Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act
Sponsored By: Representative Scott (VA)
In Committee
Summary
This bill would reauthorize and reorganize the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office to make it a director-led hub focused on science, monitoring, education, and habitat restoration across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It would require a Director with Chesapeake Bay research or resource management experience and shift lead coordination authority to the NOAA Administrator.
Show full summary
- Families, students, and teachers would see expanded Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training, including internships, classroom and distance learning, and grants for hands-on watershed experiences.
- Coastal managers and local restoration groups would gain new grant and technical assistance authority to support oyster and aquaculture work, blue crab and fish species management, submerged aquatic vegetation restoration, habitat mapping, and resilience projects.
- Scientists, resource managers, and the public would get stronger monitoring and data tools through an integrated observations system and an enhanced Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System, plus a required peer-review process to ensure scientific and technical merit for funded projects.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Better Bay monitoring and buoys
This bill would let NOAA support an integrated Chesapeake Bay observing system. The Director would coordinate tidal monitoring, identify data needs, deploy new sensors, and organize data into usable products. The bill would also support the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System, link buoy data into the regional observing network, and support aspects of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
More Chesapeake Bay habitat work
This bill would authorize a Chesapeake Bay Coastal Living Resources Management and Habitat Program. The Director would be able to fund restoration, research, mapping, and resilience work for oysters, blue crab, seagrass, and key fish. Grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and technical assistance could support native oyster restoration, permitted aquaculture, and other habitat projects. Aquaculture support would be limited to projects with a valid Federal or State permit.
More Bay education and internships
This bill would create a Chesapeake Bay watershed education and training program. The Director would award grants for classroom and distance learning, field experiences, teacher professional development, and internships. Grants would focus on projects that address Chesapeake Bay environmental problems and would serve schools and partners located in the Bay watershed.
NOAA Bay office rules and oversight
This bill would set new rules for NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office. The Office would be led by a Director with Chesapeake Bay research or management experience. The Administrator would delegate staff and authority to that Director. The Director would have to consult the Chesapeake Executive Council, use peer review for funded projects, enter agreements and use other agencies' resources with consent, and send a biennial report to Congress with a two-year action plan.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Scott (VA)
VA • D
Cosponsors
Elfreth
MD • D
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Wittman
VA • R
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2]
VA • R
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 2/24/2026
Ivey
MD • D
Sponsored 2/24/2026
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 2/24/2026
Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6]
MD • D
Sponsored 4/29/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov