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Training covers HB 504 changes to Chesapeake Bay preservation rules, including mature‑tree protection
Summary
Wetlands Watch explained HB 504 adds mature‑tree preservation and coastal resilience language to the State Water Control Board's guidance for Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas and creates an adaptations section that limits fill‑only proposals in resource‑protection areas.
At the Aug. 5 meeting, Mary‑Carson Stiff walked board members through HB 504, describing the bill as expanding Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area guidance to include preservation or planting of mature trees as a recognized water‑quality and resilience strategy.
Stiff said HB 504 adds ‘‘coastal resilience and adaptation to sea‑level rise and climate change’’ to the list of activities the State Water Control Board should encourage when setting criteria for local governments. The training noted the bill directs the Board to adopt regulations implementing those provisions and creates a new section to regulate adaptation measures and activities.
The presenter emphasized limits in the bill: proposals cannot consist solely of filling RPAs, and certain living‑shoreline and related activities are exempt from additional WQIA requirements. Stiff also highlighted local planning considerations such as potential impacts on buffer function, loss or landward migration of riparian buffers, and future land disturbance connected to proposed development.
The county did not take formal action on HB 504 during the meeting; the session was informational and intended to help local staff and board members prepare for ordinance updates before DEQ enforcement begins in September 2025.
