Governor Martin O'Malley monitoring Bay water quality.

 
Maryland has served as a national model in this regard, and has several programs in place that the federal government could use as models for accelerating nutrient and sediment reduction throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including federal lands. We are very pleased to note that a number of the recommendations included in the draft federal reports would build upon the successes of some of our own innovations.

Like BayStat, ChesapeakeStat would provide an avenue for publicly tracking and reporting progress. Like GreenPrint, the Treasured Landscapes Initiative would target land conservation to provide the greatest ecological benefit.  Like our recently established 2-year milestones, new short terms goals would enhance accountability and accelerate progress on the ground.

 
Strengthened stormwater management on federal lands would complement Maryland's new state of the art regulations. And a new federal focus on climate change would support Maryland's work to take action now to address both the drivers and the impacts of climate change in the Bay watershed.

 
The Chesapeake Bay is truly a national treasure  the largest estuary in North America and one of the most biologically productive estuaries in the world. We are pleased that this renewed federal attention recognizes that, and opens the door for increased federal involvement in Bay restoration.

 
However, to date Maryland and the other Bay States have worked to adopt strategies that emphasize voluntary action with government assistance. And I continue to believe that we can make substantial progress without some of the top-down regulations suggested by the federal agencies in their draft reports.  A more appropriate role for the federal government would be to establish standards for nutrient and sediment reductions and provide the states with flexibility to determine the best course for meeting these standards.

 
There is no doubt that achieving the levels of Bay restoration we aim for would be extremely difficult without additional federal help.  At the same time we will need a greater commitment from our county governments, municipalities, businesses and citizens who live and work in this watershed. While Maryland has the largest amount of Bay shoreline, half of the fresh water entering the Chesapeake comes from Pennsylvania and New York.  Maryland cannot restore the Bay by our actions alone, nor can we bear the burden of the entire restoration cost. Federal funds will be needed to pay for the necessary actions  such as upgrading the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant that treats sewage from the District of Columbia and its suburbs  regardless of which strategies are pursued.

 
As these efforts evolve,  my BayStat team and I look forward to engaging in a true partnership with our federal partners and our broader base of stakeholders to participate fully in the development of appropriate strategies, priorities and performance measures that will make a vibrant healthy Chesapeake Bay a reality. I am hopeful that we will agree on a joint path that will move us forward vigorously and successfully to restore the Bay that we all cherish, for our children and theirs.

Sincerely,