Governor O'Malley Applauds Federal Agencies Chesapeake Bay Draft Reports
Obama Administration to to focus on increased accountability and performance
ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 10, 2009) –Governor Martin O’Malley today issued the following statement upon the release of seven draft Federal reports required by President Barack Obama’s Executive Order on the Chesapeake Bay, which contain a range of proposed strategies for accelerating cleanup of the nation’s largest estuary and its vast watershed.
I want to applaud the leadership of President Obama and Administrator Jackson as for the first time in history, the Federal government has elevated restoration of the Chesapeake Bay to its rightful place as a true national priority. This unprecedented Federal commitment to target action and track progress regionally ― and the extraordinary public process the Administration has undertaken to coordinate it ― will forever change the way we work together to recover the health of this national treasure.
Here in Maryland, our experience has shown that by targeting both best management practices and land conservation investments, we can achieve greater accountability and escalated progress. We are very pleased to note that a number of the regional commitments included in the draft reports released today will build upon the successes of some of our innovative programming.
Like BayStat, ChesapeakeStat, will provide an avenue for publicly tracking and reporting progress. Like GreenPrint, the Treasured Landscapes Initiative will target land conservation to provide the greatest ecological benefit. Like our recently established 2-year milestones, new short terms goals will enhance accountability and accelerate progress on the ground. Strengthened stormwater management on Federal lands will compliment Maryland’s new state of the art regulations. And a new Federal focus on climate change will support Maryland’s work to take action now to address both the drives and the impacts of climate change in the Bay watershed.
Over the next several weeks, my BayStat team and I look forward to working closely with our federal partners and our broader base of stakeholders to analyze these reports in detail, and participate fully in the development of the strategies, priorities and performance measures that will make a vibrant healthy Chesapeake Bay a reality for our children and theirs.
