US Senate passes bill to designate parts of the Chesapeake Bay as National Park Service property
BALTIMORE -- The U.S. Senate unanimously voted to pass the Chesapeake National Recreation Act Wednesday, which designates parts of the Chesapeake Bay as a National Park Service (NPS) property.
The bill - introduced in July 2023 by Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md) - combines a series of sites and Bay properties to create a Chesapeake National Recreation Area (CNRA).
The first sites in the CNRA would include Burtis House, Whitehall, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse and the North Beach of Fort Monroe, according to the bill.
Under the bill, NPS can only acquire more land through voluntary donation, buying from a willing seller or transfer from another agency in consultation with an advisory commission.
According to the lawmakers, the CNRA would spur more federal resources for environmental conservation and support economic growth in the region.
The bill would not allow NPS to impose new regulations on recreational or commercial business activities in Chesapeake Bay waters, including water navigation or fishing.
According to the lawmakers, the CNRA will increase access to the Chesapeake Bay and highlight stories of Indigenous people, free and enslaved Black people and the role the Bay played in the early development of the Maryland and Virginia colonies.
The bill still has to pass the House and be signed by President Joe Biden to become law.
Several proposals to make the Chesapeake Bay part of the National Park Service have been introduced since the 1980s.
"The CNRA will provide greater resources for conversation, increase public access, and support economic opportunity around the Bay. We'll continue working to get this legislation across the finish line," Sen. Van Hollen said.
This comes just after $398,000 in federal grants was awarded to five Maryland-based projects focused on environmental, cultural and historical conservation efforts within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
