Senator Cardin is lead sponsor and author of S. 1816, the Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act, which includes unprecedented support for local restoration efforts and expanded authority for states to finally clean up the Chesapeake Bay, which has been declared a National Treasure. The Chesapeake Clean Water Act dedicates technical resources for farmers and puts the states of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed front and center in the restoration effort. In Senator Cardin's bill:

• The states are responsible for designing their own watershed implementation plans.
• The states are responsible for making sure the plans are put into action.
• The states are responsible for enforcing the terms of the watershed implementation plans.
• And the states are responsible for making any adjustments or mid-course corrections.

The EPA provides the overall pollution reduction targets to each state and the overall framework for the watershed implementation plans. It serves as the referee, making sure that each state is doing its part in the restoration effort. This is the model of state-federal partnership embodied in the Clean Water Act.

Clean water, clean air and protecting our natural treasures are among my top priorities in the Senate. This includes moving the United States toward energy independence within a decade, reducing global warming, and helping to restore and protect Maryland's greatest natural resource: the Chesapeake Bay.

As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I continue to champion energy legislation that will create clean energy jobs while also tackling climate change head-on. As the Senate takes up landmark legislation to address climate change, I will be in the forefront of efforts to reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil while reducing greenhouse gas pollution. By capping carbon pollution and using free market incentives, we can slash pollution levels while investing in a host of clean energy technologies, improving "Green Building" standards to reduce energy consumption, and investing in the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles.

I also have...

• Taken over as chairman of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee on the Environment and Public Works Committee, where I have led the efforts to modernize and reinvigorate our Clean Water laws.



• Authored the Water Infrastructure Financing Act, authorizing nearly $35 billion of the next five years for wastewater and drinking water upgrades around the country. This bipartisan bill was approved by the Environment and Public Works Committee by a 17-2 vote and now awaits action by the full Senate.

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