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Subcommittee reviews Chesapeake Bay Waters Act to reauthorize NOAA bay office, buoy system and BWET program
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Summary
Witnesses and state officials endorsed reauthorizing NOAA's Chesapeake Bay office to stabilize monitoring, restoration and education programs, while the chair signaled the committee would examine proposed additions related to climate programming and management structure changes.
The subcommittee considered legislation to reauthorize and update NOAA's Chesapeake Bay office and related programs, including statutory authorization for the Chesapeake Bay interpretive buoy system and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (BWET) grant program.
Representative Bobby Scott, a bill co-lead, described the Chesapeake Bay as the nation’s largest estuary and said the office's science, monitoring and restoration work is critical to fisheries, oyster restoration and the regional economy. "The Chesapeake Bay is one of our nation's greatest treasures," Scott said, and he told the committee the bill would ensure NOAA continues to support restoration and habitat management.
Joshua Kurtz, Maryland's secretary of natural resources, urged the subcommittee to support the bill, saying it provides certainty for NOAA's role as the hub of bay science and coordination across seven watershed jurisdictions and would bolster real-time monitoring and education programs used by researchers, boaters and the public. He cited the interpretive buoy system and said statutorily authorizing BWET would centralize administration to expand hands-on environmental education.
NOAA Assistant Secretary Tim Petty outlined NOAA's contribution to bay restoration, including support for oyster-restoration blueprints and real-time environmental data from the buoy system. Chair Hegeman said the committee will evaluate changes in the bill, including new language related to climate programs and management-structure adjustments.
Witnesses and members generally supported reauthorization and emphasized coordination across federal, state and local partners. The hearing closed without a vote; members were invited to submit follow-up questions for the record.
