Norton Says Successful Federal-State Partnership for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Should Be Applied to Chesapeake Bay Restoration

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a member of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, today said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, which have been working together to restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, along with other states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, need to look closely at the tremendously successful Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a state and federal effort that is significantly improving the Great Lakes Basin's water quality, restoring habitats of native species, reducing invasive species, and addressing other environmental problems. The subcommittee held a hearing yesterday to review the progress of the GLRI since its 2010 implementation and the improvements that should be made going forward. Norton said the GLRI was particularly successful because of the leadership provided by the administration, the EPA, and other federal agencies that got buy-in by the eight states bordering the Great Lakes. The buy-in, however, was driven by the strong reliance of the eight states involved on the Great Lakes' water supply for drinking, industrial, and agricultural purposes, along with recreational activities. Norton said a similar effort to help restore the Chesapeake Bay might differ, requiring Maryland, Virginia and D.C. to take on more of the responsibility and leadership for the project. The other states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, will benefit immensely, but not as quickly, from the restoration, and unlike the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake is not a fresh water source.

"The great success of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative shows the importance of federal leadership in a federal union to encourage multi-state partnerships that can bring improved ecological conditions for our nation's most important bodies of water," Norton said. "I would urge the EPA to reach out to Maryland, Virginia, D.C. and other states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to discuss whether a similar model could be applied to improve ongoing efforts to preserve and restore one of our nation's most precious estuaries in this region."

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