The publication is reproduced in full below:
CONGRATULATING WILLIAM C. BAKER ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY FOUNDATION
______
HON. STENY H. HOYER
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House to join me in recognizing William C. Baker for his thirty-nine years of environmental advocacy as President of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). Will has demonstrated a sincere passion for improving the health of the Bay and ensuring that its environmental resources are preserved for future generations. Will has been a good friend, and I've been proud to work closely with him throughout the years to fight for a cleaner and healthier Chesapeake Bay.
Since he first began his distinguished career with the CBF as an intern in 1976, Will worked relentlessly to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. Will became president in 1982, inheriting an immediate crisis: the 1982 Chesapeake Bay Study had just concluded that the Bay was dying. He spoke to the United States Senate, urging senators not only to maintain the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) presence on the Bay but to establish an office to coordinate and monitor restoration efforts among the states in its watershed. Thanks to his advocacy and hard work, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, the EPA, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission together signed the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and committed jointly to clean up the Bay.
During Will's tenure as president, the CBF reached new heights of success. His work helped expand the CBF's membership to over 300,000 and inspired so many Marylanders to share his passion for preserving one of our nation's greatest natural treasures. He raised the CBF's national profile, and the Save the Bay movement received international attention. Under Will's leadership, the CBF received the 1992 Presidential Medal for Environmental Excellence--our nation's highest environmental honor--for its environmental education program. He was instrumental in the CBF's efforts to help restore the Bay's oyster population, which is critical not only to preserving a fragile ecosystem but also to sustaining and supporting one of the key aquaculture industries in our state. Although challenges remain, the CBF's efforts have greatly improved the Bay's health and continue to drive efforts forward today to ensure that generations of Marylanders and Americans will be able to treasure the Chesapeake in the future.
Madam Speaker, I offer Will my congratulations on retiring from public service after a career of great contribution to the well-being of Maryland's beloved Chesapeake Bay. I hope all of my colleagues will join me in recognizing William C. Baker as he celebrates this milestone and in wishing him all the best in the future.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 41
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