The Clean Estuaries Act of 2010 - Fall

The Clean Estuaries Act of 2010 (CEA) will extend the authorization of the National Estuary Program through 2016. The National Estuary Program (NEP) was established by Congress in 1987 to improve the quality of estuaries of national importance by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Clean Water Act Section 320 directs the EPA to develop plans for attaining or maintaining water quality in an estuary (USEPA). While there has been a general consensus on the nature of the environmental problems addressed by the NEP, there have been serious policy discussions as to the value proposition offered by resource investments in the NEP. Proponents of the Act stress the economic benefits of improved estuaries. Opponents of the Act question whether the current Act is the best or most cost effective way of achieving the goal of improving the estuaries. 

This report defines the new proposed approach to evaluation and assessment policy based on a Results-Based Management (RBM) and accountability framework. It details the program evaluation organizational structure and responsibilities, NEP evaluation requirements, and program evaluation assessment and rating schemes, along with risks and assumptions for consideration. Included are the main pillars of the CEA and the political context in which it exists. The new program design is framed by the challenges that are faced by national estuaries, the examination of some solutions that have been enacted, and how the success of these solutions will be scientifically measured.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.