Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act of 2025
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
This bill creates the Chesapeake National Recreation Area spanning Maryland and Virginia as a new National Park System unit focused on the Chesapeake Bay. The Secretary of the Interior may acquire land from willing sellers, donors, or by exchange (no condemnation), and the area is not established until sufficient land is acquired. The bill revises the Fort Monroe National Monument boundary to transfer remediated North Beach land into the Recreation Area. A 19-member Advisory Commission (9 from Maryland, 9 from Virginia, plus Chesapeake Bay Commission Executive Director) would advise on management, with representation from environmental/cultural experts, commercial fishing, agriculture, youth, state governors, and Indian Tribes. The Secretary must prepare a management plan within 3 years, coordinate with the Chesapeake Bay Program and Chesapeake Gateways network, and minimize traffic impacts on nearby communities. The Chesapeake Gateways authorization is made permanent. State jurisdiction over fish and wildlife is preserved, and commercial/recreational fishing and shellfish aquaculture are unaffected. The Advisory Commission terminates after 7 years.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes the Chesapeake National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia as a new unit of the National Park System to preserve, protect, and provide public access to the natural, cultural, historic, and recreational resources of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas.
Who Benefits
- Chesapeake Bay communities in Maryland and Virginia (enhanced recreation and tourism)
- National Park Service (new unit, permanent Gateways authorization)
- Environmental and conservation organizations (watershed protection framework)
Who Bears Costs
- Federal government (land acquisition and management costs)
- National Park Service (new management and planning responsibilities)
- Department of the Army (Fort Monroe land transfer)
Key Policy Areas
{'domain': 'Public Lands', 'evidence': 'Creates a new unit of the National Park System with land acquisition authority, management plan requirements, and coordination with existing NPS sites'}, {'domain': 'Environment', 'evidence': 'Coordinates with Chesapeake Bay Program and Chesapeake Gateways for Bay watershed protection and environmental interpretation'}
Primary Purpose
Establishes the Chesapeake National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia as a new unit of the National Park System to preserve, protect, and provide public access to the natural, cultural, historic, and recreational resources of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Create a new, multi-state National Park System unit to formalize federal protection of the Chesapeake Bay watershed while coordinating with existing Bay Program and Gateways infrastructure, and ensuring broad stakeholder representation through a large advisory commission"
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Van Hollen (for himself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Kaine, and …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and …
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal government, Maryland and Virginia stakeholders (environmental, fishing, agricultural, tribal), Maryland and Virginia state governments
National Park Service faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Maryland and Virginia stakeholders (environmental, fishing, agricultural, tribal), Maryland and Virginia state governments
Negative-direction: Federal government
Annapolis and Fort Monroe area businesses, Chesapeake Bay communities in Maryland and Virginia, Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Network sites
Commercial and recreational fishing interests, Commercial fishing interests on the Bay, Shellfish aquaculture operators
Private landowners (no condemnation protection), Willing landowners in Chesapeake Bay area
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Chesapeake National Recreation Area Advisory Commission established under section 9(a)
The Chesapeake Bay, including its tidal tributaries, in Maryland and Virginia
The Chesapeake National Recreation Area established by section 3(a)
Secretary of the Interior
Member under age 22 representing interests of children and young adults
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