Governor Ehrlich Selected to Chair Chesapeake Executive Council

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today during its annual meeting, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., was selected as incoming Chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council. He will take over from Governor Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania who has chaired the Council for the past year.

“I applaud Governor Rendell for his outstanding leadership of the Council over the past year,” said Governor Ehrlich. “I look forward to leading the council over the next year toward our common goal of restoring the Chesapeake Bay. We have set an excellent example in Maryland and I look forward to even greater successes for this council in the years ahead. We must all recognize that solutions to restoring the Bay go beyond political boundaries. We have an obligation to work together to do what is right for our environment, our health, and our economies.”

Under Governor Ehrlich’s leadership, Maryland has been a leader in large-scale Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, including passing the historic Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, proposing the unprecedented Corsica River Pilot Project, developing the strongest air quality regulations in Maryland history, and launching a new Tributary Strategies. In addition, Governor Ehrlich led aggressive efforts to restore bay grasses, menhaden, and oysters to the Chesapeake Bay, as well continuing to preserve thousands of acres of land throughout the state, which is vital to the health of the Bay.

The Chesapeake Executive Council was established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983. Under the 1987 Agreement membership changed from cabinet secretaries to the Governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a legislative body serving Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The Executive Council establishes the policy direction for the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay and its living resources. A series of Directives, Agreements and Amendments signed by the Executive Council set goals and guide policy for the Bay restoration.

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November 29, 2005

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 18,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov