ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan, chairman of the Chesapeake Executive Council, wrote to congressional leaders on Wednesday calling for a reversal of proposed cuts to federal funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration.

Maryland is urging an increase in funding to $90.5 million, while the Trump administration’s proposed FY21 budget cuts funding for these programs by more than 90 percent, to $7.3 million.

Read Governor Hogan’s full letter here.

“Our administration has committed record investments in bay restoration—more than $6 billion since I took office—but we are one state in a regional partnership that spans 64,000 square miles, and includes six other jurisdictions,” writes Governor Hogan. “The administration’s proposed cut to the Chesapeake Bay Program is short-sighted and in stark contrast to the strong commitments the United States has made to the Chesapeake Bay.”

Each of the last two years, Governor Hogan has led a successful bipartisan push to protect and increase federal funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration. In his FY21 budget, Governor Hogan fully funds Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, including record funding for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund.

“Maintaining strong federal support for the Chesapeake Bay Program, as well as the scientific and modeling framework that underpins the effort, is essential to enhancing, protecting and restoring the waterway’s health and economic vitality of the region and nation,” the governor writes. “Through this collaboration with our federal, state and local partners, we are now witnessing real results, including cleaner water, more vibrant communities and healthier lands.”

The Chesapeake Executive Council consists of the governors of the six watershed states, the mayor of the District of Columbia, the chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, and the administrator of the EPA.