In 2010, the federal government ordered states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to meet federal clean water guidelines, or else. Now, it doesn’t look like they’re going to make the 2025 deadline.

Though progress has been made in keeping pollutants out of Bay tributaries, a combination of factors like a lack of regulatory enforcement by states, accelerating impacts of climate change, and the effects of COVID-19 are hindering long-standing efforts.

MPT host Frank Sesno* once again drives compelling conversation in this one-hour forum. Sesno will be joined by the most knowledgeable experts, activists and officials on Chesapeake Bay health and cleanup.

To help meet the federally-mandated 2025 deadline that calls for reduced amounts of nutrients, sediment and other pollutants, efforts will have to accelerate at a pace never seen before. Yearly nitrogen reduction will have to triple. The pace with which streamside buffers and agricultural best management practices are installed will have to pick up substantially. The stakes are high: the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries remain toxic and prone to algal blooms that starve the water of oxygen. As a result, iconic species like oysters, rockfish and shad continue to languish.

* Frank Sesno is a former CNN correspondent, anchor and Washington bureau chief. He spent 11 years as Director of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University and is currently Director of Strategic Initiatives.