October 16th, 2017 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan was named one of the Chesapeake Conservancy’s 2017 “Champions of the Chesapeake” for his dedication to Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts and improving water quality in Maryland and the Bay region. The Chesapeake Conservancy is a non-profit organization of conservation entrepreneurs based in Annapolis with a mission to make the natural beauty of the Bay accessible for everyone and more hospitable for wildlife by using technology to enhance the pace and quality of conservation.

“Each year, Chesapeake Conservancy recognizes extraordinary leaders from across the Chesapeake for their significant and exemplary accomplishments that protect and restore our natural systems and cultural resources,” said Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn. “The honorees and their work highlights how the Chesapeake is a bipartisan, multi-generational, multi-cultural priority – for its beauty, for our economy, for our health and for our history – and that everybody has a role to play in its conservation.”

“Governor Hogan has done an amazing job revitalizing our economy and creating jobs. He likes to say, ‘We’re open for business,’ and I think he really could start adding, ‘And we’re united for conservation,’” added Dunn.

Governor Hogan was honored for his commitment to environmental stewardship and leadership in fully funding the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, fully funding Program Open Space, and fighting to protect federal Bay funding. Shortly after taking office, the governor brought a diverse group of stakeholders together to develop new Phosphorous Management Tool (PMT) regulations, one of the most significant steps to clean up the Bay in a generation. In less than three years, the Hogan administration has invested $3 billion in Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, pollution reductions, and related programs – more than any other governor in Maryland history.