(ANNAPOLIS, MD)—The Chesapeake Bay Foundation thanked Maryland Senate President Mike Miller for his decades of work to promote Chesapeake Bay restoration after he announced today he would step down from his longtime General Assembly leadership role.
Miller has frequently expressed his appreciation for the Bay. His Calvert County home is near the waterfront and he has previously talked about combing the shoreline in search of sharks’ teeth.
As Senate President, Miller shepherded several bills through the General Assembly that are improving the Bay’s prospects. In the 2019 session, he supported putting in place permanent protections for Maryland’s oyster restoration sanctuaries and led the Senate through an override of the governor’s veto. He also worked to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which calls for 50 percent of Maryland’s electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2030. The legislation increased renewable energy standards Miller first helped put in place in 2017.
Miller presided over the Senate when it passed the 1991 Forest Conservation Act, landmark legislation to protect the state’s trees for their ability to naturally filter water and store carbon. He has also supported the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fee and other measures to fund infrastructure and natural improvements to meet the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint, a watershed-wide plan to reduce pollution by 2025.
For his district in Southern Maryland, Miller secured state funds to build and expand local amenities such as Kings Landing Park and Hard Bargain Farm Environmental Center. These places provide visitors with the opportunity to enjoy and learn about the Patuxent and Potomac rivers.
In response to Miller’s decision to step down as Maryland Senate President, Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Will Baker issued the following statement:
“The Chesapeake Bay has come a long way since Mike Miller became Maryland Senate President in 1987. Back then it was a damaged, dying ecosystem. During Miller’s tenure as president, the state upgraded its wastewater plants, funded stormwater mitigation projects, and launched watershed-wide efforts to reduce pollution. Those programs are working.
“Thank you, Mike Miller, for your leadership in restoring the Bay. We look forward to continuing to work with Miller as well as the new Maryland Senate President, Bill Ferguson, on finishing the Bay cleanup.”
