The Hogan Administration has awarded funding to 18 recipients through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund to improve the health of Maryland’s waterways. The “Trust Fund” allows Maryland to accelerate Chesapeake Bay restoration and improve water quality by focusing targeted financial investments and resources on the most efficient and cost-effective non-point source pollution control projects.
Trust Fund grants will provide funding to stream and wetland restoration, innovative stormwater management practices, riparian tree buffer plantings and more in multiple counties across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
“The Trust Fund serves as an example for the nation of how state funding can be strategically targeted to have measurable impacts on water quality and the quality of life of residents and visitors who enjoy our treasured Chesapeake Bay,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said. “These 18 implementation-ready projects, totaling $22 million dollars of investments, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the bay and our environment and build on our historic investment in Bay restoration efforts.”
Governor Larry Hogan has fully funded the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund for three consecutive years – the first governor to do so – and has provided an unprecedented $4 billion for Chesapeake Bay restoration since taking office, demonstrating his administration’s commitment to Bay enhancement and protection, support for environmental education and literacy, and green careers and jobs. Governor Hogan also serves as the current chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council of the Chesapeake Bay Program, which establishes the policy direction for the restoration and protection of Chesapeake Bay.
“The Trust Fund allows the department to collaborate with our sister agencies and local champions and partners in government and nonprofit organizations to achieve a common goal, cleaner and healthier water,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “Through these innovative and pioneering partnerships, Maryland is realizing lower costs for the removal of nutrients and sediments, benefiting both the environment and taxpayers.”
The Trust Fund is administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and guided by the Chesapeake Bay Cabinet and a governor-appointed scientific advisory panel. Staff works with local partners on stormwater infrastructure improvements and nature-based water quality improvements while employing the latest technologies and scientific knowledge. Since its creation in 2007, the Trust Fund has supported more than 2,200 projects, supporting approximately 2,600 jobs.
The full list of Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund projects funded for Fiscal Year 2019 can be found on the Maryland DNR page.