{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-chesapeake-bay-watershed-region-lawmakers-push-for-new-bay-agreement-that-will-tackle-pollution-preserve-the-bay", "Van Hollen, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region Lawmakers Push for New Bay Agreement that will Tackle Pollution, Preserve the Bay", "2025-09-11", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Chris Van Hollen", "V000128", "www.vanhollen.senate.gov", "vanhollen", "https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) \u2013 along with 22 bipartisan Members of Congress representing the Chesapeake Bay watershed region \u2013 called for a new Chesapeake Bay agreement that sets ambitious, measurable, and achievable targets, especially for water quality improvement and pollution reduction, in order to restore and protect the Bay. The lawmakers\u2019 letter comes as the Chesapeake Executive Council (CEC) seeks public feedback on its \u201cBeyond 2025\u201d Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement Revision Draft. In their letter to the CEC, the lawmakers emphasize their commitment to continuing strong federal funding for Bay restoration while stressing that a robust agreement among the states in the watershed is needed to maximize the use of those resources to address the many factors putting strain on the health of the Bay.\n\nSenator Van Hollen was joined on this letter by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), as well as Representatives Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), Don Beyer (D-Va.), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Sarah McBride (D-Del.), April McClain Delaney (D-Md.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), and Eugene Vindman (D-Va.).\n\nThe lawmakers wrote, \u201cAs federal representatives for the Bay region, we are working hard to ensure that we maintain strong funding for the Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program as well as the other critical federal programs that support ecosystem restoration in the Bay watershed. While federal resources will continue to play an essential role in achieving our vision of a healthy Bay, we know that we cannot arrive at our many goals through such funding alone. A robust Watershed Agreement that sets measurable targets that are both ambitious and achievable is key to unlocking the full potential of federal support for the Bay and its watershed. Therefore, we are closely monitoring the PSC\u2019s work to update the agreement to meet current and future challenges.\u201d\n\nThey also expressed appreciation that the draft revised agreement proposes a \u201cholistic\u201d approach to the many challenges to the Bay\u2019s health, writing, \u201cToday, the Bay and its watershed face numerous interrelated and pressing challenges, including falling populations of key fish and wildlife species, emerging pollutants of concern, agricultural land and forest depletion, shifting environmental dynamics, and the prevalence of invasive species. We appreciate that the draft revised Watershed Agreement addresses these issues in a holistic manner, maintaining strong water quality and habitat restoration goals at its core, while also pursuing outcomes to deliver healthy landscapes, vibrant living resources, and engaged communities throughout the Bay.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers go on to urge the Principals\u2019 Staff Committee (PSC) to set new restoration goals with clear targets and timelines, linked to the legally mandated total daily maximum load (TMDL) requirements; regularly engage the public to promote transparency and accountability for carrying out the agreement; and retain flexibility to adapt to evolving science and Bay conditions.\n\n\u201cThe PSC should also seek to ensure that the final Watershed Agreement lays out clear timelines for meeting its recommended targets, particularly in relation to its water quality and pollution reduction goals. Improving water quality by reducing excess nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment, as well as other emerging contaminants, is essential to revitalizing the Bay\u2019s living resources and supporting local economies and recreation opportunities. [\u2026] Additionally, we urge the PSC to clearly express the relationship between these deadlines, implementation plans, and the legally mandated Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements in the finalized agreement to maintain public confidence in our shared commitments to meet our water quality goals,\u201d they wrote.\n\n\u201cImproving the health of the Bay will require continued cooperation from all of us at the federal, state, and local levels of government, in partnership with tribal communities, non-governmental organizations, private businesses, landowners, academic experts, and the public. As we continue our work to deliver the federal resources for the Bay necessary to achieve our goals, we encourage the PSC to put forward a bold updated Watershed Agreement that will maximize the impact of these funds and demonstrate to our constituents the importance of our collective efforts,\u201d the lawmakers closed.\n\nText of the letter can be viewed here and below.\n\nMembers of the Chesapeake Executive Council:\n\nWe write as Members of Congress representing the Chesapeake Bay watershed to provide feedback on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement Beyond 2025 Revision Draft. We appreciate this opportunity to provide input as the Principals\u2019 Staff Committee (PSC) continues its important work to propose updates to the 2014 Watershed Agreement at this crucial moment in our collective efforts to restore the health of the Bay and the rivers and streams throughout its watershed.\n\nAs federal representatives for the Bay region, we are working hard to ensure that we maintain strong funding for the Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program as well as the other critical federal programs that support ecosystem restoration in the Bay watershed. While federal resources will continue to play an essential role in achieving our vision of a healthy Bay, we know that we cannot arrive at our many goals through such funding alone. A robust Watershed Agreement that sets measurable targets that are both ambitious and achievable is key to unlocking the full potential of federal support for the Bay and its watershed. Therefore, we are closely monitoring the PSC\u2019s work to update the agreement to meet current and future challenges.\n\nToday, the Bay and its watershed face numerous interrelated and pressing challenges, including falling populations of key fish and wildlife species, emerging pollutants of concern, agricultural land and forest depletion, shifting environmental dynamics, and the prevalence of invasive species. We appreciate that the draft revised Watershed Agreement addresses these issues in a holistic manner, maintaining strong water quality and habitat restoration goals at its core, while also pursuing outcomes to deliver healthy landscapes, vibrant living resources, and engaged communities throughout the Bay.\n\nIn the final updated Watershed Agreement, the PSC should strive to put forward clearly defined targets that emphasize local ecosystem and quality of life benefits where they will be felt most by our constituents in the watershed. Stating the goals of the revised agreement without ambiguity will inspire accountability among stakeholders and promote transparency in efforts to monitor and communicate progress toward these targets.\n\nTo that end, the PSC should also seek to ensure that the final Watershed Agreement lays out clear timelines for meeting its recommended targets, particularly in relation to its water quality and pollution reduction goals. Improving water quality by reducing excess nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment, as well as other emerging contaminants, is essential to revitalizing the Bay\u2019s living resources and supporting local economies and recreation opportunities.\n\nWe recognize that the updated Bay water pollution model is forthcoming and will inform the long-term targets that are set, and we appreciate that the draft revised Watershed Agreement sets a December 2030 deadline for revising pollution reduction targets and implementation plans based on the updated model. Additionally, we urge the PSC to clearly express the relationship between these deadlines, implementation plans, and the legally mandated Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements in the finalized agreement to maintain public confidence in our shared commitments to meet our water quality goals.\n\nFurthermore, public understanding of the goals and mechanisms of the updated Watershed Agreement will be crucial to its successful implementation. Therefore, in the final agreement, the PSC should strive to use specific but accessible language so that the public can hold the signatories accountable for making progress toward stated targets. We also encourage the agreement\u2019s signatories and implementing partners to continue active public engagement after the updated agreement is finalized to ensure that our constituents can monitor its progress and have additional opportunities to provide feedback.\n\nFinally, we applaud the PSC for including mechanisms for adaptive management in the draft agreement, which are crucial to ensuring that the finalized Watershed Agreement is informed by the most up-to-date science and capable of responding to changing environmental conditions. Uncertainty caused by shifting ecological dynamics has complicated the task of restoring the Bay and exacerbated many of the fundamental challenges to our efforts. Ensuring flexibility to respond to new obstacles as they arise will be necessary to support the updated agreement\u2019s continued success.\n\nImproving the health of the Bay will require continued cooperation from all of us at the federal, state, and local levels of government, in partnership with tribal communities, non-governmental organizations, private businesses, landowners, academic experts, and the public. As we continue our work to deliver the federal resources for the Bay necessary to achieve our goals, we encourage the PSC to put forward a bold updated Watershed Agreement that will maximize the impact of these funds and demonstrate to our constituents the importance of our collective efforts.\n\nWe appreciate this opportunity to provide feedback on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement Beyond 2025 Revision Draft and look forward to reviewing the finalized document. Thank you for your consideration and ongoing partnership as we work toward a healthy Bay and watershed for all.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-chesapeake-bay-watershed-region-lawmakers-push-for-new-bay-agreement-that-will-tackle-pollution-preserve-the-bay"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7679599802941084, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}