New federal executive order changes the framework for Chesapeake Bay restoration, prompting officials to assess impacts on funding and coordination.
President Donald Trump has rescinded a 2009 Obama-era executive order that established a federal framework for coordinating Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. The new order directs federal agencies to focus resources on projects the administration considers most likely to produce measurable water-quality improvements and encourages states and local governments to reconsider stormwater management fees. Maryland officials are assessing how the change could affect federal funding, staffing, and agency participation in Bay cleanup efforts. The order does not eliminate Maryland’s authority to maintain its stormwater programs, which are established under state law and the federal Clean Water Act, nor does it repeal the Chesapeake Bay’s federally established pollution limits.
The action comes as Maryland and other Bay jurisdictions continue working toward updated restoration goals after falling short of certain 2025 pollution-reduction targets. Seven of the 10 Maryland counties once required to impose stormwater remediation fees were still collecting them as of fiscal 2024, while others use general tax revenues or have eliminated the fee. Maryland officials and environmental organizations have raised concerns that changes in federal coordination or support could complicate ongoing restoration work, while the order’s supporters argue that federal resources should be more closely targeted toward projects demonstrating direct environmental benefits. The practical effect will depend largely on how individual federal agencies implement the order and whether funding or other federal support for Chesapeake Bay programs changes.
