Chesapeake Executive Council

November 20, 2008

[As Prepared]

 

Thank you Mayor Fenty.  Before we begin, I want to recognize and thank the other members that are here with us today: 

• Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine
• Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair, and Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Arthur D. Hershey
• EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson
• USDA Deputy Undersecretary Gary Mast
• Representing Governor Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Environmental Protection John Hanger
• Representing Governor Ruth Ann Minner,  Delaware’s Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, John Hughes
• Representing Governor Joe Manchin,  West Virginia’s Deputy Director of Environmental Protection, William D. Brannon
• Representing Governor David Paterson, Navis Bermudez, Associate Director of Federal Policy Office of the Governor, New York

As Chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council, it’s my role this afternoon to report on the very positive meeting we’ve just concluded, and to brief you on our progress and the new commitments we’ve made.

We had the opportunity today to conduct a critical review of our Bay restoration progress to-date, and to identify the necessary actions for accelerating our progress.

Over the past quarter-century, through this partnership we’ve made some significant accomplishments considering the pace and scope of development in the Bay region,… But we did not come here to celebrate. There is much more to do, and a lot is at stake.

Historically, the Chesapeake Bay has been one of the most productive estuaries on Earth, providing a tremendous habitat for fish and wildlife, as well as unparalleled economic and recreational opportunities.   

During our generation, however, we’ve seen a dramatic decline in the health of the Bay and the rivers and streams that flow into it.  We’re here today because of our shared moral imperative to chart a new course for Bay restoration and to leave a healthier Bay for our children than the one we inherited. 

Moving forward, we need to consider a better model for our partnership that recognizes that the watershed is one ecosystem and that our restoration needs to be unified accordingly.

As we work together, we’ve made a commitment for this Council to be more accountable to the people we serve.  In keeping with this commitment, we confirmed last year something many had long believed: we would be unable to reach the 2010 nutrient reduction goals established in our 2000 Agreement.

I’d like to take a moment here to acknowledge the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and our many other Bay advocates across the region.  Know that we appreciate and, in fact, mirror your frustration with the pace of Bay restoration.  So thank you for your partnership and your work to make sure we continue our restoration efforts.  

Our most important days are rarely the easiest ones. Progress seems too often to come as two steps forward and one step back – but there is hope, and there is a way forward.

We had a very productive meeting today, and now I’d like to run through our progress.

Moving Forward, Together

Given the rate of decline of our Bay’s health, as well as the vulnerable status of essential species like the blue crab and the native oyster, it’s clear that we’ve got to work as quickly as possible to avoid loading more nutrients into the Chesapeake. 

So today, we’ve set bi-annual restoration goals for nutrient reduction. These will be shorter term milestones that will allow citizens throughout the region to track our progress, while enabling us to be more fluid and adaptive in our approach as we recognize new technologies or the need to change our course. 

The partnership also agreed to create an independent evaluator, composed of a panel of nationally-renowned scientists that will monitor program performance, offer programmatic advice, and hold all partners accountable. This is one component of a program reorganization effort currently underway to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our restoration work – lead by Maryland staff as part of our commitment to champion accountability.

And in Maryland, we’ll continue to use BayStat to ensure that we are meeting these targeted reductions every two years by developing specific action plans.   

Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and the Bay Commission have also agreed to achieve our nutrient reduction goals no later than 2020 – even during these tough economic times. In Maryland, for example, we’ll work to more than double our current rate of restoration for nutrient reduction.

We have a draft action plan for our first bi-annual period from 2009 to 2010 designed to reduce nitrogen by an additional 2.5 million pounds.

This plan focuses on the new federal Farm Bill, the 2010 Trust Fund and scheduled wastewater treatment plant upgrades, but we’ll be refining it to address phosphorous and sediment reductions as well. 

Champion Roles:  2008 Progress, 2009 Plans

At last year’s Executive Council Meeting, members embraced champion roles as a way to speed up our restoration efforts, and today we’re able to report on their progress throughout the region:

1. Together, the states of the Executive Council, along with the District of Columbia and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, signed a Biofuels Executive Council Directive today called “Leading the Nation in Development of a Sustainable Next Generation Biofuels Industry.”   
   
   This directive is a result of last year’s joint champion commitment between the State of Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, who’ve worked together to make this region a national leader in advancing the expanded production and use of biofuels in a more sustainable way.   I’d like to commend Governor Rendell and Chairman Hershey for their vision and leadership on this issue.
2. Delaware hosted a symposium designed to further the concepts of making trading and offset programs work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce nutrient input and our carbon footprint.
3. New York is leading the way in wetlands restoration through its partnership with the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, with over 175 acres restored.
4. West Virginia continues to explore opportunities to improve stormwater management, recognizing the challenges of their topography.
5. The District of Columbia has implemented one of the strongest and most innovative stormwater management permits in the nation, launched the River Smart Homes program, developed an aggressive restoration plan for the Anacostia and spent more than $1 million on low-impact development projects.
6. And our partners in the federal government have worked with us to create a more efficient Bay Program organizational structure.
   
   The Forest Service continues to champion forest conservation and the expansion of forested buffers. EPA has designated $12.9 million in funding for large-scale restoration projects in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and their final awards will be made next March. The Department of the Navy is pursuing low impact development solutions to stormwater management.  And finally, we look forward to realizing the full potential of the new Farm Bill, which, for the first time dedicates funding to the Chesapeake Bay region.

So we continue to make progress, even during these tough economic times, thanks to these committed partners.

Maryland Champion Roles

And together, we’ve been working hard to do our part here in Maryland as well. Our own champion commitments included Accountability, Blue Crab Restoration, Local Government Engagement, and Innovative Technology.

1. Through strong action and an historic collaboration with Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, Maryland took significant steps toward rebuilding a sustainable blue crab fishery.
   
   This included directing State funding to mitigate the impact on our watermen, and seeking a federal disaster declaration. We have already begun using some of the $3 million in State funds to employ waterman to conduct environmental restoration work.
   
   And on Tuesday, the federal Department of Commerce announced that Maryland and Virginia will receive $10 million each in federal fisheries disaster assistance funding – which will be used to further mitigate the economic impact of restrictions on our watermen and help position our fishery for a more sustainable future. 
   
   I’d like to recognize Senator Barbara Mikulski and the Maryland congressional delegation for their leadership in obtaining this much-needed funding. I also want to thank our incoming chair Governor Kaine and the Potomac Fisheries Commission for their partnership on this issue, as we commit to enforcing new regulations across the Bay and to staying the course with harvest restrictions until stocks rebuild.
   
   
2. In 2008, Maryland worked with local governments to improve service delivery and results, developing new efforts to engage citizens and businesses.
   
   We created the 2010 Chesapeake and Coastal Bays Trust Fund to provide implementation dollars directly to our local governments and partners for targeted restoration activities. 
   
   We developed the Watershed Assistance Collaborative, in cooperation with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the University of Maryland and our State agencies.  It’s a new service that will connect Maryland communities interested in undertaking comprehensive watershed restoration projects to the people and programs that will help them accomplish their goals.
   
   We also launched the Maryland Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, an innovative, public-private initiative created to restore and create wetlands and oyster reefs, enhance fish passage, and control invasive species.
   
   And just last week we launched Smart, Green & Growing, a new initiative to inspire action among all Marylanders so we can move forward toward a cleaner, greener, more sustainable future for our State.  We have even expanded our engagement effort to Maryland’s prisons as well, where inmates are providing labor for Bay restoration projects and learning new skills.
   
   This year, we’ll continue to lead this champion role by fully implementing the Trust Fund and expanding the availability of these new services.
   
   
3. This year, Maryland worked with the EPA and the University of Maryland to find ways to use technology in a bigger way as a tool to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution throughout the watershed. 
   
   I am pleased to announce today our first investments in these new technologies, and I’d like to acknowledge Dr. Darryll Pines, the incoming Dean of the Clark School of Engineering, who is representing the University of Maryland here today.

• A $100,000 grant to Zymetis, Inc., whose enabling enzyme technologies use a unique bacterium isolated from the Bay to convert cellulosic biomass into sugars that can be fermented into biofuel ethanol; and
• A $50,000 grant to Traffax Inc., for their advanced solutions to traffic congestion that have the potential to significantly reduce travel times and in so doing reduce emissions from nitrous oxides.   
  
  

Next year, we’ll continue leadership in this champion role of supporting the Bay Restoration Innovative Technology Initiative by working on a new RFP to generate more projects.

Today, we agreed to work with National Geographic and their partners to support the introduction of FieldScope in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  This state-of-the-art web-based GIS tool is designed to help students and citizens investigate water quality issues on local and regional scales.

Next month, we’ll launch the first component of Maryland iMap, an innovative Statewide public mapping resource center that will serve as the repository of the best mapping information available from federal, state and local government sources.  Our one map represents a new vision for citizen engagement as well as state and local government data sharing and decision making. 

And looking ahead, we’re also announcing today a new partnership between our Departments of Natural Resources and the Environment and our Department of Transportation, who will be applying the BayStat approach to implement a better model for using mitigation funds to accelerate Bay restoration and improve cost effectiveness.   This is another opportunity for us to target our resources, ensuring the best ecological outcomes.

Conclusion

Together, we can work to ensure that the legacy we leave to our children and theirs is one that is even better and stronger than the one we inherited – that the land, the air, the water that we love are just as clean, productive and beautiful for future generations.

On behalf of our One Maryland, it has been a pleasure and an honor to serve as chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council for the past two years.  However, it’s my great pleasure to now turn the reins over to someone who is a great leader, a great conservationist and a great friend, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

 

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