Once upon a time, Maryland had Republican politicians who were proud environmentalists and stewards of the vast Chesapeake watershed. The late Mac Mathias, a senator for 18 years, was a founder of the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort; Rogers C.B. Morton was a congressman from the Eastern Shore, a robust advocate for the bay who later served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior; and Wayne Gilchrest, who represented the shore in Congress from 1991 to 2009, remained steadfast in support of environmental regulations even as his party fought them nationally and denied climate change.
