Tallying Hogan's $3 billion investment in the Chesapeake Bay

The state Senate passed a resolution last week calling on Gov. Larry Hogan to publicly oppose President Donald Trump's proposal to eliminate a $73 million federal program to oversee the Chesapeake Bay cleanup.

In a letter responding to the lawmakers, Hogan's secretaries of the Environment and Natural Resources reiterated previous statements noting that Trump's budget is only a proposal. If it ever becomes reality, Ben Grumbles and Mark Belton wrote, they "will continue fighting and advocating on behalf of all Marylanders."

They added that the governor has asked his cabinet secretaries to begin gathering information on the potential impact of the proposed cuts.

But a line in the letter raised some environmentalists' eyebrows: "In his first three years in office, Governor Hogan has increased funding for Chesapeake Bay Restoration efforts, investing more than $3 billion in State funds."

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/investigations/bs-md-hogan-environment-spending-20170401-story.html