{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-cardin-sarbanes-secure-provisions-to-codify-public-access-to-greenbury-point-in-senate-passed-defense-bill", "Van Hollen, Cardin, Sarbanes Secure Provisions to Codify Public Access to Greenbury Point in Senate-Passed Defense Bill", "2023-12-14", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Chris Van Hollen", "V000128", "www.vanhollen.senate.gov", "vanhollen", "https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman John P. Sarbanes (all D-Md.) announced their success in securing Senate passage of their provision to prevent the U.S. Navy from unilaterally blocking public access to the Greenbury Point Conservation Area at Naval Support Activity Annapolis (NSA Annapolis). After securing language in the Senate-drafted Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in July to prevent the Navy from making long-term public access restrictions to the Conservation Area without Congressional approval, the lawmakers worked to include and strengthen these protections in the final version of the annual defense bill. The legislation, which passed the Senate Wednesday, will prohibit the Navy from modifying or restricting public access to Greenbury Point, with few exceptions such as for emergencies or temporarily in the interest of public safety, as it currently does for live fire exercises. The lawmakers\u2019 provision also preserves the Navy\u2019s option to transfer or lease the Conservation Area property to another public entity. The annual defense bill is expected to be considered by the House of Representatives later this week.\n\n\u201cFor years, Annapolis residents and visitors have cherished the opportunity to explore Greenbury Point \u2013 one of the few publicly accessible areas of the Bay. As the Navy has considered altering that access, our constituents expressed their strong opposition to changing that policy. That\u2019s why we fought for this provision that says in no uncertain terms \u2013 Greenbury Point must stay open to the public,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cPreserving Greenbury Point balances the needs of the Navy with the needs of the community,\u201d said Senator Cardin. \u201cIts proximity to the Chesapeake Bay makes it an important place for outdoor recreation and conservation in the region. Ensuring public access and preventing further development will allow Greenbury Point to continue to be a model of coastal stewardship for the Chesapeake Bay.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor more than two decades, Greenbury Point has served as a critical wildlife refuge and cherished natural recreation area for the public, bringing the Bay within reach for more Maryland residents and visitors,\u201d said Congressman John Sarbanes. \u201cMaintaining public access to this space has been a top priority, which is why I am so pleased that a provision preventing long-term restrictions to access at Greenbury Point was included in the final NDAA. I\u2019ll keep working with Senators Van Hollen and Cardin to ensure that the Greenbury Point Conservation Area remains protected and publicly available.\u201d\n\nHaving passed the Senate, the bill must now pass the House and be signed by the President before becoming law.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-cardin-sarbanes-secure-provisions-to-codify-public-access-to-greenbury-point-in-senate-passed-defense-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3450300320982933, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}