Gov. Larry Hogan has named Baltimore County Councilman David Marks to a key environmental commission that works to improve the Chesapeake Bay.
Marks, who represents the 5th District, which includes Towson, said he will serve on the Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays, which deals with aspects of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Law, passed in 1984 in response to a decline in the overall quality of the bay.The law created a special planning area, known as the Critical Area, located 1,000 feet landward from mean high tide or the edge of tidal wetlands, and development is restricted within the area, Marks said in a written statement.
"I am honored to have been nominated to this important commission," Marks said. "The Chesapeake Bay is a Maryland treasure and those of us in government should look to safeguard and improve its tributaries."
Marks said he has been a champion of the environment, including downzoning more than 417 acres to protect communities from overdevelopment in Towson, Carney and the Cromwell Valley. He said he also championed the construction of five new parks, including the first to be built along the Loch Raven Boulevard corridor in a half-century, and helped create two greenways that include 54 acres of protected land.
Marks' name is one of 331 "green bag" appointments submitted by Hogan for more than 90 boards and commissions.