From the desk of...

Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland 

Governor Martin O'Malley speaking at the 2012 Chesapeake Executive Council Press Conference in July.

Last month I attended the annual meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council, and proudly announced to my fellow governors that Maryland met our 2009-2011 milestones for Bay restoration. In order to accelerate restoration and improve accountability, the Executive Council decided in 2008 that states should monitor progress through short, two-year targets starting with 2009-2011.
 
Thanks to your support and our hard work together, Maryland is on track to achieve the next two-year milestone goals and Maryland's 2017 interim target. Each month, we track progress towards the goals at our BayStat meetings, and adjust our efforts as needed to ensure our continued advancement towards the ultimate goal of restoring the Bay.
 
Some challenges are so large that we can only hope to tackle them together. Restoring the Bay is one of them. The choices we make for our Bay matter for our economy, our health and our quality of life. With your continued support and action, we will be one step closer to restoring the Bay by 2025, so we may share its bounty with generations to come.

Sincerely,