Maryland has been, and continues to be, a proud participant in the Chesapeake Bay Partnership–a decades-long, bipartisan example of how federal, state, and local coordination can deliver results across a vast watershed, a fact that President Trump’s Executive Order acknowledges:
“As of 2025, the jurisdictions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed — New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Delaware, and West Virginia — have collectively met 100 percent of their goal for sediment reduction, 90 percent of their goal for phosphorus reduction, and 57 percent of their goal for nitrogen reduction.”
And yet, despite both the progress the partnership has made and the clear work left to be accomplished in delivering a thriving Chesapeake Bay, the Trump Administration is targeting the Chesapeake Bay Partnership and related restoration efforts. This is yet another disappointment regarding this Administration’s approach to environmental health. Furthermore, and perhaps most concerningly, this E.O. attempts to undermine local governments’ ability to protect clean water and mitigate flooding. While the federal government does not have any authority to strip local governments of their right to make decisions for their communities, we find the words from this federal administration unsettling and counterproductive to Chesapeake Bay restoration progress.
Maryland LCV supports our state and local governments in continuing to take actions and make investments that deliver water quality results for all who call Maryland home through the coordinated effort the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership has demonstrated for decades.