HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA – Senator Scott Martin (Senatorial District 13) was elected Chair of the Pennsylvania Delegation to the tri-state Chesapeake Bay Commission for the next six months. Martin’s district includes southern Lancaster County, part of an area identified as “Tier 1” for action under the Commonwealth’s plan to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution to the Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay Commission consists of 21 members from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Fifteen of those members are elected state Senate and House members. Martin has been a member of the Commission since 2019 and has served on its Executive Committee since January 2022. The current Chair of the full Commission is Maryland Senator Sarah Elfreth (District 30).
“There is great work going on in our communities to improve water quality, but much more remains to be done,” said Martin. “Over one-third of Pennsylvania’s own local streams and rivers do not meet water quality standards. I am proud to lead our Delegation as we work with our colleagues to enact policies that will not only benefit the Bay, but our own waters here at home.”
Other members of the Pennsylvania Delegation include Representative Mike Sturla (District 96), who was elected as the Delegation’s Vice Chair, Senator Gene Yaw (District 23), Representative Keith Gillespie (District 47), Representative Johnathan Hershey (District 82), Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell, and citizen member Warren Elliott of Chambersburg.
The Chesapeake Bay Commission is a policy leader in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. As a tri-state legislative body that advises the legislative branch of state government, its mission is to identify critical environmental needs, evaluate public concerns, and ensure state and Federal actions to sustain the living resources of the Chesapeake Bay. The Commission works directly with the state general assemblies and the U.S. Congress and is the only representative of the legislative branch within the Chesapeake Bay Program.
Contact: Marel King, mking@chesbay.us, 717-439-9040