Nina Smith<\/strong>, Governor’s Office: 410-533-0363<\/a> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n GOVERNOR MARTIN O\u2019MALLEY HOSTS CHESAPEAKE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING<\/b><\/p>\n Members sign Landmark Chesapeake Watershed Agreement<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 16, 2014<\/b>) — Governor Martin O\u2019Malley, 2014 chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council, today hosted Bay Program partners in Annapolis for the landmark signing of a new Chesapeake Watershed Agreement. \u00a0EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy<\/b>, Delaware Governor Jack Markell<\/b>, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett<\/b>, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe<\/b> and Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray<\/b> were among the program partners who joined Governor O\u2019Malley in committing to a new set of goals that will advance restoration and protection of the Bay, its tributaries and the lands that surround the Chesapeake Bay. Commission Chair Pennsylvania State Representative Ron Miller, and West Virginia Environmental Protection Director Scott Mandirola also participated in today\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n “Today we celebrate the most inclusive, collaborative, goal-oriented Agreement the Chesapeake Bay Watershed has ever seen,” said Governor Martin O\u2019Malley, Executive Council Chair<\/b>. \u00a0\u201cThis Agreement not only addresses our continuing water quality and land use challenges, it also confronts critical emerging issues like environmental literacy, toxic contaminants and climate change. \u00a0\u00a0Perhaps most importantly, it builds upon the strength of our diverse citizenry \u2013 including our youngest stewards — calling to action the nearly 18 million people that call our watershed home.\u201d<\/p>\n The new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement comprises 10 interrelated goals, which are linked to measurable and time-bound outcomes: \u00a0clean water, abundant wildlife and a vibrant cultural heritage, where diverse populations of citizens and stakeholders have access to waterways and open space, and are engaged in conservation and stewardship. The Agreement also includes management strategies, which for the first time will describe how and when the jurisdictions intend to achieve these outcomes.<\/p>\n \u201cI am pleased to see that this Agreement aligns closely with strategies developed by federal agencies in response to President Obama\u2019s Executive Order on Bay protection and restoration,\u201d said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, who also chairs the Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake Bay<\/b>. \u201cWhen there is consensus and commitment toward a common goal, our effectiveness is that much stronger. Together, we demonstrate our commitment toward a common goal\u2014a restored, healthy and economically vibrant watershed.\u201d<\/p>\n Developed through an extensive collaborative process over many months, thousands of citizens from across the watershed provided input that directly influenced the Agreement\u2019s content, resulting in the addition of key issues like toxic contaminants and climate change. \u00a0It also marks the first time that the Bay\u2019s headwater states of New York, West Virginia and Delaware have pledged to work toward restoration goals that reach beyond water quality. \u00a0The governors of New York and West Virginia are expected to sign the Agreement on behalf of their states.<\/p>\n \u201cThis landmark Agreement is forward-looking and results oriented, recognizing that our work must be sustained by and for future generations,\u201d said Joe Gill, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary and 2014 Chair of the Executive Council Principal Staff Committee<\/b>. \u00a0\u201cThe management strategies \u2013 to which Maryland is fully committed \u2013 will provide for unprecedented levels of transparency, accountability and public engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n “This comprehensive agreement will result in water quality restoration that not only restores the Bay, but also protects our streams, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater that we depend on for water supply and recreation for 17 million people living in the watershed,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Robert M. Summers.<\/b><\/p>\n Underscoring these commitments, the Council\u2019s Annual Meeting included briefings from the Bay Program\u2019s Citizen, Scientific and Local Government Advisory Committees along with special presentations by student leaders from across the Watershed. \u00a0In 2010, Maryland became the first state in the nation to adopt and environmental literacy graduation requirement.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowledge is the foundation for giving students an active role in preserving and protecting the Bay,\u201d said Devan Ogburn<\/b>, a rising senior at Leonardtown High School in St. Mary\u2019s County<\/b>. \u201cI have seen that students become motivated when they have a meaningful understanding of the issues and what role they play in connection to them.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This marks Governor O\u2019Malley\u2019s third and final term as Chair of the Executive Council; in 2008, Governor O\u2019Malley led the Executive Council to adopt 2-year milestones, bringing an unprecedented level of focus, transparency and accountability to the Bay Program model.<\/p>\n The meeting is the second in a series of \u2018Governing for Results\u2019 events, which promote the O\u2019Malley-Brown Administration\u2019s 16 strategic goals<\/a> to make Maryland a safer, healthier, more sustainable state. Today\u2019s event highlights Maryland\u2019s efforts to achieve its goal<\/a> of reaching a healthier Chesapeake Bay tipping point by 2025.<\/p>\n Under Governor O\u2019Malley\u2019s leadership, Maryland has exceeded its milestone goals for stormwater and septic improvements, and wastewater treatment plant upgrades in each of the past two tracking period, and increased cover crop plantings by 200% since 2006. \u00a0Advances supporting this work include: \u00a0development of BayStat<\/a>, an online tool used by managers and citizens to track and target restoration; creation of the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund , which has directed $256 million to support local restoration projects that reduce non-point source pollution from entering the Bay; passage of first of its kind no-net loss of forest legislation; adoption of a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020.<\/p>\n At today\u2019s meeting, Governor O\u2019Malley announced new funding including: $2.6 million in additional funding for Bay-related projects, including $250,000 in grants to non-profit organizations for infrastructure improvements and community outreach through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund; $1.6 million in Watershed Assistance Collaborative funding to help local governments meet their milestones, in partnership with the EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Trust; and more than $750,000 over the next three years for teacher Professional development to further support our Environmental Literacy commitments.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether with the citizens of this great watershed — farmers, students, conservationists, business and community leaders and faith-based organizations — we are taking the steps needed to turn our words to deeds, to convert this new Agreement to an improved Chesapeake Bay,\u201d said Governor O\u2019Malley<\/b>. \u00a0\u201cAnd I believe we are in the best position yet to move the Chesapeake Bay to a tipping point–the point where the tide of restoration will finally have been turned.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the Chesapeake Executive Council include the governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of the federal government. This assembly is responsible for setting the Chesapeake Bay Program\u2019s policy agenda.<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MEDIA CONTACTS: Nina Smith, Governor’s Office: 410-533-0363 nina.smith@maryland.gov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: GOVERNOR MARTIN O\u2019MALLEY HOSTS CHESAPEAKE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING Members sign Landmark Chesapeake Watershed Agreement \u00a0 ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 16, 2014) — Governor Martin O\u2019Malley, 2014 chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council, today hosted Bay Program partners in Annapolis for the landmark signing of a Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,8,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chesapeake-bay","category-governor-omalley","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1023"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1027,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023\/revisions\/1027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
nina.smith@maryland.gov<\/a><\/p>\n