I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6771 
To require the Office of Management and Budget to prepare a crosscut 
budget for restoration activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, to 
require the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and implement 
an adaptive management plan, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2008 
Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia (for himself and Mrs. DRAKE) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 
and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Office of Management and Budget to prepare 
a crosscut budget for restoration activities in the Chesa-
peake Bay watershed, to require the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency to develop and implement an adaptive 
management plan, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chesapeake Bay Ac-
countability and Recovery Act of 2008’’. 
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(G) descriptions of risks and uncertainties 
of project implementation; 
(H) adaptive management actions or 
framework; 
(I) coordinating entities; 
(J) funding history; 
(K) cost-sharing; and 
(L) alignment with existing Chesapeake 
Bay Agreement and Chesapeake Executive 
Council goals and priorities. 
(b) MINIMUM FUNDING LEVELS.—The Director shall 
only describe restoration activities in the report required 
under subsection (a) that— 
(1) for Federal restoration activities, have fund-
ing amounts greater than or equal to $100,000; and 
(2) for State restoration activities, have funding 
amounts greater than or equal to $50,000. 
(c) DEADLINE.—The Director shall submit to Con-
gress the report required by subsection (a) not later than 
30 days after the submission by the President of the Presi-
dent’s annual budget to Congress. 
(d) REPORT.—Copies of the financial report required 
by subsection (a) shall be submitted to the Committees 
on Appropriations, Natural Resources, Energy and Com-
merce, and Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
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House of Representatives and the Committees on Appro-
priations, Environment and Public Works, and Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply be-
ginning with the first fiscal year after the date of enact-
ment of this Act for which the President submits a budget 
to Congress. 
SEC. 3. ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in con-
sultation with other Federal and State agencies, shall de-
velop an adaptive management plan for the Chesapeake 
Bay Program and restoration activities that includes— 
(1) definition of specific and measurable objec-
tives to improve water quality, habitat, and fisheries; 
(2) a process for stakeholder participation; 
(3) monitoring, modeling, experimentation, and 
other research and evaluation practices; 
(4) a process for modification of restoration ac-
tivities that have not attained or will not attain the 
specific and measurable objectives set forth under 
paragraph (1); and 
(5) a process for prioritizing restoration activi-
ties and programs to which adaptive management 
shall be applied. 
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(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Administrator shall im-
plement the adaptive management plan developed under 
subsection (a). 
(c) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall update the 
adaptive management plan developed under subsection (a) 
every 3 years. 
(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 
the end of a fiscal year, the Administrator shall 
transmit to Congress an annual report on the imple-
mentation of the adaptive management plan required 
under this section for such fiscal year. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report required under 
paragraph (1) shall contain information about the 
application of adaptive management to restoration 
activities and programs, including programmatic and 
project level changes implemented through the proc-
ess of adaptive management. 
(3) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—Paragraph (1) shall 
apply to the first fiscal year that begins after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the following definitions apply: 
(1) 
ADAPTIVE
MANAGEMENT.—The 
term 
‘‘adaptive management’’ means a type of natural re-
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source management in which project and program 
decisions are made as part of an ongoing science- 
based process. Adaptive management involves test-
ing, monitoring, and evaluating applied strategies 
and incorporating new knowledge into programs and 
restoration activities that are based on scientific 
findings and the needs of society. Results are used 
to modify management policy, strategies, practices, 
programs, and restoration activities. 
(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
(3) CHESAPEAKE
BAY
STATE.—The term 
‘‘Chesapeake Bay State’’ or ‘‘State’’ means the 
States of Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, and 
New York, the Commonwealths of Virginia and 
Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. 
(4) CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED.—The term 
‘‘Chesapeake Bay watershed’’ means the Chesapeake 
Bay and the geographic area, as determined by the 
Secretary of the Interior, consisting of 36 tributary 
basins, within the Chesapeake Bay States, through 
which precipitation drains into the Chesapeake Bay. 
(5) CHIEF EXECUTIVE.—The term ‘‘chief exec-
utive’’ means, in the case of a State or Common-
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wealth, the Governor of each such State or Common-
wealth and, in the case of the District of Columbia, 
the Mayor of the District of Columbia. 
(6) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
et. 
(7) RESTORATION ACTIVITIES.—The term ‘‘res-
toration activities’’ means any Federal or State pro-
grams or projects that directly or indirectly protect, 
conserve, or restore living resources, habitat, water 
resources, or water quality in the Chesapeake Bay 
watershed, including programs or projects that pro-
mote responsible land use, stewardship, and commu-
nity engagement in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 
Restoration activities may be categorized as follows: 
(A) Physical restoration. 
(B) Planning. 
(C) Feasibility studies. 
(D) Scientific research. 
(E) Monitoring. 
(F) Education. 
(G) Infrastructure Development. 
Æ 
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