The Chesapeake Executive Council approved a revised Watershed Agreement Tuesday, building upon 40 years of Chesapeake Bay — the largest estuary in the country — restoration efforts.
The first Chesapeake Watershed Agreement was a one-page pledge signed in 1983, committing local jurisdictions and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the Bay’s declining water quality and living resources.
The Chesapeake Executive Council has expanded to include the governors of all six Bay watershed states: Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, New York and West Virginia.
Prior to Tuesday, the latest iteration of the Watershed Agreement was approved in 2014.
The 2014 agreement had a target completion date of 2025, and partnering states met that agreement’s goals for oyster restoration, fish passage, new public access sites and sustainable fisheries, and as of Nov. 5, were on pace to reach many other goals.
In 2024, Maryland reached its goal to conserve 30% of state land — nearly 2 million acres — and together with Virginia, the state completed a large-scale oyster restoration project.
The revised 2025 agreement commits states to further conservation efforts over the next 15 years.
“It underscores our vigorous commitment to the four core components of a strong watershed: engaged communities, clean water, healthy landscapes and thriving habitats, fisheries and wildlife,” Maryland State Sen. Sara Love (D-Montgomery County) said during the meeting, who chairs the Chesapeake Bay Commission.
The agreement directs states to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution to the Bay by 2040 and includes specific objectives for oyster restoration, freshwater mussel restoration, wetlands preservation, waterbirds protection, land conservation, public access and environmental workforce development.
Gov. Wes Moore, who chaired the executive council up until Tuesday, says the revised agreement supports the environmental and economic future of the Chesapeake Bay, which in Maryland alone generates $3.2 billion and 58,000 jobs a year in tourism.
The Bay also supports 3,300 jobs in Maryland’s seafood industry, generating $600 million annually.
“Today, we work together to add billions of oysters, plant millions of trees, educate thousands of students every single year … to make sure that we're educating them not only [to] be part of the process, but understand that they should be educated on why this work is so necessary and so required, as well,” Moore said.
During the council’s annual meeting, Moore passed the gavel to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who will serve as the new chair for the next year.
There will be a midpoint check-in in 2033 that will ensure states are on track to meet the new conservation goals.
