For the second year in a row, Governor Hogan has led a successful bipartisan effort to protect federal funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration. The U.S. Senate today gave final approval to a government funding bill that includes $85 million for Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, a 16% increase over last year. In Maryland, the Hogan administration has committed a historic $5 billion for wide-ranging bay initiatives—more than any administration in state history.
“We successfully fought last year to restore federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay, and we are proud to have worked with our regional partners to protect critical bay funding once again this year,” said Governor Hogan. “Maryland is fortunate to be home to countless natural assets, but for us, none is more important than the Chesapeake Bay, which is truly a national treasure. Our administration has committed an historic $5 billion toward wide-ranging bay initiatives, and as a result of our collective efforts, the bay is the cleanest it has been in recorded history.”
Earlier this year, after the federal administration proposed cuts to Chesapeake Bay restoration, Governor Hogan called it a “total betrayal.” As chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council, Governor Hogan led a bipartisan coalition of Chesapeake Bay watershed leaders—including Governor John Carney of Delaware, Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia, and Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC—urging Congress to approve $85 million in the final funding measure that goes to the president’s desk.
Governor Hogan also wrote directly to congressional leaders, pushing them to boost federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program: “I ask that Congress heed our call to action and preserve and increase the federal commitment to restoring this national treasure.”
“This timely boost in funding will help all of the states and the EPA prevent more pollution and monitor the pace of our progress upstream and downstream,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. “The Chesapeake Bay Commission and our Congressional Delegation should be commended for listening and responding to our call to action.”
The Hogan administration has made record investments to conserve, enhance, and protect our natural environment, including fully funding Program Open Space for the first time in more than a decade and fully funding the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund for the first time in state history.
