3578

JOINT RESOLUTIONS

No. 36

(House Joint Resolution No. 17)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Environmental Protection - Chesapeake Bay - Critical Areas

FOR the purpose of preserving the quality of the Chesapeake Bay
and its tributaries by affirming criteria for local critical
area program development adopted by the Chesapeake Bay
Critical Area Commission.

WHEREAS, In 1984 the Governor and the General Assembly
recognized that there is a critical and substantial State
interest in restoring the quality and productivity of the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries; and

WHEREAS, In response to this concern, the Governor proposed
and the General Assembly approved a package of 34 initiatives
designed to diminish urban and agricultural nonpoint source
pollution, upgrade publicly owned sewage treatment plants,
improve fishery management, reduce shoreline erosion, and foster
more sensitive development along the Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries; and

WHEREAS, Among these initiatives was the establishment of
the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission to guide local
jurisdictions in their development of a critical area protection
program; and

WHEREAS, The Commission was directed to promulgate criteria
for program development and approval which would achieve the
following goals:

(1)  Minimize adverse impacts on water quality that
result from pollutants that are discharged from structures or
conveyances or that have run off from surrounding lands;

(2)  Conserve fish, wildlife, and plant habitat;

(3)  Establish land use policies for development in
the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area which accommodate growth and
also address the fact that, even if pollution is controlled, the
number, movement, and activities of persons in that area can
create adverse environmental impacts; and

WHEREAS, Prior to developing and adopting its criteria, the
Commission held 16 public hearings throughout the State and met
representatives from local governments, the agricultural,
forestry, real estate, and environmental communities, as well as
other concerned citizens; and