Maryland Whole Watershed Program Federal Partnership Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Maryland Whole Watershed Program Federal Partnership Act requires the Chesapeake Bay Program Office to serve as an advisory member of the State Management Team for Maryland's Whole Watershed Program. The same advisory-membership duty applies to any other substantially similar program in a state.
In that role, the federal office is authorized to coordinate with state and local governments and other federal agencies. It may also provide technical assistance and financial resources for projects carried out in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The bill uses the existing Chesapeake Bay Program Office established under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act rather than creating a new agency.
Advisory membership does not give the federal office a vote or control over a state team unless another rule supplies it. The text does not define "substantially similar," identify a project-selection formula, set a dollar amount, appropriate new money, require the office to fund every project, or extend financial resources outside the Chesapeake watershed. Existing appropriations and program authorities therefore constrain actual awards.
Who Benefits and How
Maryland's management team gains federal technical expertise and access to interagency coordination. Similar state watershed programs may receive the same advisory participation. State and local governments, restoration organizations, landowners, and project contractors may obtain technical help or federal resources for Chesapeake projects. Communities around the Bay may benefit from faster or better coordinated water-quality restoration.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Chesapeake Bay Program Office staff must attend teams, coordinate agencies, evaluate requests, and oversee any resources provided. State teams must integrate a federal advisory member into decisionmaking. Existing Chesapeake programs may compete with whole-watershed projects for limited funds and technical staff. Applicants receiving assistance must comply with federal grant, environmental, procurement, and reporting conditions.
Key Provisions
- Requires federal advisory membership on Maryland's management team.
- Extends advisory membership to substantially similar state programs.
- Authorizes coordination with state governments.
- Authorizes coordination with local governments and federal agencies.
- Provides technical assistance for Chesapeake watershed projects.
- Authorizes financial resources for eligible watershed projects.
- Uses the existing Chesapeake Bay Program Office.
- Limits project resources to the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- Provides no new appropriation or mandatory award amount.
- Leaves substantially similar programs undefined.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Makes the federal Chesapeake Bay Program Office an advisory member of Maryland's Whole Watershed Program management team and similar state programs, and authorizes federal coordination, technical assistance, and financial resources for Chesapeake Bay watershed projects.
Key Policy Areas
Chesapeake Bay Restoration, Watershed Management, Federal-State Coordination, Environmental Technical Assistance, Watershed Project Funding
Primary Purpose
Makes the federal Chesapeake Bay Program Office an advisory member of Maryland's Whole Watershed Program management team and similar state programs, and authorizes federal coordination, technical assistance, and financial resources for Chesapeake Bay watershed projects.
Policy Domains
Section 2 federal advisory membership and Chesapeake project support
Identified Gains
- Maryland Whole Watershed management team
- Similar state watershed programs
- Local governments coordinating Chesapeake projects
- Watershed restoration organizations
- Landowners hosting restoration projects
- Environmental contractors implementing projects
- Chesapeake communities receiving water-quality benefits
Identified Costs
- Chesapeake Bay Program Office staff
- State teams integrating federal advisers
- Existing Chesapeake programs competing for resources
- Project applicants meeting federal conditions
- Federal grant staff overseeing financial support
- State officials interpreting substantially similar programs
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Ms. Elfreth (for herself, Mr. Olszewski, Mr. Mfume, and Mr. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Local governments coordinating Chesapeake projects, Maryland Whole Watershed management team, Similar state watershed programs
Positive-direction: Local governments coordinating Chesapeake projects, Maryland Whole Watershed management team, Similar state watershed programs
Negative-direction: State similarity-review officials, State teams integrating federal advisers
Chesapeake watershed communities, Environmental contractors, Existing Chesapeake restoration programs
Positive-direction: Chesapeake watershed communities, Environmental contractors, Watershed restoration organizations
Negative-direction: Existing Chesapeake restoration programs, Watershed project applicants
Chesapeake Bay Program Office staff, Federal Chesapeake program accounts, Federal watershed-grant staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "state_team"
- → Maryland Whole Watershed Program State Management Team
- "local_partner"
- → Local government coordinating a restoration project
- "federal_office"
- → Chesapeake Bay Program Office
- "similar_program"
- → Substantially similar state watershed program
- "project_recipient"
- → Chesapeake watershed project receiving support
Note: {'scope_ids': ['chesapeake_whole_watershed_partnership'], 'description': 'The Office must participate as an adviser but retains discretion over authorized project support; the bill supplies no appropriation, voting power, award formula, or definition of a substantially similar state program.'}
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Chesapeake Bay Program Office's required noncontrolling participation on the Maryland team or a substantially similar state team.
Technical assistance or financial resources the Office is authorized to provide for a project within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
An undefined state program sufficiently comparable to Maryland's Whole Watershed Program to trigger federal advisory membership.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology