2004 Executive Council Meeting

The Chesapeake Executive Council gathered on the grounds of George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate in January 10, 2005 to adopt several measures that will improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.

At the meeting, the Executive Council announced plans for reducing pollution, improving living resource habitats, and expanding restoration funding, including:

Adopting several recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Finance Panel including creating a panel of finance and legal experts to outline the actions necessary to establish a regional financing authority;
Committing to a new animal manure and poultry litter directive that will promote sound agricultural waste management practices and reduce nutrient pollution flowing into the Bay;
Continuing native oyster restoration efforts to meet goals set in the Chesapeake 2000 agreement;
Expanding fish passage restoration goals to spur the reopening of 1,000 miles of high-quality migratory fish habitat within the Bay watershed; and
Renewing efforts to providing Bay watershed students educational experiences linking them to the Bay and its rivers.

The Executive Council includes the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Representatives of the Bay's headwater states, Delaware, New York and West Virginia, joined the Executive Council in the meeting.

News Release and Meeting Materials: