Senate Passes Chesapeake Bay Budget Clean Up

Senate passes Warner-Wittman Chesapeake Accountability Act

The U.S. Senate today passed the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Accountability Act of 2014, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), by unanimous consent. The legislation will bring increased accountability measures and a more collaborative management approach to Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts and spending. The 2013 legislation now returns to the House of Representatives for approval.

The Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2014 requires the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to prepare a crosscut budget to better track the progress of Bay restoration efforts, comparing costs and the performance of restoration activities by the various federal agencies involved in the Bay preservation effort. The multi-state, multi-year initiative to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay involves at least 10 federal agencies, Virginia and five other states, the District of Columbia, and more than 1,000 local governments.

This seems like a inoffensive idea that bureaucrats may come to regret because it puts too much information in one place. I have a couple of thoughts.

First, I suspect that the amount of money being spent on the Bay, once it is laid out in one place, will be shocking to many people, especially considering the progress, or lack thereof in cleaning it up.

Second, if the number start looking unfavorable to the agencies spending the money, expect to see some funny accounting games to hide the expenditures.