FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2004
Contact:  Erin K. Kelly
(717) 846-2828
ekelly@pasen.gov
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Senator Waugh Elected Chair of Chesapeake Bay Commission's Pennsylvania Delegation

Waugh to serve as Chairman of Commission in 2005

HARRISBURG – Sen. Mike Waugh (R-York) was recently elected by fellow Pennsylvania members of the Chesapeake Bay Commission to serve this year as the Chair of the PA Delegation on behalf of the Commonwealth.

Waugh has been a member of this tri-state legislative advisory committee for close to six years. Having been appointed while in the House of Representatives, he served for four years, and after his election to the Senate, he was reappointed to the Commission in 2002.

Since his reappointment, the Senator has continued being an active representative for Pennsylvania knowing the important connections the Commonwealth and his district have to the Bay.

"The Susquehanna River provides 50% of the freshwater supply in the Chesapeake Bay, and many York County residents depend on the Chesapeake Bay's health in pursuit of food, recreation, and other economic factors," said Waugh.

The Senator is also very aware that individuals do much more than simply depend on a clean Bay, they, like the Commission, are working to keep it that way.

"South Central PA, including York County plays an essential role in ongoing efforts to preserve the ecological balance of the Chesapeake Bay. Pennsylvania's involvement is crucial to the success of all programs with an objective to preserve this vital estuary."

Created in 1980, the Chesapeake Bay Commission is a tri-state group that serves in an advisory role to the members of the General Assemblies of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia on matters of Bay-wide concern. Of its 21 members, 15 are lawmakers – five each from PA, MD, and VA. Part of the Chesapeake Bay Commission's ultimate goal is to clean up pollution, restore habitats and protect fish and wildlife.