Tributary Team Recommendations for Near term Actions to Implement the Tributary Strategy, 2004?

TRIBUTARY TEAM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEAR TERM ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT _ THE TRIBUTARY ...helping to reduce nutrient pollution STRATEGY and restore the Chesapeake Bay. its rivers and streams. To inform the development of Maryland’s Tributary Strategy Implementation Plan members of the Tributary Teams have proposed a comprehensive list of legislative and policy actions that they feel should be included in the draft plans. The recommendations include executive and legislative actions as well as state agency programmatic or policy changes for review by the Governor, Legislature and members of the Governor’s Chesapeake Bay Cabinet. These recommendations alone will not fully implement the tributary strategy and restore water quality in the Bay, however they would provide the critical information, political momentum and leadership needed jump start implementation and increase progress toward the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. How do these recommendations support those made from other similar Bay restoration groups? True to the purpose and function of the Tributary Teams, these recommendations are based directly on the water quality challenges and opportunities that currently exist at the local level throughout Maryland. Many of the recommendations directly support those that have been made by other groups, including the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Blue Ribbon Finance Panel, which provided recommendations to fund the Tributary Strategy, as well as the Chesapeake Bay Commission who promoted the most cost effective actions in the Strategy. These recommendations build on those made previously, identifying local priorities and providing specific policy actions relevant to Maryland’s state and local laws, regulations and programs. How should these recommendations be prioritized? These recommendations are all considered high priority and should be implemented as soon as possible, however because of the consistent call for increased funds a need to identify new resources for Bay clean up actions is clearly the highest priority. Some of the recommendations below identify specific changes that would expand revenues, such as increasing existing fines and fees as well as creating new user fees. Other recommendations might require a re-allocation of funds or perhaps some other new source of revenue. To address the expansive Tributary Strategy funding gap, estimated to be about $6 Billion in Maryland alone, the Tributary Teams support the creation of the Chesapeake Bay Financing Authority, as recommended by the Blue Ribbon Finance Panel. With the establishment of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, Maryland is well positioned to leverage a substantial increase in federal funds providing seed money for an Authority and accelerating the implementation of the Tributary Strategy. While many details of such an authority need to be worked out, the level of financial commitment outlined in the proposal is what it will ultimately take to realize bay restoration goals. A copy of the Blue Ribbon Finance Panel Report with details about the Bay Finance Authority can be found at www.chcsapcakebay.net. Maryland’s Tributary Teams i