Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Provides Meaningful Water Quality Improvements Through Collaboration and Oversight of Federal Support
The White House
September 16, 2026
IMPROVING WATER QUALITY OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to remove unnecessary administrative costs and direct federal resources for the Chesapeake Bay toward projects that improve water quality, promoting a more efficient, accountable, and results-driven effort to improve the Chesapeake Bay.
The Order rescinds the outdated and misguided Obama Administration 2009 Executive Order 13508, withdrawing its vague and confusing federal requirements that have been leveraged in support of stormwater management fees, or “rain taxes,” imposed by States or localities that unnecessarily raise costs for American households.
The Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of War, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to focus resources provided for the health of the Chesapeake Bay away from activities that do not create measurable progress towards the stated goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, and towards direct, on-the-ground projects, in areas of highest need that would result in the most impactful water quality improvements.
The Order directs the Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate with the jurisdictions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to assess the financial burdens placed on their residents and take measures to encourage these jurisdictions to effectuate this Executive Order and promote the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay without increasing costs on individual residents of these jurisdictions.
The Order ensures taxpayer dollars are used efficiently by consolidating and cutting unnecessary administrative costs while improving the work toward Chesapeake Bay Restoration goals.
SUPPORTING CLEAN WATER WITHOUT INCREASED COSTS: The Trump Administration is committed to supporting a healthy Chesapeake Bay without burdensome and costly “rain taxes.”
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and serves a critically important economic purpose to the communities it directly and indirectly touches.
Federal, State, and local government initiatives and programs have significantly improved the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay over the years, however future actions and best practices are needed to continue promoting the economic health and well-being of the communities the Chesapeake Bay serves.
State and local governments have erroneously relied on the outdated Executive Order’s broad language that mandated States and municipalities contribute to improving the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay to impose on American households and small businesses hundreds of dollars annually in stormwater management fees, commonly referred to as “rain taxes.”
Federal programs and resources for protecting the health of the Chesapeake Bay need to appropriately prioritize and focus on projects that will result in the most direct and impactful water quality improvements for the Bay.
With continued investment and improved coordination, the Federal government will better complement and support effective State, local, and private sector investments, resulting in the most targeted and efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND LOWERING COSTS FOR AMERICANS: President Trump has taken action to protect Americans’ pocketbooks while ensuring Americans have clean air and water.
The Environmental Protection Agency has reduced burdens on states, strengthened oversight and accountability, and prioritized regenerative agricultural best management practices and other projects that directly reduce nutrient and sediment runoff.
In Fiscal Year 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency streamlined the Chesapeake Bay Program, consolidated assistance agreements, reduced overhead and restructured future funding opportunities to reduce annual administrative spending by nearly $1 million and ensure that more funding supports direct, on-the-ground projects that reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
From these efforts, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded a historic level of funding to the six watershed states and the District of Columbia—$2.7 million more than in Fiscal Year 2025—and positioned the program for further increased support for projects that directly improve Chesapeake Bay water quality.
The Trump Administration has taken a number of other actions to reduce the cost of living while maintaining appropriate environmental standards. In December 2025, President Trump delivered major relief to American families by resetting the Biden Administration’s costly and unlawful Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to levels that can actually be met with conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles, averting a $1,000 increase in the average cost of a new vehicle and preserving affordable options for American drivers.
In February 2026, President Trump announced the single largest deregulatory action in American history, saving Americans $1.3 trillion: the full revocation of the disastrous Obama-era “Endangerment Finding” and the consumer mandates that depended on it.
In February 2026, President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency released guidance affirming farmers’ ability to lawfully fix their own agricultural and non-road equipment, saving an estimated $33,000 per repair on average, and in June 2026, President Trump expanded Americans’ freedom to fix their own vehicles.
This effective stewardship is cutting administrative costs, improving accountability, and putting more federal funding where it can deliver meaningful water-quality results for the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Thanks to President Trump’s action today, accountability and transparency will guide every funding decision, ensuring meaningful results for the Bay’s ecosystem and communities.
