Strengthening efforts to achieve the goals of restoring the Chesapeake Bay by 2025, prioritizing the health of the bay and boosting economic activity

VIRGINIA BEACH– Governor Ralph Northam today joined Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Virginia Delegate David Bulova, Environmental Protection Agency Acting Regional Administrator Diana Esher and watershed representatives from the Chesapeake Bay at a meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council to sign a directive committing the Chesapeake Bay program to address growing threats from climate change. The directive uses world-class scientific, modeling, monitoring and planning capabilities to initiate the final phase of bay restoration.

“We are making significant investments to meet the restoration deadline of 2025”, Governor Northam said. “As someone who grew up beside the Chesapeake Bay, its restoration has been a priority for my administration. I’m proud of the concrete steps we’ve taken in Virginia to help protect the bay, especially our collaboration with the Watershed Partnership to invest in infrastructure and programming. Cleaning up the bay creates new employment opportunities, develops economic activity, builds resilience and protects this natural treasure and its waterways.

The Northam administration has spent over a year developing a strong, scientifically clean water body that will reduce nutrient pollution and take into account the impacts of climate change.

At the Chesapeake Executive Council meeting, Governor Northam, Governor of Maryland Hogan and Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and Virginia House Delegate David Bulova joined their colleagues in signing a directive recognizing the urgency and consequences of climate change.

This partnership recognizes the need to increase the resilience of the watershed, including the need to significantly reduce water pollution. It also recognizes the need to restore natural landscapes, habitats, public infrastructure and communities so that they can withstand the negative impacts of changing environmental and climatic conditions.

“A clean bay will generate more than $ 22 billion each year in new economic value through improved commercial and recreational fishing, reduced drinking water treatment costs, resilience to climate change and improved the value of properties and the quality of life in the region. noted Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Ann Jennings. “It’s time to build on these efforts, recognize the undeniable impacts of the climate crisis and, more importantly, work across the watershed to respond appropriately using the best science and data to protect the bay. and our environment. “

The Council, chaired by Governor Northam, includes the governors of the six watershed states, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the U.S. Conservation Agency. environment. The panel sets the policy direction to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay.

Over the past four years, Virginia has made historic investments in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, with more than $ 700 million allocated to these efforts to date.

# # #