President Trump has repealed an Obama executive order that called for a broader partnership in clean up the Chesapeake Bay. In our weekly series with the Bay Journal Don Rush talks with reporter Jeremy Cox on the implications of the change.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order revoking a 2009 Obama administration initiative that established a broad federal framework for Chesapeake Bay restoration. The new order places greater emphasis on water-quality improvements and encourages states to reconsider stormwater management fees, often referred to by critics as “rain taxes.”
Bay Journal reporter Jeremy Cox says the change represents a significant narrowing of the federal approach to Bay restoration.
“The agencies would work with each other and the states as well on a pretty broad list of parameters,” Cox said, noting that the earlier effort addressed not only water quality but also climate change and healthy habitats.
Stormwater fees, however, were not directly created by the 2009 executive order. Cox explained that counties use the fees to help meet federally required stormwater permits and pay for infrastructure designed to reduce polluted runoff.
“They set aside a fee to pay for it as they would for, let’s say, a fee for picking up your garbage or a fee for your water usage,” he said.
The issue has particular relevance in Maryland, where former Gov. Larry Hogan moved to repeal the state's stormwater fee. Pennsylvania has faced similar debate.
The Trump administration points to progress in Bay restoration, including reductions in nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution. The executive order says watershed jurisdictions had reached 57% of their nitrogen-reduction goal as of 2025.
Cox notes that critics question why the broader Bay program should be substantially changed while improvements are being reported. “The dead zone is shrinking,” Cox said. “Low oxygenated water is going down.”
Despite these positive changes, the new Bay Program leaves much to be desired, suggests Cox. "I don't think anyone is looking at the Bay program overall and saying everything is great."
