House passes Wittman’s Chesapeake Bay cleanup bill

A bill by Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st, to monitor cleanup efforts in the Chesapeake Bay passed the House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 418-1. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was the sole dissenting vote.

Wittman, a Republican from Montross, said the bill would provide for the monitoring and coordination of bay-restoration efforts among 10 federal agencies, six states, the District of Columbia and more than 1,000 localities.

"Passage of this legislation is by no means a silver bullet to renew the health of the bay," Wittman said in a news release. "However, it is the down payment we vitally need to accomplish this effort."

Wittman, a marine biologist by training, introduced the bill in February. The House amended it to require the Environmental Protection Agency to appoint an independent evaluator to review and report on restoration activities every three years.

Wittman said the bill would allow coordinated budgeting to monitor restoration efforts.

The bay has been the object of cleanup efforts for years, but they have proved relatively ineffective.

-- Tyler Whitley