Advocates press for more federal funding to help reach Bay goals

"Fresh off successful efforts to bolster Chesapeake Bay-related funding for this year, advocates are hoping to secure even greater federal support for cleanup and restoration work next year.

Many Bay efforts — from oyster restoration to environmental education and the region’s cornerstone nutrient reduction objectives — face challenges in meeting their goals, but advocates hope an infusion of funding will help push them over the finish line.

“With multiple deadlines approaching, federal investment has never been needed more,” said Ann Swanson, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, which represents state legislatures.

“[Funding] must continue and be strategically enhanced to better address agriculture and land conservation — both vital to successfully achieving our shared goal of clean water by 2025.”

The commission unveiled its funding requests for nearly a dozen federal programs earlier this year.

On March 4, more than 100 members of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, which represents more than 250 nonprofit organizations in the Bay watershed, descended on the Capital to make the case for continued Bay support.

Recent efforts have been successful in warding off cuts proposed by the Trump administration that would have slashed funding for many programs affecting the Bay. For instance, the administration each year has proposed either eliminating or making a 90% percent funding cut for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program Office. Instead, Congress — which makes final spending decisions — increased its funding for this year to $85 million, up from $73 million. . ."

Read the full article at the Bay Journal

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