Potomac Conservancy says President Trump's new executive order revoking the Obama-era Chesapeake Bay restoration framework puts 15 years of progress on the Potomac River at risk.

The Bethesda-based clean-water nonprofit issued a statement Thursday, Sept. 17, calling the order a dangerous step backward that undermines decades of bipartisan cooperation across state lines. The organization warned that weakening the federal government's role in the Bay cleanup will hurt state and local restoration efforts, because waterways do not follow jurisdictional boundaries.

Trump signed the order Wednesday, Sept. 16, revoking Executive Order 13508, which President Obama signed in May 2009 to coordinate federal and state efforts on Chesapeake Bay restoration. The new order directs six federal agencies to focus Bay resources on projects that demonstrate measurable reductions in nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution. It also calls on agencies to encourage states and localities to repeal stormwater management fees, which the administration labeled "rain taxes."

The order does not repeal the Clean Water Act, the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or state and local water-quality requirements, according to a statement from Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.). It also does not rescind existing congressional appropriations.

What's at stake locally

The Potomac River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay and the drinking-water source for about five million people. Coordinated federal and state efforts to curb agricultural runoff helped lift the river's health grade from a D to a B over the past 15 years, according to Potomac Conservancy's 2025 River Report Card. But the organization noted that progress has stalled over the past decade, with no significant improvement toward an A grade.

The river already faces mounting pressure. In April, American Rivers named the Potomac the nation's most endangered river, citing rapid data center sprawl and the January 2026 sewage spill near Cabin John that sent more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the waterway.

Potomac Conservancy, which counts 42,000 supporters and serves as a lead partner in the Choose Clean Water Coalition, said the executive order creates greater uncertainty around how communities will fund and carry out local restoration work.

Bipartisan pushback

The reaction crossed party lines. Maryland's entire congressional delegation, including Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st), released a joint statement calling the order "shortsighted and harmful to our communities," Maryland Matters reported.

Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz called the timing "a little bit bizarre," noting that federal and state partners had renewed their commitment to Bay restoration in December 2025. "Any confusion is only going to slow us down, and I think we've all recognized that we need to be going faster," Kurtz told Maryland Matters.

Gov. Wes Moore condemned the order on social media, saying it amounts to an attack on Maryland's farmers, fishers and the millions who rely on the watershed for drinking water, according to CBS Baltimore.

Kristin Reilly, director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, which represents 325 environmental organizations in the Bay watershed, said her concern is whether local governments have lost autonomy to make stormwater decisions based on community needs, the Bay Journal reported.

Bay cleanup progress

As of 2025, Bay watershed states had met 100% of their sediment-reduction goal, 90% of their phosphorus-reduction goal and 57% of their nitrogen-reduction goal, according to Kiggans' statement. Scientists projected the Bay's 2026 dead zone would be roughly 31% below the long-term average and among the smallest since monitoring began in 1985.

Potomac Conservancy said it will closely assess the order's impact and continue advocating for the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay through its coalition work.