WASHINGTON – The Chesapeake Bay could see a boost in status under legislation introduced this summer to designate the region as a National Recreation Area.
Sponsored by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, and Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Maryland, the Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act would allow the National Park Service to oversee the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which covers over 60,000 square miles across six states and Washington, D.C.
“We know that the Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and it’s a global treasure,” Van Hollen said in an interview with Capital News Service. “We believe that by including this national treasure within the National Park Service system, we will ensure that it is protected in the future.”
Efforts to establish a Chesapeake National Recreation Area date back to the 2000s, when a study called for the bay to become a unit of the National Park Service. This year’s legislation also comes amid attempts to mitigate the declining health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and efforts to highlight lesser-known parts of bay history, including the contributions of Native Americans and Black watermen to the ecosystem and economy.
The bill was created through a “unique process,” Van Hollen said. In 2021, in a practice uncommon among most lawmakers, he and Sarbanes created a working group to solicit feedback on what the legislation should look like.
The bill is currently in committee but Van Hollen said a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers is “determined to get it over the finish line” by the end of this congressional session.
Good idea. If the Chesapeake becomes a Federal govt property, they can have absolute power over EVERYTHING it touches and everything. that effects the bay. Just another Super-Sized power grab.
They already do control the navigable waterways, including the bay and all of its tributaries.
But does “lucky” Maryland no longer have to pay for it?
How many boats, SUVs, buildings and new park rangers are we talking?
Yes and everything the stupid government touches goes straight to hell and destroyed
more control less access!
MD should no longer have to pay all this BS now. Also the tax on these tax ditches has to be evoked and no longer homeowners have to pay this BS TAX. Start listing all the taxes that should be paid back to the landowners.
BIG mistake…they want to bring in another 1 million plus visitors a year…more traffic more crime more pollution…it is a BIG land/power grab and despite what the government might promise, they will totally take over and F-it up!
just what MD needs – more Federal oversight of Less Moore’s wind turbines in The Bay!