ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Larry Hogan spoke out against the significant cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program proposed in President Donald Trumps Fiscal Year 2020 Budget.
The cuts will reduce funding to roughly 90% of previous levels. The Chesapeake Bay Program was formed in 1983, according to the regional partnership’s website.
“The Chesapeake Bay Program has made significant strides toward restoring and protecting the Bay, its rivers and streams and lands that surround them,” the organization says. The goal is to restore the health of the Bay, showcasing it as a key environmental resource and a popular destination for tourists and residents.
The full text of Hogan’s statement is below:
As Governor of Maryland and Chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council, protecting the Chesapeake Bay remains one of my top priorities. The EPA Administrator himself called the Chesapeake Bay Program a ‘high priority,’ making this week's cut in the budget a total betrayal. These cuts are potentially devastating to restoration efforts at such a critical time. “Here in Maryland, leaders from both sides of the aisle have taken a strong stance on environmental conservation, and we hope our leaders at the federal level will do the same. As I have every year, I will continue to urge our federal partners to protect these critical investments into ongoing Bay restoration efforts and work with our congressional delegation to restore funding. “The Chesapeake Bay is a state and national treasure, and federal support is essential to improving the waterway’s health. We will not allow several decades of environmental restoration to be dismantled. We will continue to fight hard against any cuts to the cleanup program.
