Capitol Monitor ....
Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Fourth District of Virginia 

July 13, 2007

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In this Issue

 1. The Noblest of Bays

 

 

:: The Noblest of Bays ::  

 

As early settlers made their way to what we now know as Virginia, they were captivated by the sprawling forests and meandering waterways that stretched across the uncharted land. The settlers were particularly taken by a vast body of water near the coast of our great state that they named “the noblest bay in the universe.” That same body of water would later be called the Chesepiooc, or “shellfish bay”, by natives, the Bahia de Santa Maria by Spanish settlers, and the Great Bay of the Chesapeakes by English settlers. Today, we know that body of water as the Chesapeake Bay, and we know some of its watershed as the James River, the Potomac River, and the Rappahannock River.

Those early settlers who coined the Chesapeake Bay the “noblest bay” didn’t know that the Chesapeake Bay was and remains the largest estuary in the country, or that its watershed covers over 64,000 miles, or that it would be known for delicious blue crabs, clams, and oysters. They simply knew that the immeasurable waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding wildlife were so beautiful that it warranted the name “the noblest bay in the universe.”

But centuries of change, transformation, and mobility have placed serious strain on the Chesapeake Bay. Although still aesthetically stunning, the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers, like many of America’s resources, continue to be plagued by pollution. Once healthy, balanced, and biologically productive, the Chesapeake Bay is now listed as a marine dead zone and is the subject of an over-twenty-year federal and state restoration effort. At a quick glance through some of the Bay’s marshes and canals, you’ll still see glimpses of lone pelicans and nesting eagles, and sometimes the occasional fish springing out of the fresh and brackish waters. But ask any Chesapeake Bay native and they will tell you that the wildlife decline over the years is sharply noticeable. The urgency from the state and federal government to restore the Chesapeake Bay came much later than it did for Bay natives, and there is still so much left to be done.

Today, the task of restoring the Chesapeake Bay is far beyond a community-wide effort to control pollution and litter. The amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution in the Bay have intoxicated its glassy waters to the point that many of the pollutant substances are even found in tributary streams and rivers many states away from the Chesapeake Bay. Over five years ago, the Chesapeake Bay states, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia, signed a recommitment that set specific pollution reduction goals to be met by 2010. Now, just two-and-a-half years from the 2010 deadline, we are still benchmarks away from reaching the pollution reduction goals.

The restoration of the Chesapeake Bay will take nothing short of a dramatic increase in federal financial and technical assistance to the region’s farmers and landowners. Additionally, it will take a federal commitment to provide greater focus, accountability, and targeted programming to address the biggest challenges to the Bay’s restoration.

The Chesapeake’s Healthy and Environmentally Sound Stewardship of Energy and Agriculture Act of 2007 (CHESSEA), which I have cosponsored, has the potential to have a major impact on Chesapeake Bay conservation. If enacted, the bill would bring more than 30 substantive changes to current law, benefiting the Chesapeake Bay and its 150 tributary streams and rivers. CHESSEA would provide federal assistance to farmers and landowners in the Chesapeake Bay states to help them control the amount of toxins they release into the Bay. Currently, 40% of the nitrogen and phosphorus, and 60% of the sediment found in the Chesapeake Bay are a result of agricultural contributions. Seeing that farmers have the financial and technical assistance they need to control toxic runoffs will greatly decrease the amount of toxic pollutants coming into the Bay.

CHESSEA would also provide additional incentives for the region’s farmers to produce new sources of renewable energy in an effort to improve water quality across the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, and to reduce the impact of fossil fuel consumption on the atmosphere. The bill would help fulfill the specific pollution reduction goals established in the federal and state commitment to the Chesapeake Bay, so that we can get closer to meeting the goals by 2010.

Today, people continue to flock to the Chesapeake Bay from all over the country to fish, enjoy the sites of wild birds, hear the gentle hum of crickets in the Bay’s surrounding woodlands, and enjoy recreational sport with family and friends. Whether they all realize the vulnerability of the surrounding ecosystem is unlikely, but those of us who experience the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed on a daily basis have a responsibility to recognize it. And our state and federal governments have a responsibility to provide the necessary funding and resources to help preserve our vast and most historical natural treasures. Perhaps then we will be able to look out over the Chesapeake Bay today and say that it is still the noblest of all bays.

SPOTLIGHT ....

Immigration Update

 

 

Modeling and Simulation Expo this Thursday, July 19

 

 Get Control Over Spam with Tips from the FTC

ON THE HILL ....

Current Floor Proceedings

Bills Coming Up This Week

Monthly Whip Calendar

OFFICE LOCATIONS ....

307 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202.225.6365

505 Independence Pkwy, Suite 104
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757.382.0080

2903 Boulevard, Suite B
Colonial Heights, VA 23834
804.526.4969

425 H. South Main Street
Emporia, VA 23847
434.634.5575

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