July 26, 2023

Manchin Reintroduces Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Support Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Chesapeake Bay Science, Education and Ecosystem Enhancement (SEEE) Act. The legislation aims to restore the health of the Bay watershed, strengthen fisheries management and expand environmental education programs for residents across the region.

“West Virginia is truly Wild and Wonderful, and I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan, bicameral legislation to support restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, an incredible wildlife area that includes multiple counties in our great state,” said Senator Manchin. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reauthorize the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office to support the habitats in West Virginia and across the Chesapeake Bay region.”

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. More than 150,000 streams and rivers thread through the Chesapeake’s 64,000-square-mile watershed, which is home to 18 million people across Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Specifically, the Chesapeake Bay SEEE Act would:

  • Reauthorize the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (CBO), a key partner of the Bay Program and leader of the Program’s fisheries, environmental literacy, climate resiliency, and habitat work. The bill would allow NOAA CBO to collaborate with universities, nonprofits, and other Bay stakeholders to promote integrated coastal observations – such as monitoring and observing restoration activities, collecting and analyzing marine resources data – and information sharing to assist policymakers, resource managers, and the public.
  • Direct NOAA to support coordinated management, protection, characterization, and restoration of Bay habitats and living resources, as well as the Interpretive Buoy System along the Capital John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
  • Authorize the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, which awards educational grants related to Bay restoration.

Senator Manchin was joined by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA). Representatives John Sarbanes (D-MD), Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rob Wittman (R-VA) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

The full text of the bill is available here.