EPA Administrator takes helm of Chesapeake Executive Council

As 2021 draws to a close, members of the Chesapeake Executive Council gathered today in Richmond, Virginia to review the many successes of the Chesapeake Bay Program over the past year, while providing transparency about the challenges that lie ahead.

Established 38 years ago, the Chesapeake Executive Council is responsible for guiding the policy agenda and conservation and restoration goals for the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional watershed partnership. Members include the governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chair of the tri-state legislative Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on behalf of the federal government.

At the meeting, Vernice Miller-Travis, executive vice-president of environment and sustainability with The Metropolitan Group, provided details on one of the partnership’s major accomplishments of the past year—the release of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Implementation Plan Strategy. This Implementation Plan is the direct result of the historic Statement in Support of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice signed by the Executive Council at their August 2020 meeting. Immediately following the August 2020 meeting, an Action Team was formed to draft the Implementation Plan.

Ms. Miller-Travis helped pen Restoration from the Inside Out: A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Strategy for the Chesapeake Bay Program, which guided the development of the Implementation Plan. Following a formal public comment period in September, the Implementation Plan was finalized and is ready to be broadly implemented across the partnership. It outlines the tasks, actions, roles and resources that are critical to advancing DEIJ and addressing environmental justice within all areas of the Chesapeake Bay Program. It aims to increase racial and ethnic diversity among partnership staff and leadership, while providing the tools to help all partners continually assess progress toward their DEIJ goals, and help them develop into leaders that understand, respect and embrace cultural diversity.

"Just as the Directive has committed us to address diversity, equity, inclusion and justice across the partnership, members of the Chesapeake Bay Commission will continue to look for opportunities to address DEIJ in our laws and budgets,” said Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair David Bulova. “If we work to lift our most vulnerable communities, we can achieve clean water and air, abundant fish and wildlife, while providing the access needed to enjoy them. "

Providing leadership on not only the advancement of DEIJ, but also climate change, will be Governor Ralph Northam’s legacy for this partnership. He closed out his year of chairing the Executive Council by symbolically handing the reins to EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

"It has been an honor to serve as the Chair of the Executive Council, a partnership that plays a vital role in building the coalition necessary to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay," said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam." We have built a strong foundation to protect all people and the economies vital to the Bay, especially those who have been historically underrepresented and under-resourced."

Members and designees of the Executive Council also heard from Michelle Price-Fay, acting director of EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office. In her remarks, she noted a recent assessment completed by the partnership in assessing the attainability of each outcome in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. As 2025 looms near, Chesapeake Bay Program partners are taking an honest and critical look at whether the 31 outcomes of the Watershed Agreement are on track to meet their targets. This assessment is driving conversations across the partnership as to what outcomes should be prioritized and how challenges will be met. These outcome attainability templates provide the foundation for the partnership’s Bay Barometer: An Annual Report on the State of the Program and the Health of the Bay.

In June 2014, the Executive Council signed the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, with the vision of fostering an environmentally and economically sustainable watershed with clean water, abundant life, conserved lands and access to the water, a vibrant cultural heritage, and a diversity of engaged citizens and stakeholders.

“EPA is honored to lead the partnership as we act together to close the gap in our restoration goals, build resilience to climate change and ensure that the benefits of our efforts are shared by all,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “With major infusions of federal funding coming soon, and with a greater resolve, we will work with our partners to help pick up the pace of progress and realize our collective commitments to a clean Bay and watershed.”

Quotes

"It has been an honor to serve as the Chair of the Executive Council, a partnership that plays a vital role in building the coalition necessary to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. We have built a strong foundation to protect all people and the economies vital to the Bay, especially those who have been historically underrepresented and under-resourced."

• Ralph Northam, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia

“EPA is honored to lead the partnership as we act together to close the gap in our restoration goals, build resilience to climate change and ensure that the benefits of our efforts are shared by all. With major infusions of federal funding and resolve, we will work with our partners to help accelerate the pace of progress and realize our collective commitments to a clean Bay and watershed.”

• Michael Regan, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

"Just as the Directive has committed us to address diversity, equity, inclusion and justice across the partnership, members of the Chesapeake Bay Commission will continue to look for opportunities to address DEIJ in our laws and budgets. If we work to lift our most vulnerable communities, we can achieve clean water and air, abundant fish and wildlife, while providing the access needed to enjoy them. "

• Delegate David Bulova, Chair, Chesapeake Bay Commission

“New York is proud to partner with our Chesapeake Bay watershed neighbors to advance science-based programs and policies that promote clean water to protect the region’s most vulnerable communities and the abundant natural resources sustained by this watershed. We welcome EPA Administrator Michael Regan to the Chesapeake Executive Council and look forward to continuing our efforts to ensure environmental justice for all Chesapeake Bay communities.”

• Kathy Hochul, Governor, State of New York

“Pennsylvania looks forward to EPA’s leadership of the Executive Council and to continuing to work collaboratively to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the equitable benefit of all.”

• Tom Wolf, Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

"Washington, DC is proud to work with all our partners on the Chesapeake Executive Council to advance issues of environmental justice and bring new voices into our efforts to restore our waterways. We head into 2022 ready to build on the progress of this year and continue the work of building a more resilient and sustainable Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

• Muriel Bowser, Mayor, District of Columbia

“Over the past year, challenges and opportunities have impacted us all, including local governments. While challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to significantly impact our economics, communities and health, additional federal financial resources and support allow us to thoughtfully weigh local improvement efforts. As local elected leaders, the Local Government Advisory Committee will continue to advocate for expanding workforce development infrastructure and training, champion investments to identify and develop qualified infrastructure experts through equitable community engagement and training, act as proponents for localized efforts to address impacts from increased flooding events that affect our communities, and support the provision of resources to municipal governments to assist with planning, as well as maintaining green infrastructure projects and sustainability. We look forward to future success through the historic funding provided by the American Recovery Act and the continued support of our respective jurisdiction’s leadership and strategic partnerships.”

• Councilor Jasmine Gore, Chair, Local Government Advisory Committee

"The Citizens Advisory Committee, composed of residents of diverse backgrounds across the watershed, is delighted by the partnership’s commitment to improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within its restoration and engagement work. To that end, we are hopeful that the influx of federal spending will make its way to local communities as quickly as possible to resolve concerns around flooding and climate change, while getting us closer to our 2025 water quality goals and uplifting local expertise across our neighborhoods."

• Julie Lawson, Chair, Citizens Advisory Committee