The Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Executive Committee announced April 6, their agreement to identify a native-only restoration strategy as the preferred alternative in the final PEIS due to be published in late June. The Governors of Maryland and Virginia praised the decision. 

"Over the past two years, the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia have built an unprecedented partnership to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its living resources," said Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. "I am extremely pleased that, together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we have reached an agreement on a preferred oyster restoration alternative, one that will not threaten the Bay's already stressed ecosystem. We look forward to finalizing this process over the next few months, and to collaborating with our partners in Virginia to use new science developed through this extraordinary study to support both the ecological restoration of our native oyster and the revitalization of our oyster industry with emphasis on new aquaculture opportunities."

On Friday, April 3, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources submitted a proposal for federal stimulus funds in the amount of $10 million to fund oyster related projects. The proposal included projects to recreate and/or place natural/alternative oyster reef substrate, produce and plant oyster spat and enhance hatchery productivity and monitor oyster populations and water quality for oyster health on restoration sites.  The State of Maryland currently has $5 million slated for oyster projects during Fiscal Year 2009, which will supplemented by additional funding from federal partners:  $1 million via Army Corps of Engineers and $2.6 million from NOAA through the Oyster Recovery Partnership. 

"Virginia has long been committed to finding solutions that address the decline in oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and we're proud of the collaborative progress we've made through a strong regional partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland, and federal agencies," said Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine. "While we have seen certain promise in ariakensis aquaculture from the Virginia Seafood Council trials over the past seven years, we agree-based on the recommendations of our Virginia Institute of Marine Science-that moving forward we should focus primarily on restoring the Bay's native oyster. We're pleased the Corps will allow for possible continued ariakensis experiments under tightly-controlled conditions so that we can continue answering scientific questions in the future." 

The Army Corps of engineers commended the Committee’s cooperative efforts.

“Based on the current state of the science and extensive public review, the use of non-native oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, its tidal tributaries and the coastal bays and waters of Maryland and Virginia poses ecological risks. Therefore, it is prudent for us to adopt a native oyster alternative, while allowing for scientific research for improving our understanding of non-native oyster ecology and restoration implications. This is critical since the PEIS was inclusive whether the native oyster can make a full comeback Bay wide,” said Col. Dionysios “Dan” Anninos, Norfolk District commander, during a media teleconference.

A 30-day public comment period will follow publication of the final PEIS, with a formal Record of Decision expected to be published in late July.

The Executive Committee includes the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the secretaries of natural resources for the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia, working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.