U.S. President Donald Trump has rescinded a 17-year-old executive order directing federal agencies to coordinate restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, claiming that it’s been used to improperly justify stormwater management fees – or rain taxes – implemented by municipalities.
The president went on to state that enough progress has been made on improving the water quality and environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed that the executive order issued by then-U.S. President Barrack Obama is no longer needed.
“Given this significant progress, and the need to provide clarity on how to continue improving the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay, it is appropriate to revoke Executive Order 13508, which relevant jurisdictions have erroneously relied on to impose rain taxes, and to implement new actions and best practices that promote the economic health and wellbeing of the communities the Chesapeake Bay serves,” Trump said.
The new executive order again directs the federal government to support improvements to Chesapeake Bay water quality, though they must focus “on more direct, on-the-ground projects, in areas of highest need, that would result in the most impactful water quality improvements.” The executive order also tasks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to “encourage” the repeal of municipal stormwater management fees.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation condemned the president’s executive order, stating that it was jeopardizing decades of work on restoration and dismantle the state-federal partnerships that enabled it.
“The Trump Administration has repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to slash funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration. Now they are trying to destroy Bay restoration by executive order,” Chesapeake Bay Foundation President and CEO Hilary Harp Falk said in a release. “For 17 years, the 2009 executive order has helped provide the federal leadership, coordination, science and accountability needed to restore the Chesapeake Bay. Repealing it weakens this historic federal-state partnership at exactly the moment we need greater accountability and collaboration. Its replacement undermines the federal government’s role while eroding the ability of states and local governments to fix problems ranging from pollution to flooding.
Together, Maryland’s entire Congressional delegation put out a joint statement opposing Trump’s move.
“The Chesapeake Bay and its health are vital to lives and livelihoods across our state and the greater region,” the lawmakers said. “Now more than ever, we need continued federal partnership and support for Chesapeake Bay restoration, not efforts to roll back all the progress we’ve made. The 2009 Executive Order that the Trump administration just revoked provided vital federal resources that support state-led efforts to improve the health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding area. Removing the coordinated federal backing that advances the watershed protection and restoration goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement risks undermining the future health of the Bay along with the businesses and communities that depend on it. This decision is shortsighted and harmful to our communities. Make no mistake: the Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure. And we will continue to fight for it.”
The executive order comes shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration and Science (WATERS) Act, reauthorizing NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office.
