Our environment is the gift we give the future - the land where we make our homes, work and grow our food; the water, the beautiful Chesapeake where we play, work, and entertain visitors; and the air we breathe.

I have been a champion of the environment supporting numerous environmental bills to include:

• recycling
• private septic systems
• treatment plants
• agricultural practices to prevent runoff
• clean energy generation and more

The climate crisis is having drastic impacts throughout our State as extreme weather increases. During the 2022 General Assembly session, we made bold, but achievable, actions to reduce our emissions as quickly as possible, urgently addressing the climate crisis and protecting our future. We passed the Climate Solutions Act of 2022 (SB528) to set bold, aggressive, and practical goals for reducing Maryland’s emissions of greenhouse gases by 60% by 2030 and reaching net neutral emissions by 2045. The legislation makes Maryland a national leader in curbing emissions by electrifying our state's vehicle fleet and local school buses, financially incentivizing the construction of new net-zero schools, leveraging private funding for green energy investments, and curbing emissions from large buildings over time.

As the Senate representative on the Chesapeake Bay Trust board, I have worked with nonprofits and community groups seeking funding for their projects to restore our watersheds and promote a cleaner bay for years to come--including projects in our own community.