September 2, 2009

The Chesapeake Bay: An Environmental Work in Progress

Co-sponsored by:
the Environmental Law Insitute and
The District of Columbia Bar Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section

The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest and most diverse estuary, covering 64,000 square miles. For years the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have been struggling. The largest sources of pollution to the bay are nitrogen and phosphorus which come from both point and non-point sources. The federal government as well as the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and the District of Columbia have signed several Chesapeake Bay Agreements pledging to reduce pollution and clean up the Bay. Recently, President Obama signed the Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration Executive Order which establishes a Federal Leadership Committee that will oversee development and coordination of reporting, data management and other programs and activities by agencies involved with Bay restoration. The panelists will discuss the problems affecting the Bay’s water quality, what needs to be done to restore the Bay and recent developments regarding the Bay and its health.

Speakers:
Amy E. McDonnell, Litigation Counsel, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (moderator)
J. Charles "Chuck" Fox, U.S. EPA’s Senior Advisor for the Chesapeake Bay
Ann Pesiri Swanson, Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Commission
Roy Hoagland, Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration, Chesapeake Bay Foundation