Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1620, the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act. I commend my colleague and fellow Virginian, Congresswoman Elaine Luria, for introducing this bill which will further the Chesapeake Bay's ongoing restoration. As a co-chair of the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Task Force, I recognize the critical role that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and it's Chesapeake Bay Program play in coordinating the multi- state restoration effort. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Deterioration of the Bay and how to best address the problem has been a concern for almost half a century. While serving as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, I was part of a joint Virginia-Maryland legislative advisory commission focused on determining what actions were necessary to address Bay issues. We concluded that restoring the Bay would require more than just Virginia and Maryland, but rather, the collaboration of the entire 64,000 square-mile watershed.

The EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program, which was created during the Reagan Administration and ratified by Congress in 1987, facilitates the cooperation between the watershed states and the federal government to restore the Bay. Re-authorization of the critical Chesapeake Bay Program is long overdue.

Increases in underwater grasses and the blue crab population indicate our efforts are working, however more resources and continued coordination efforts are necessary to ensure that these gains are maintained and that the Chesapeake Bay is protected. The Total Maximum Daily Load, sometimes referred to as a ``pollution diet,'' was established in 2010 and is a key part of the EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program and the EPA's role in establishing and enforcing those limits are an essential part of the ongoing restoration process.

The Chesapeake Bay is a national commercial, recreational, ecological treasure and we have a moral responsibility to preserve it. I commend the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for reporting this bill favorably to the full House and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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