(ANNAPOLIS, MD)—The Maryland House of Delegates Friday voted to override Gov. Hogan’s late-night veto of legislation that would permanently protect Maryland’s five large-scale oyster restoration sanctuaries. The House’s move will help Maryland satisfy part of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement that called on the state to restore and protect oyster populations in five tributaries by 2025. The state Senate is expected to vote soon to override the governor’s veto. In response to the vote, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Maryland Executive Director Alison Prost issued the following statement:
“The Maryland House of Delegates today executed the will of the people and moved to permanently protect a small, but critically important portion of the Chesapeake Bay’s diminishing oyster population by overriding Gov. Hogan’s veto. Oysters filter water and provide habitat to aquatic life. Their population is at about one percent of historic values. To save oysters we must use sound science to restore their habitat and protect them. That’s what this legislation will do.
“Thank you to House Speaker Michael Busch and the other House legislators who supported this commonsense policy. We look forward to the state Senate taking action to override the veto.”
