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At the 26th meeting of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, Governor Martin O’Malley announced ambitious two-year milestones to accelerate Maryland’s on-the-ground efforts to meet nutrient reduction goals by 2020. With last year’s acknowledgement that the Bay jurisdictions would not meet the long-term nutrient reduction deadline of 2010, the Executive Council committed to developing new shorter-term goals to accelerate progress and bolster accountability.
“For decades now, policy makers have set and reset restoration goals for 10 or more years into the future, all the while knowing that true progress lies in holding ourselves accountable for what we can do during our own political lifetimes,” said Governor O’Malley at the Executive Council Meeting on May 12, 2009. “Over the past two and-a-half years, we have spent too much time debating — focusing on missed goals, bad report cards and lack of resources — and not enough time holding our own feet to the fire. This changes today, with two-year milestones that will demand a new level of accountability and set a new course for making real progress on the ground.”
Governor O’Malley and his team used the BayStat process to develop the new two-year milestones, which for 2011 include:
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Doubling the State’s cover crop program;
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Expanding efforts to establish forested buffers and wetlands on both public and private lands, primarily through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program;
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Retrofitting Stormwater Controls on over 90,000 acres;
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Upgrading over 3,000 septic systems;
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Upgrading 13 more sewage treatment plants to Enhanced Nutrient Removal; and
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Reducing nitrogen from power plants through the Healthy Air Act.
Governor O’Malley committed Maryland to reaching current nutrient reduction goals by 2020, five years earlier than the 2025 end date agreed to by the other jurisdictions. “While we respect the varied circumstances of our Bay partners, we feel strongly that in Maryland we need this stretch goal to maintain our own sense of urgency,” said Governor O’Malley.
Governor O’Malley and his Bay Cabinet will use BayStat to publicly track progress on the new milestones, and they have put into place a series of contingency plans to meet any shortfalls and set the foundation for the next set of goals. Possible contingencies that would be considered if the 2001 milestone plan is not fully implemented to include:
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Further increasing implementation of streamside buffers on both agricultural and developed lands;
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Requiring further use of best available technologies in septic systems, building on our legislative success in 2009 that requires upgraded systems in the Critical Area;
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Implementing ammonia emissions reductions at poultry houses;
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Conducting an independent review of Maryland’s nutrient management planning program and developing farm specific performance goals;
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Requiring the stormwater impact of each new acre of development be offset through retrofitting two acres of pre-1985 developed land;
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Increasing funding for the new Chesapeake Bay Trust fund as needed.
The "contingencies" serve as a "Plan B" in the event that planned actions are not fully implemented.
“We know, of course, that these ambitious plans will only be successful with the full commitment and involvement of our state agencies, county governments, municipalities, soil conservation districts, tributary teams, NGOS and our businesses and citizens,” said Governor O’Malley. “And to ensure these partners are fully engaged, we are bringing both technical and financial resources to them through new programming, including our Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund.”
Governor O’Malley and senior scientists have discussed two new strategies to accelerate Bay restoration in Maryland. Citing what scientists call a “tipping point” — a stage at which progress within a tributary can begin to promote self-healing — the Governor announced plans for a major new outreach effort to enlist local governments, businesses and citizens to take a more active role in restoring the health of Maryland’s waterways.
On behalf of the Executive Council, Governor O’Malley also announced an agreement to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent evaluation of each State’s track record in implementing its milestone plan.
Recognizing the importance of this effort, President Obama signed an Executive Order that calls on the federal government to lead the effort to control pollution that flows to the Chesapeake Bay and protect wildlife habitats in the region. The Governor commended the action of President Barack Obama and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson for their swift work in elevating the federal government’s commitment to restoring the nationally treasured estuary.
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