In The News

August 08, 2023

Editorial: Proposed Chesapeake National Recreation Area would benefit Hampton Roads

by The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board

Hampton Roads boasts one of America’s best-kept historical secrets in Fort Monroe, a location of extraordinary importance in the nation’s complicated story but one unfamiliar to much of the country. The Chesapeake Bay, another of the region’s jewels, is far better known, though one at risk due to pollution. A proposal to develop a Chesapeake National Recreation Area could change that, raising the fort’s profile and directing more federal funding toward bay protection … Continue Reading


August 07, 2023

Bill could bring Chesapeake National Recreation Area up for a vote

by Whitney Pipkin

A Chesapeake National Recreation Area — a federal designation that would unite many of the region’s parks and resources under a common heading — is one step closer to reality. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, both Democrats from Maryland, introduced a bill in late July that, if approved, would create the recreation area under the operation of the National Park Service. Parks throughout the coverage area could voluntarily participate in the program, … Continue Reading


July 28, 2023

Lawmakers introduce bill to create Chesapeake Bay national park, with plan to minimize traffic

by Rick Hutzell

Long-brewing legislation to create a national park on the Chesapeake Bay was finally introduced Thursday, and after months of public comment, there’s an interesting new goal. The National Park Service office in Annapolis, which would oversee the Chesapeake National Recreation Area, would be required to study each site and develop plans to prevent traffic from overwhelming surrounding roads, according to the legislation introduced in Congress today. That’s in addition to the … Continue Reading


July 28, 2023

Van Hollen, Sarbanes introduce legislation to create Chesapeake National Recreation Area

by Dillon Mullan

Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation have introduced legislation to establish a Chesapeake National Recreation Area that would include several historical landmarks around Annapolis. The Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act, sponsored by Democrats U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, would establish the area with headquarters in Annapolis and in Hampton, Virginia. There are around 40 national recreation areas operated by the National Park Service that … Continue Reading


July 28, 2023

Van Hollen, Sarbanes introduce legislation to create Chesapeake National Recreation Area

by Angela Price

On Thursday, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congressman John Sarbanes, both D-Md., introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to create a unified Chesapeake National Recreation Area. The bill proposes to unite a series of voluntarily contributed park areas and iconic Bay properties under the operation of the National Park Service in order to provide more federal resources for environmental conservation, celebrate the Chesapeake’s diverse cultural and economic history, foster … Continue Reading


July 28, 2023

Conserving the Chesapeake Bay as a CNRA

by Jack Fiechtner

It is a historical moment for the Chesapeake Bay because as of July 27th, lawmakers finally introduced a bill to add the watershed to the National Park System after decades of discussion. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland says that making the Chesapeake Bay a Chesapeake National Recreation Area, or a CNRA, has been discussed for four decades and it has finally been introduced to congress. “Congressman John Sarbanes and I introduced legislation to establish a Chesapeake National … Continue Reading


May 16, 2023

Chesapeake mansion, an architectural ‘milestone,’ wants the nation to see it

by Fredrick Kunkle

When Horatio Sharpe, the colonial governor of Maryland, started work on Whitehall in the 18th century, the story goes that he hoped the palatial villa on the Chesapeake Bay would win his beloved's heart. Alas, the young woman fell for Sharpe's friend and personal secretary instead. But Whitehall's most recent owners now hope to woo the American people - and perhaps tap Uncle Sam for some help keeping it up. Long overshadowed by grander and more accessible cousins such as Thomas … Continue Reading


December 23, 2022

Open up — and help clean up — the Chesapeake Bay

by Editorial Board

Federal, state and local governments have spent billions of dollars on the Chesapeake Bay in recent decades, especially since Congress enacted a stringent “pollution diet” in 2010 intended to clean up one of the world’s most magnificent and diverse estuaries. There has been measurable progress in the bay’s health — as well as foot-dragging that continues to endanger the cleanup. With a federally mandated deadline on the horizon in 2025, key environmental goals set … Continue Reading


November 25, 2022

Native Americans back proposed Chesapeake Bay National Recreation Area

by Fredrick Kunkle and Dana Hedgpeth

A proposal to make the Chesapeake Bay part of the national park system could benefit thousands of Native Americans whose ancestral homes on the watershed and Indigenous cultures were all but annihilated after the arrival of Europeans, several Indian leaders said. Under draft legislation proposed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. John Sarbanes, Democrats from Maryland, the bay would become a national recreation area, raising its profile as one of America’s most significant natural … Continue Reading


November 16, 2022

Chesapeake National Recreation Area, after decades in discussion, heads to Congress

by Jeremy Cox

A formal proposal to create a Chesapeake National Recreation Area is ready to move forward, according to advocates in Congress. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. John Sarbanes, both Democrats from Maryland, introduced a draft bill Nov. 14 that would unify historically important sites as well as partner parks in the region under a single banner. Backers say the designation would elevate the Chesapeake Bay’s public profile and help attract more federal dollars toward improving the … Continue Reading


November 14, 2022

Maryland legislators propose to consolidate Chesapeake Bay historic sites into a national park

by Joel McCord

If draft legislation is approved by federal lawmakers, a cluster of green spaces and historic sites near the Chesapeake Bay would transform into a national park known as the Chesapeake National Recreation Area. Maryland’s congressional delegation, joined by state and local officials, unveiled the draft legislation on Monday. It is open for public comment for the next 90 days until it’s submitted to Congress. The area would create a network of historically significant sites around … Continue Reading


November 14, 2022

Chesapeake National Recreation Area one step closer as Maryland legislators announce they’ve drafted legislation

by Christine Condon

A vision for the Chesapeake Bay area to have a National Park Service designation is one step closer to reality Monday, as Maryland congressional leaders announced they have drafted legislation for the proposal. The Chesapeake National Recreation Area, as it would be known, could unify a number of existing parks and destinations around the nation’s largest estuary under a common umbrella, organizers say. The legislation establishing the area will be open for public comment for 90 days, … Continue Reading


November 14, 2022

Chesapeake Bay could become national recreation area

by Fredrick Kunkle

The Chesapeake Bay would join the list of America’s most treasured parks and natural landscapes under a measure backed by two members of Congress to designate the nation’s largest estuary as a national recreation area. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. John Sarbanes, both Maryland Democrats, said Monday they intend to introduce legislation in the next Congress that would incorporate the bay into the nation’s park system and elevate its status as one of the nation’s … Continue Reading


June 25, 2022

Urgent Senate Update: The Fight Ahead


June 21, 2022

Chesapeake Bay recreation area to balance tourism, what's right for environment, lawmakers say

by Kristian Jaime

The creation of a unified Chesapeake National Recreation Area has entered the next phase of becoming a reality. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. John Sarbanes, both D-Md, announced Tuesday that the working group behind the initiative had identified 10 principles behind the recreational area that included prioritizing environmental stewardship and balancing land rights with realistic tourism goals. Currently, the two most promising locations, according to the working … Continue Reading


July 16, 2018

Team Maryland Urges Trump to Consider Capital Gazette Hero for Presidential Medal of Freedom


April 05, 2017

Jmore Living: Catching Up with Sen. Van Hollen

Last November, seven-term Democratic lawmaker Chris Van Hollen was elected to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate, succeeding Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, the retiring 30-year incumbent. From 2002 to 2016, Van Hollen served in the House of Representatives, representing Maryland's 8th Congressional District. Van Hollen, 58, was born in the Pakistani city of Karachi, the eldest child of an American diplomat and a State Department intelligence analyst. Van Hollen and his wife, Katherine, live … Continue Reading


March 17, 2017

Chesapeake Bay Among Concerns Of Maryland Lawmakers Under Trump Budget Proposal

Maryland Democrats voiced their displeasure with the Trump administration's budget proposals this week, citing federal cuts to Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Institutes of Health. "The Trump budget is great if you can get on a plane every weekend and fly to Mar-a-Lago, but it stinks for everybody else," Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said at a Capitol Hill press conference. "If you look at the cost to the taxpayer to fly to Mar-a-Lago each … Continue Reading


March 16, 2017

Van Hollen blasts Trump budget cuts

Source: Montgomery Sentinel Van Hollen blasts Trump budget cuts CAPITOL HILL - Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) came out strongly against the budget proposal unveiled by President Donald Trump, which features harsh cuts to many federal agencies. In a press conference on Thursday, Van Hollen said the budget blueprint Trump submitted that describes how his administration intends to allocate discretionary spending represents a "betrayal" of Trump's campaign promises and everyday Americans. "The … Continue Reading


March 16, 2017

Md. senators urge President Trump to reconsider budget cuts to NIH

Maryland's senators are urging President Donald Trump to reconsider his plans to cut the budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen sent a letter to the President on Friday in response to his budget blueprint released earlier this week. Trump's plans call for 5.8 percent billion in cuts for NIH. The letter says in part, "It is in our national interest that we provide robust federal funding for NIH to ensure that our Nation remains at the … Continue Reading

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