A Message from Governor Martin O'Malley

Dear Friends,

In the final days of 2011, I met with members of the media to discuss how we are doing as a State in accomplishing our 15 major goals. I am very pleased to report that we are making significant progress toward our goal of restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay, one of our top priorities.

In 2009 we adopted an innovative new plan for restoring the Bay by 2025 that centered on 34 specific and accelerated actions with interim 2-year deadlines. These near-term milestones are important because they allow us to measure our progress regularly and hold ourselves accountable for working at the pace necessary to meet our ultimate restoration targets. During our first 2-year milestone period, which ended with the calendar year, we actually exceeded our original nitrogen reduction goal of 3,750,000 pounds, implementing actions that are reducing the amount of nitrogen entering the Bay annually by 3,871,000.

We also recently completed PlanMaryland, the state development plan that has been required by law since 1959. Over the next quarter century, this roadmap for future growth will help us accommodate a projected million more residents, make more prudent investments in our infrastructure, better protect our Bay and save more than 300,000 acres of farmland and forest from development. The plan does not take away any local planning and zoning authority, and is not a substitute for local comprehensive land use and development plans. It will, however, help us target state resources to encourage smarter growth in an open, transparent way. When I accepted the plan I also issued an Executive Order instructing State agencies to coordinate their actions and consider the plan when making decisions that impact development.

While we are encouraged by the progress to date, we must continue to push ourselves if we are to reach the goal of a healthy Chesapeake Bay - one that grows our economy and sustains and creates jobs for Marylanders. As we head into 2012, we are already working to find new ways to improve Maryland's wastewater treatment plants and update the outdated septic systems that harm our environment and our Bay. And as always, we thank you for your interest in and your support of these efforts. Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
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