Governor Larry Hogan Named “Champion of the Chesapeake” By Chesapeake Conservancy

Governor Recognized for Environmental Stewardship, Record Investments in Bay Restoration, Program Open Space

ANNAPOLIS, MD – 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.

"For nearly three years, our administration has been working tirelessly to find real bipartisan, common sense solutions to protect our greatest natural treasure – the Chesapeake Bay,” said Governor Hogan. “We’ve been extremely aggressive and proactive in our efforts to protect the Bay, and we’re going to continue to do so, but we can’t do it alone. Partnerships with great organizations like the Chesapeake Conservancy are critical to our continued progress, and I am extremely grateful for this tremendous honor.”

Governor Hogan received the award at the 2017 Champions of the Chesapeake awards ceremony Sunday evening at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Joining the governor as awardees are Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, and the Microsoft Corporation. This award follows the governor’s unanimous election as chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council, a regional organization of the six Bay states and Washington, D.C., tasked with advocating for Bay restoration efforts.

While accepting the award, Governor Hogan recognized the Chesapeake Conservancy’s work to advocate for the administration’s Clean Water Commerce Act of 2017 during the last legislative session and the organization’s partnership with the administration to bring attention to the issue of upstream pollution flowing down the Susquehanna River and into the Bay. Chesapeake Conservancy CEO Joel Dunn participated in the governor’s second Conowingo Dam Summit in June.

Learn more about the Chesapeake Conservancy at www.chesapeakeconservancy.org.