ALEXANDRIA — The Chesapeake Bay Commission announced Pennsylvania State Sen. Gene Yaw has been elected chair of the tri-state commission for 2026.
He will also remain chair of the Pennsylvania Delegation of the Commission, it added.
The commission said as Chair, Yaw will lead the 21-member organization, including Senators and House members from Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, along with a cabinet secretary selected by each Governor and a prominent citizen member from each state.
Yaw previously served as chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission in 2020.
Yaw is chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The commission noted Penn State Extension’s Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training recognized Yaw and fellow commission member and State Sen. Scott Martin as joint recipients of the Karl Brown Award for Conservation Leadership in 2025.
It added in 2023, Yaw received a Clean Water Champion award from the Choose Clean Water Coalition for his work to establish the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Fund and address non-point source pollution from agricultural runoff, abandoned mine drainage, and stormwater.
“With the entire partnership united behind a revised agreement and committed to success, now is the time for bold ideas that deliver healthy streams and a restored Chesapeake Bay,” Yaw said. “I’m proud that Pennsylvania is being recognized as a leader on clean water and a showcase for innovative projects that highlight local benefits. I am looking forward to scaling up our efforts over the coming year.”
Yaw assumes the role from Maryland State Sen. Sara Love.
“During my tenure as Chair, the Commission remained a steadfast leader in the effort to revise the Watershed Agreement and chart our course for a conserved Chesapeake Bay,” Love said. “With Senator Yaw’s hand now at the Commission’s helm, I know Pennsylvania will be a full and active partner in the work ahead.”
For 2026, the Commission’s Maryland members elected Del. Sheila Ruth to serve as chair of its delegation, while the Virginia delegation has selected Sen. Jeremy McPike.
