[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 56 (Friday, April 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            INTRODUCING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS NETWORK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2011

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce several pieces 
of legislation to help restore the Chesapeake Bay. Marylanders have a 
strong tradition of environmental advocacy rooted in a passion for the 
Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is our Nation's largest estuary and, 
in many ways, the soul of my home state. It is a national environmental 
treasure and an economic catalyst for Maryland's tourism and seafood 
industries.
  Unfortunately, the Bay's health has been negatively impacted by 
multiple factors, most notably nutrient runoff from our neighborhoods, 
farms and roadways. The legislation I am introducing today will help 
restore the Bay by enhancing outdoor recreation, improving access to 
the Bay, expanding environmental education, rehabilitating vital 
wetlands and providing incentives for citizens to make their homes more 
``Bay friendly.''
  The first bill would reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network 
(CBGN), a program that connects those who live in the Bay watershed to 
the natural, cultural and historic resources of the Bay and thereby 
encourages individual stewardship of these resources. This legislation 
is identical to the bill that passed the House of Representatives by an 
overwhelming and bipartisan vote during the 110th and 111th Congresses. 
Since 2000, Gateways has grown to include more than 150 sites and over 
1500 miles of established and developing water trails in six states and 
the District of Columbia. Through grants to parks, volunteer groups, 
wildlife refuges, historic sites, museums, and water trails, the 
Network ties these sites together to provide meaningful experiences and 
foster citizen stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. For a very modest 
investment, the Gateways program helps promote citizen stewardship that 
will be necessary to advance Bay cleanup and maintain the gains we hope 
to make in the coming years.
  I am also introducing the Chesapeake Bay Science, Education and 
Ecosystem Enhancement Act of 2011, which reauthorizes the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office 
that provides much of the scientific expertise to support Bay 
restoration. This legislation also authorizes NOAA's Chesapeake Bay 
Watershed Education and Training (BWET) program which provides 
environmental education grants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 
Finally, the bill enhances the Chesapeake Bay Interpretative Buoy 
System (CBIBS), which provides vital scientific and historical 
information to boaters, scientists and teachers about conditions in the 
Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Science, Education and Ecosystem 
Enhancement Act also passed the House of Representatives during the 
111th Congress by a bipartisan vote.
  The third bill would strengthen and expand the Army Corps of 
Engineers' role in Chesapeake Bay restoration--a mission they first 
began in 1996. It would provide the Corps with continuing authority to 
engage in this work; expand the Corps' work to all six states in the 
Bay watershed and the District of Columbia; and provide flexibility for 
the Corps to work with other federal agencies, state and local 
governments, and not-for-profit groups engaged in Bay cleanup. The 
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Restoration and Protection Program, which 
was established in section 510 of the Water Resources Development Act 
(WRDA) in 1996, authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to provide 
design and construction assistance to state and local authorities in 
the environmental restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. These projects 
range from shoreline buffers to oyster reef construction.
  The final piece of legislation is the Save the Bay Homeowner Act of 
2011. This legislation would allow the 17 million citizens of the 
Chesapeake Bay watershed to become citizen stewards of the Bay and give 
them an active role in restoring it. The bill directs the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a ``Save the Chesapeake Bay Home'' 
designation program that identifies various steps homeowners could 
voluntarily take around their property to reduce nutrient and sediment 
runoff and improve water quality in local streams and rivers that feed 
into the Bay. If a participating home meets certain standards, such as 
installing rain barrels or reducing fertilizer on their lawns, that 
home could be designated a ``Save the Chesapeake Bay Home.'' The 
legislation further directs the EPA to give credit to states and local 
jurisdictions for nutrient and sediment level reduction based upon the 
number of homeowners that achieve the ``Save the Chesapeake Bay Home'' 
designation.
  To truly save the Chesapeake Bay, we need the 17 million people who 
live in the Bay's watershed to become citizen stewards of the streams 
and rivers in their community. If each individual within the watershed 
were to contribute to clean-up efforts, even in small ways, the 
aggregate would yield significant results in moving Bay restoration 
forward.
  Mr. Speaker, these four pieces of legislation will help improve the 
federal government's role in restoring the Chesapeake Bay. I hope my 
colleagues will join me in supporting each of these pieces of 
legislation.

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