Sen. Gene Yaw re-elected tri-state Chesapeake Bay Commission chair

State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, has been re-elected to chair the Pennsylvania delegation of the tri-state Chesapeake Bay Commission, according to a news release.
“The Pennsylvania members on the Commission are helping to establish Pennsylvania’s status as a leader in the Bay restoration effort,” said Yaw, according to the news release. “The Commission has a 40-year track record of working in a cooperative, bi-partisan manner to find solutions that work in local communities while also helping the Bay. I am proud to be part of its leadership team.”
Yaw previously served as delegation chair from 2019 to 2021 and most recently in 2024. In 2020, Yaw was elected as chair of the full 21-member commission, where he served for one year.
As Pennsylvania delegation chair, Yaw will serve as the vice chair of the Commission, along with fellow vice chair. Delegate David Bulova, D-Va., and state Sen. Sara Love, D-Md., who will serve as chair.
“Representing Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier, Sen. Yaw brings an important perspective from an area of the watershed far removed from the Bay,” Anna Killius, CBC Executive Director said, according to the news release. “We are excited to have him back as a part of our executive team.”
State Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-York, was elected as the vice chair of the Pennsylvania delegation.
Other members of the delegation include state Sen. Scott Martin, R-Martic Township; state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte; state Rep. Nikki Rivera, D-Manheim Township, Interim Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Jessica Shirley and citizen member Warren Elliott.
The Chesapeake Bay Commission is a policy leader in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
As a tri-state legislative body that advises the legislative branch of state government, its mission is to identify critical environmental needs, evaluate public concerns and ensure state and Federal actions to sustain the living resources of the Chesapeake Bay, the news release said. The Commission works directly with the state general assemblies and the U.S. Congress and serves as the legislative branch of the Chesapeake Bay Program.