A Tribute to Paul Sarbanes
Author: Charlie Stek
This week the Chesapeake Bay lost a giant in the history of the watershed-restoration effort with the passing of Paul Sarbanes, former Democratic U.S. senator from Maryland, on December 6th.
I had the great privilege of working for the senator for 22 years, until his retirement in 2006. I saw first-hand his commitment to the Chesapeake and the health of the environment.
A few months after I joined Senator Sarbanes’s staff in 1985, Senator Charles M. “Mac” Mathias, Jr., Maryland’s other senator and a Republican, retired from the Senate. At that time, there was concern in the media and among conservation organizations about who in Congress would assume leadership of the Chesapeake Bay Program, a partnership of states and the federal government to restore the Bay to health. Senator Sarbanes asked me to set up a series of meetings with the Bay’s stakeholders.
He spent hours listening to their concerns and soliciting their ideas about a restoration agenda for the estuary. I learned a lot too, but mostly that Sarbanes was a senator of substance. He was eager to become immersed in detail, but not to the detriment of the main task, which was to build partnerships and coalitions in service of a common goal.
He went on to lead the Chesapeake Bay Area Congressional Delegation’s efforts to restore the Bay for more than two decades. He played a key role in virtually every federal initiative for the watershed. It was a remarkable record of accomplishment.
Among the actions he helped bring about were these:
The Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project, the largest habitat-creation effort in the Bay. It set a precedent for using dredged material in an environmentally sound manner, and showed that environmental restoration and economic development can operate hand-in-hand.
The reauthorization of the Chesapeake Bay Program, which codified the Environmental Protection Agency’s roles and responsibilities. In particular, the Small Watersheds Program proved successful in helping local governments and watershed associations restore streams and wildlife habitat.
The engagement of the National Park Service in watershed restoration efforts through the creation of the Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Program, and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. He helped establish the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, a land and water route telling the story of the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.
The expansion of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s role in restoring fish and oyster habitat, and in promoting K-12 educational programs about the Bay.
The establishment of federal agricultural programs to help farmers reduce agricultural run-off into the rivers and streams feeding the Bay.
The bringing of new federal resources to upgrade sewage treatment plants.
I could go on.
Senator Sarbanes was a brilliant strategist who didn’t care who received the credit for accomplishments—two traits of a successful leader. He was, as well, a person of great integrity and honesty.
Senator Sarbanes always said that if a state could have a soul, Maryland’s would be the Chesapeake Bay. His soul and legacy lives on in it.
