cannot let them down.
“By working together toward common goals, we can leave a legacy of clean water, thriving marshes, forests, and reefs, and flourishing communities.”
Click Here for a copy of the CBF announcement.
[Visit the Planning for 2025 and Beyond webpage to learn more about the revised Agreement and public comment opportunities.]
For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage. Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column). Click Here to support their work.
Also visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to learn how you can help clean water grow on trees.
How Clean Is Your Stream?
The draft 2024 report has an interactive report viewer that allows you to zoom in to your own address to see if the streams near you are impaired and why.
Click Here to check out your streams. Click Here for a tutorial on using the viewer.
(Photo: Conowingo Dam just below the PA-Maryland border on the Susquehanna River after major rainfall.)
Resource Links:
-- Chesapeake Bay Program Seeks Public Comments On Revised Watershed Agreement [PaEN]
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Jeremy Cox: A New Chesapeake Bay Agreement - What’s In, What’s Out?
Related Articles:
-- Foundation For Pennsylvania Watersheds Opens Fall Grant Round; Letters Of Intent Due Aug. 29 [PaEN]
-- First Come, First Served: Applications Now Being Accepted For REAP Farm Conservation Tax Credit Through Sept. 30 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Inside Climate News: Experts Slam Chesapeake Bay Draft Plan Over Lack Of Pollution Targets And Accountability
-- Lancaster Farming: Dairy Desserts Help Fund Dairy Farm Conservation In Lancaster
-- Delaware Currents: Is The Upper Delaware River Ready For A Texas-Like Flood?
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: The Price Of A.I. - How Is A.I. Impacting Energy Production And Prices?
[Posted: August 5, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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