Chesapeake Bay funds created

During the November special session, the Maryland General Assembly created a dedicated source of funding for cleaning up the Bay. Each year, $50 million from the motor fuel tax and the vehicle rental tax will go to the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund.

Maryland and other states in the bay watershed have an agreement to meet tough pollution reduction goals by 2010. We are still far from our commitments as we approach that deadline, despite a solid understanding of the measures that are needed. Legislators took a major step forward by using the opportunity of a special legislative session focused on fiscal issues to create dedicated funding for the bay. Maryland’s environmental organizations were united in mobilizing their grassroots networks and lobbying for this funding.