Governor Glendening, Leaders From Neighboring States Sign Historic Agreement To Preserve Chesapeake Bay

Agreement Includes Bold Plan to Decrease Rate of Development by 30%; New Commitments to Permanently Preserve 20% of Land Around Bay, Protect Water Quality and Living Resources, Increase Oyster Population Tenfold

Governor Signs Executive Order to Make Maryland Government More Eco-Friendly

Heralding new guidelines to protect open space and curtail sprawl along Maryland's most precious natural resource, Governor Parris N. Glendening, Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, today signed the landmark new Chesapeake Bay Agreement, which establishes regional standards for Bay restoration over the next ten years. Joining the Governor in signing the agreement were U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner; Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore; District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams; Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and Virginia Senator Bill Bolling; and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jim Seif (representing Governor Tom Ridge).

"This agreement is a historic milestone in the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, providing measurable goals and specific commitments which will ensure that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy this extraordinary natural resource," Governor Glendening said. "This landmark agreement clearly recognizes that what happens on land directly affects the long-term health of the Bay. Today, we are agreeing to unprecedented goals that will preserve 20 percent of the land around the Chesapeake and dramatically curtail suburban sprawl near the Bay. I thank all of the leaders of our neighboring states, EPA Administrator Browner, and our local communities for working to pass this comprehensive, cooperative agreement that begins a new century of Chesapeake Bay preservation."

For the first time, the agreement sets aggressive regional goals for protecting open space and curtailing sprawl in areas along the Bay. The leaders committed to preserving 20% of all the land in the watershed and to permanently protect it from development. In addition, the agreement makes a major commitment to conserve farmland and forests, by decreasing the rate of development in the Bay watershed by 30% in the next ten years.

The agreement also sets important new guidelines for bringing back Bay grasses and restoring wetlands; new commitments to set harvest limits for crabs as well as increase oysters tenfold by 2010; and, for the first time, targets for reducing sediments washing into the Bay and its tributaries. To protect reductions achieved in nitrogen and phosphorus, loadings will be capped at their current 40 percent rate.

Chesapeake 2000 also features goals for enhancing public access for experiencing and enjoying the Bay, including expanding access points by 30 percent by 2010 and increasing designated water trails by 500 miles by 2005.

"From planting more than 210 miles of forest buffers along our waterways over the past three years to our innovative ecosystem approaches to natural resource management to our nationally-acclaimed land preservation and Smart Growth efforts, Maryland is proud to be a leader in restoring our Bay," said Department of Natural Resources Secretary Sarah Taylor-Rogers. "We are excited to sign this landmark new agreement that establishes regional standards for the permanent protection of this incredible resource. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Glendening and our regional partners, we can make the Bay as beautiful and rich 100 years from now as it was 100 years ago."

Demonstrating Maryland's commitment to fulfilling the goals of the agreement, Governor Glendening also signed an executive order that will ensure that energy efficient techniques will be utilized in the construction, operation and maintenance of all state buildings, and will require the State to buy the highest possible percentage of its electricity from "green power" sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and methane. In addition, the Governor has committed $25 million for oyster restoration, $10 million for creation of riparian forest buffers, and $145 million to support biological nutrient removal at waste water treatment plants across the state.

The Chesapeake Bay is North America's largest and most biologically diverse estuary, home to more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals. The first Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed in 1983. The second Agreement, adopted in 1987 and amended in 1992, established the overall plan and framework for the restoration and protection of the Bay. However, many of the original goals and commitments were indexed to the year 2000.

"Today's action reflects the Clinton-Gore Administration's ongoing commitment to work with local communities to protect America's environment for this generation and future generations," said EPA Administrator Browner. "By taking these vital steps to improve water quality and restore wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay area, we will protect one of our nation's greatest national treasures, while significantly increasing public health protections."

Posted: 6-28-2000