Elfreth, Alsobrooks Introduce Legislation to Improve Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts Across Local, State, and Federal Governments

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Vice Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and Co-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Taskforce, and Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, introduced the Maryland Whole Watershed Program Federal Partnership Act. The bill would build on the Whole Watershed Act, which Congresswoman Elfreth led during her time in the Maryland State Senate, by empowering the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collaborate with state and local partners to support restoration projects across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

"With the Whole Watershed Act, we were already thinking bigger, bolder, and faster. In just two years, we've seen real progress from the Whole Watershed Program - from marsh restoration to combating invasive species in the Baltimore Harbor to addressing stream erosion in Hagerstown and more. But our state and local partners can't do this work alone," said Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth. "I'm proud to work alongside Senator Alsobrooks on the Maryland Whole Watershed Program Federal Partnership Act to ensure our state and local partners have the federal support necessary to continue these restoration efforts for our crucial Bay Watershed."

"We know how valuable the Chesapeake Bay is for both our environment and our economy. We need to protect and restore our Bay with science-backed, effective initiatives. That's why I am teaming up with Congresswoman Elfreth to introduce the Maryland Whole Watershed Program Federal Partnership Act. We will work to pass this legislation so federal leaders can be engaged and committed to pollution reduction, habitat creation, equitable public access, and more," said Senator Alsobrooks.

In 2024, Congresswoman Elfreth led the passage of the Whole Watershed Act(SB 969/HB 1165), which established a first-of-its-kind, collaborative, and science-based approach to restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, known as the Whole Watershed Program. This legislation aimed to stop the cycle of random acts of restoration and leverage existing funding to act more effectively and efficiently on restoration projects by building upon the findings of 180 scientistswho studied decades of Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.

The Whole Watershed Programis a five-year pilot program, targeting five watersheds- Antietam Creek, Baltimore Harbor, Upper Choptank River, Newport Bay, and Severn River - within Maryland, focused on pollution reduction, habitat creation, aquatic resource improvements, equitable public access to waterfronts, public health enhancements, outreach to overburdened and underserved communities, and more. There are 37 total projects included in the Whole Watershed Program. These projects are strategically located in urban and rural settings, on agricultural land, across state lines, and in areas of greatest need for targeted restoration action.

The program is administered by a State Management Team of more than 75 partners from local governments, state agencies, and project sponsors to expedite necessary permits, appropriate funds, and monitor progress. What makes the program unique beyond the scale of coordination is that rather than appropriating additional funds for these restoration efforts, the Whole Watershed Act combines previously allocated funding, in the form of grants and other project funding, from three agencies - the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Department of the Environment, and Department of Agriculture - and distributes them as a single fund to the various projects.

However, a federal partnership was always envisioned for the Whole Watershed Program, since interagency and multi-level coordination are at the core of the program. Engagement of the EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program Office and other federal actors is critical to the continued success of these restoration efforts.

The Maryland Whole Watershed Program Federal Partnership Act would require the Chesapeake Bay Program Office to participate as an advisory member of the Maryland Whole Watershed Program State Management Team and empower the EPA to contribute to the restoration projects within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by promoting cross-jurisdictional coordination and providing technical assistance and resources as appropriate. Importantly, the bill ensures that other federal agencies working in the Chesapeake Bay, such as the Army Corps and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are engaged partners in this innovative pilot program using the Bay Office as a nexus.

This bill is supported by the Maryland Department for Natural Resources, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Choose Clean Water Coalition, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

"Maryland's state-level Whole Watershed Program is being implemented in the watersheds of five different rivers in Maryland where we are concentrating pollution reduction projects and developing community partnerships to accelerate clean water and ecosystem improvements," said Maryland Department of Natural Resources Sec. Josh Kurtz."This proposed federal legislation presents an opportunity for us to work closely with the federal government to develop this program and bring expertise to the restoration efforts."

"Maryland's Whole Watershed Program is taking an innovative, holistic approach to restoration and should serve as a national model," said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Maryland Executive Director Allison Colden. "The program brings together our state's various partners and resources to tackle restoration more effectively and cost-efficiently. Representative Elfreth's legislation will ensure the federal government is working with Maryland's state-level leadership on these critical restoration efforts."

Congresswoman Elfreth has dedicated a majority of her career to preserving the Chesapeake Bay. Beyond passing the Whole Watershed Act, Elfreth also chaired the tri-state, bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Commission in the Maryland State Senate to coordinate restoration and conservation efforts across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In Congress, she continues to advocate for the Bay on the House Natural Resources Committee and the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Watershed Taskforce.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Representatives Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Johnny Olszewski (MD-02). In the Senate, this legislation is also co-sponsored by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

The full bill text is available HERE.

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