Rep. Zug (R-Lebanon) has successfully promoted legislation to create the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Program from concept to law. Zug’s House Bill 2775was signed into law by the governor this week.

Under Zug’s new law, grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to Pennsylvania schools to support resources for the development of watershed education curricula. The program will offer students opportunities to participate in meaningful bay and stream outdoor experiences. Additionally, the new law provides for teacher training via related non-profit organizations and state agencies. The state Department of Education will administer the program.

"School children will be more adequately prepared for lifetimes of appreciation for our natural waterways," Zug said. "The Chesapeake Bay, and its tributaries, are precious to Pennsylvania’s economy, traditions and culture. There’s no overstating how a simple and cost-effective program like this will have a long-lasting effect on the care of our waterways."

Zug, one of Pennsylvania’s delegate to the Chesapeake Bay Commission, said, "this program will help to teach Pennsylvania citizens that the condition of the bay is dependent upon the actions of every person who resides in the watershed. This program will make the importance and the enjoyment of the bay come alive to our school children."

In 1983, Pennsylvania along with Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entered into the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement in an effort to protect and restore the bay’s ecosystem. Nine years later, Pennsylvania renewed its commitment to the Chesapeake Bay system by entering into a new agreement known as Chesapeake 2002.

The new law, now known as the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Program Act, takes effect immediately.

12/3/2004