The Chesapeake Executive Council met at the National Aquarium in Baltimore on Monday to formally approve a revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Since 1983, the Chesapeake Bay Program has used voluntary agreements to guide restoration of the nation’s largest estuary and its watershed.
The approval is the culmination of work that began more than three years ago, when the Executive Council charged the partnership with recommending a path forward that prioritized and outlined the next steps for meeting the goals and outcomes of the previous Watershed Agreement — many of which had suggested completion dates of 2025 — and preparing recommendations that addressed advances in science and restoration while focusing on the future of the Chesapeake Bay Program beyond 2025.
The result is a refreshed agreement that builds on what has already been achieved — and the work still to come — while using the latest science, elevating conservation as a key focus and ensuring, as much as possible, that its goals are clear, measurable and time-bound.
“Today we made a commitment to the Chesapeake Bay and a commitment to the people of Maryland and our neighboring states,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore. “The revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement will make our rivers and streams cleaner. It will bolster Maryland’s seafood, tourism and recreational businesses. Most importantly, it will ensure we protect the precious heirloom that is the Chesapeake Bay so we can pass it down to the next generations in a better condition than we received it.”
The revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement contains four goals — Thriving Habitats, Fisheries and Wildlife; Clean Water; Healthy Landscapes; and Engaged Communities — and 21 outcomes. The partnership will now update or develop new Management Strategies for each outcome that outline how it will be achieved and include considerations such as monitoring, assessing and reporting progress, as well as where coordination with partners and stakeholders is needed.
“The Chesapeake Bay Program is a model for the nation of what is possible with state-led, federally backed and community-driven restoration,” said Maryland State Senator Sara Love, chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. “This refreshed Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement marks a new chapter in our enduring partnership, made possible through contributions from experts in every field and input from every corner of the watershed. Together, we remain grounded in sound science and dedicated to providing a healthy Bay and watershed for the people.”
Additionally, the Executive Council approved recommendations to streamline and simplify the partnership’s structure and governance. The Chesapeake Bay Program will implement these revisions and regularly report progress to the Principals’ Staff Committee for their final approval expected by July 1, 2026.
At the meeting, the Executive Council took another significant step for the future of the partnership by calling for recommendations to be developed over the next year, in collaboration with the federally recognized tribal nations of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, on how best to include tribes in the Chesapeake Bay Program moving forward. Chief G. Anne Richardson of the Rappahannock Tribe, who chairs the Indigenous Conservation Council of the Chesapeake Bay, attended the meeting along with other board representatives.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was unanimously elected to be chair of the Executive Council, succeeding Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who has served in the role for the past two years.
“My Administration has accelerated Pennsylvania’s progress in restoring local waterways across the Commonwealth and reduced our share of pollution to the Bay, ensuring every Pennsylvanian has access to clean air and water while supporting our farmers and our agriculture industry,” said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. “I’m honored to be elected as the next chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council by my fellow governors and I’m looking forward to continuing this work to get stuff done together for the people we serve.”
The Executive Council was formed as part of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983 and consists of the governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, who represents the federal government.
“As a member of the Chesapeake Bay Program, West Virginia has been working with partners across the watershed to protect and preserve natural resources for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the Bay area,” said West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey. “Together we are building a pathway to a cleaner, healthier Bay.”
