The Chesapeake Bay Commission is an advisory body that consults with the legislatures of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

about environmental, economic and social issues related to the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. The commission is a signatory to all agreements on matters regarding the bay, and advises

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on bay-related issues. The commission was established under state law in 1980 by the states of Maryland and Virginia. Pennsylvania joined the commission in 1985. Since its inception, the Commission has led the adoption of hundreds of federal, multi-state, and state policies and laws in order to improve the environment of the bay. The Commission was a signatory to the ''Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983,'' which was also signed by the

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

s of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania; the Mayor of the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

; and the Administrator of the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

(EPA). The agreement recognized the need for a cooperative approach among the various governmental jurisdictions to address

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

problems in the bay, and established the Chesapeake Bay Program, an inter-agency partnership of federal and state agencies, academic institutions, citizen groups and non-governmental organizations. In 2000, the Commission was a signatory to the ''Chesapeake 2000 Agreement,'' which was also signed for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the United States of America. This more comprehensive agreement committed these signatories to future restoration actions to reduce pollution, restore habitat, protect the bay's resources, improve

land use Land use is an umbrella term to describe what happens on a parcel of land. It concerns the benefits derived from using the land, and also the land management actions that humans carry out there. The following categories are used for land use: fo ...

practices, and community engagement. This agreement laid out 102 commitments and goals to work to achieve within the decade and reaffirmed their previous commitments to past ''Chesapeake Bay Agreements''. The commission membership consists of state legislators, state cabinet secretaries and citizen representatives. As of 2023, the chair of the commission is Scott Martin, State Senator of Pennsylvania. The full commission meets quarterly, and staff maintain offices in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

;

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

; and

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.chesbay.us/

Commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

Councils of governments Government agencies established in 1980 Maryland General Assembly Pennsylvania General Assembly Virginia General Assembly

See also

References

External links