Peter Tango News Today

Funding cuts and staffing shortages at the Maryland Department of the Environment over the past decade have coincided with a decline in the state’s ecological health.

MDE’s water-related enforcement actions and identification of major polluters plummeted during former Gov. Larry Hogan’s time in office.  During this same period, water quality standards in the Chesapeake Bay declined significantly, falling to the same levels as those observed in the early 1990s, according to data from Chesapeake Progress.

Unding cuts and staffing shortages at the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) over the past decade have coincided with a decline in the state’s ecological health.

The Chesapeake Bay Program examines the watersheds clean water standards, toxic algae growth, river flow, all factoring into the bays health.

The Chesapeake Bay's water quality slightly dropped in a 2018-20 assessment, a sign more work is needed to stop pollution from entering the body of water.