 The Philip Merrill Environmental Center, Chesapeake Bay Foundation headquarters | |
 | |
| Founded | 1967; 59 years ago (1967) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Arthur Sherwood et al. |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| 52-6065757 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | Environmental protection and preservation |
| Headquarters | Annapolis, Maryland |
| Location |
|
Board Chair | Otis S. Jones |
President | Hilary Harp Falk |
| Staff | 185 |
| Website | www |
TheChesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is anon-profit organization devoted to the restoration and protection of theChesapeake Bay in theUnited States. It was founded in 1967 and has headquarters offices inAnnapolis, Maryland. The foundation has field offices inSalisbury, Maryland;Harrisburg, Pennsylvania;Richmond, Virginia;Norfolk, Virginia andWashington, D.C.[1]
The foundation was established by Arthur Sherwood, a businessman and lawyer, with friends in 1967. As of 1996 CBF had about 80,000 dues-paying members.[2][3]
CBF offers anoutdoor education program that has introduced several generations of school children to the Chesapeake Bay through several idyllic outposts along the Bay's shores, such as Fox Island,Smith Island,Bishops Head, and others. Children learn the fragile nature of the Bay'secosystem, and the extent of itswatershed, much of which includes their own homes insuburbia. CBF also lobbiesstate andlocal governments onregulations intended to protect the health of the Bay.
In 2024, the CBF lobbied to stop construction of proposed power lines through Maryland.[4][5]
The foundation has litigated multiple cases regarding protection of bay water quality, both at the federal and state level.
In 2009, CBF filed suit against theUS Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to finalize atotal maximum daily load (TMDL) ruling pursuant to theClean Water Act that would restrictwater pollution from farms, land development, power plants and sewage treatment plants.[6] EPA agreed to settle the lawsuit and issued its TMDL for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution on December 29, 2010. This was the largest, most complex TMDL document that EPA had issued to date.[7] In early 2011 theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation and other agricultural trade associations, along with theNational Association of Home Builders filed suit challenging EPA's authority to issue the TMDL.[8] CBF and other organizations (both environmental groups and local governments) filed a motion to intervene in the case. In 2013 thePennsylvania district court judge upheld EPA's authority, and following appeal by the trade associations, the judge's decision was affirmed by theThird Circuit Court of Appeals.[9] In 2016 theUS Supreme Court declined to hear the case, thereby upholding EPA's authority.[10]
In the 2010s and 2020s, CBF was involved in lawsuits to stop the relicensing of theConowingo dam, ahydropower plant that generates emission-free electricity to power 165,000 homes.[11][12]
In 2020 CBF filed a lawsuit against EPA for its failure to require the states ofNew York andPennsylvania to reduce pollution in the bay.[13]
In 2001, CBF moved from a walkabledowntown location in Annapolis to a new headquarters building, thePhilip Merrill Environmental Center, about 5 miles (8 km) outside of town. The new building, at the former site of the Bay Ridge Inn on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, is agreen building that demonstrates a number of energy-saving and othersustainable features. It was the first building to receive theLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) "Platinum" rating from theUnited States Green Building Council.[14]
The new headquarters is not accessible bypublic transportation. The foundation's choice for a new headquarters site symbolizes a dilemma of the modern environmental movement: how to be connected to the environment without despoiling it. In this case, the enlargedfootprint of employees and visitors forced to drive to the building was offset by its reducedimperviousness compared to the former inn, use ofrecycled materials, re-use ofwastewater on-site, and use ofcomposting toilets. The building was an early adopter of green building principles, but apart fromautomobiles andbicycles, remains inaccessible by other modes of transportation.
In January 2021 CBF president Will Baker announced that he intended to retire by the end of 2021. Baker became president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organization in 1981.[15] In November 2021 the foundation announced that the new president and CEO will be Hilary Harp Falk.[16]
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