The Chesapeake Bay Program was created in 1983 when Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, D.C., the Chesapeake Bay Comm., and the EPA agreed to establish a partnership to restore the Bay. The partnership¿s most recent agreement, ¿Chesapeake 2000,¿ sets out 4 broad goals to guide the restoration effort through 2010. This testimony summarizes the findings of an Oct. 2005 report on: (1) the extent to which measures for assessing restoration progress had been established; (2) the extent to which program reports clearly and accurately described the Bay¿s health; (3) how much funding was provided for the effort for FY 1995 to 2004; and (4) how effectively the effort was being coordinated and managed. Charts and tables.

Since 1983, the states of MD, PA, and VA.; D. C.; the Chesapeake Bay Comm.; and the EPA have partnered to protect and restore the deteriorated Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The partners established the Chesapeake Bay Program to manage and coordinate a variety of restoration activities and in their most recent agreement, ¿Chesapeake 2000,¿ they established 102 commitments for the Chesapeake Bay to be achieved by 2010. In Oct. 2005, a report was issued which reviewed the mgmt., coordination, and reporting mechanisms used by the Bay Program, and recommended that the Bay Program take 6 actions. This report assesses the progress that the Bay Program has made in implementing these recommendations. Illus.

Chesapeake Bay Program: Recent Actions Are Positive Steps Toward More Effectively Guiding the Restoration Effort

The EPA¿s mission is to protect human health and the environment by implementing and enforcing environmental laws intended to improve the quality of the nation¿s air and water and to protect its land. EPA's policies and programs affect virtually all segments of the economy, society, and gov¿t. This report identifies challenges at EPA that hinder its ability to implement its programs effectively, including: (1) improving agencywide mgmt.; (2) transforming EPA's processes for assessing and controlling toxic chemicals; (3) improving implementation of the Clean Air Act; (4) reducing pollution in the nation's waters, (5) speeding the pace of cleanup at Superfund and other hazardous waste sites; and (6) addressing emerging climate change issues. Illus.

The EPA's mission is to protect human health and the environment by implementing and enforcing the laws intended to improve the quality of the nation's air, water, and lands. EPA's policies and programs affect virtually all segments of the economy, society, and government. Auditors have identified several significant and persistent challenges across a range of EPA programs and activities and has proposed corrective actions to enable the agency to more effectively accomplish its mission. Based on this work, this testimony highlights some of the major management challenges facing EPA today, the agency's efforts to address them, and the work that remains to be done. Includes recommendations. Illustrations. This is a print on demand report.

Coastal Governance provides a clear overview of how U.S. coasts are currently managed and explores new approaches that could make our shores healthier. Drawing on recent national assessments, Professor Richard Burroughs explains why traditional management techniques have ultimately proved inadequate, leading to polluted waters, declining fisheries, and damaged habitat. He then introduces students to governance frameworks that seek to address these shortcomings by considering natural and human systems holistically. The book considers the ability of sector-based management, spatial management, and ecosystem-based management to solve critical environmental problems. Evaluating governance successes and failures, Burroughs covers topics including sewage disposal, dredging, wetlands, watersheds, and fisheries. He shows that at times sector-based management, which focuses on separate, individual uses of the coasts, has been implemented effectively. But he also illustrates examples of conflict, such as the incompatibility of waste disposal and fishing in the same waters. Burroughs assesses spatial and ecosystem-based management’s potential to address these conflicts. The book familiarizes students not only with current management techniques but with the policy process. By focusing on policy development, Coastal Governance prepares readers with the knowledge to participate effectively in a governance system that is constantly evolving. This understanding will be critical as students become managers, policymakers, and citizens who shape the future of the coasts.