Listening Session" Local Governments on Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay (8/20).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would like to invite you to a "Listening Session" for Local Governments on Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay. This Session will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2009 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.

Background: On May 12, President Obama signed Executive Order 13508 on Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. The Order directs various Federal agencies to develop seven separate reports on key challenges to protecting and restoring Chesapeake Bay. These seven draft reports are due to be delivered to a Federal Leadership Committee on September 9, 2009. One of the reports, known as the Section 202(a) Report, directs EPA to, "define the next generation of tools and actions to restore water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and describe the changes to be made to regulations, programs, and policies to implement these actions." The Federal Leadership Committee will receive the 202(a) reports and devise a draft coordinated strategy that will be published for public review and comment on November 9, 2009, and will be finalized by May 2010. All issues of interest to local governments, including municipal separate storm sewer system permits, wastewater issues, capacity, etc., will be open for discussion at this session.

The location for this "Listening Session" is :

EPA Potomac Yard
2777 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22202
1st Floor Conference Room.

Driving Directions to EPA Potomac Yard: I-395 South/ US-1 South, take exit 8C on left and merge to Jefferson Davis Hwy/US-1 toward Crystal City/Alexandria, turn left at 27th Street South, turn left at Crystal Drive.

Please RSVP to Sonya Scott at scott.sonya@epa.gov if you plan to attend, and feel free to forward this invitation to any other local government constituencies with an interest in protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Do not hesitate to contact me or Peter Marx (410-267-5713) of U.S. EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program if you have any
questions. We look forward to seeing you on August 20.