Yesterday, Congress announced the funding of $85 million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) for FY20. This is an increase over the $73 million allocated to CBP for the past five years. Now that there is agreement on the funding package, it must now pass the House and the Senate and be signed by the President by midnight Friday to avoid a government shutdown or require another short-term funding bill.

The conservation community released the following statements:

Yesterday, Congress announced the funding of $85 million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) for FY20. This is an increase over the $73 million allocated to CBP for the past five years. Now that there is agreement on the funding package, it must now pass the House and the Senate and be signed by the President by midnight Friday to avoid a government shutdown or require another short-term funding bill.

The conservation community released the following statements:

“We applaud the increase in funding for the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program. This is a great victory for clean water. Our members raised their voices for this increased investment and their legislators heard them loud and clear. Despite President Trump’s proposed budget slashing the Bay Program’s funding by 90 percent, strong bipartisan support secured a 16 percent increase. This funding is critical to support projects that are improving communities and protecting local waterways around the watershed.

“The health of the Bay and its rivers and streams is improving. Bay grasses are increasing, upstream water clarity is improving, and pollution is declining. This success is in no small part thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Program and its leadership facilitating the federal-state plan to clean up the Bay.

“But this progress is fragile. Look no further than the increased dead zone this year, which in Maryland’s portion of the Bay was the third-largest observed since reporting began in 1985. Increasing support for the Bay Program will accelerate pollution reduction efforts, particularly in the face of new and increased challenges like climate change.

“As the 2025 deadline approaches to have all programs and practices in place to restore water quality, continued investment by the federal government in the Bay Program will pay huge dividends not only for the environmental benefits, but also to communities and local economies throughout the watershed.”

–  Kristin Reilly, Director

“A $12 million increase is a huge win for the Chesapeake Bay and exciting news for the more than 18 million people who live, work, and play in its 64,000 square mile watershed. It will help reduce pollution in local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay. Robust annual increases like this are essential to meeting the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint’s 2025 deadline for implementing the policies and programs needed to save this national treasure.

“The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is grateful to all members of the Bay delegation who supported this substantial investment in the Bay’s future. We thank Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senators Ben Cardin, Chris Van Hollen, and Shelley Moore Capito, Representatives Dutch Ruppersberger and Matt Cartwright, and the members of the House of Representatives Chesapeake Bay Task Force, led by Representatives Bobby Scott, John Sarbanes, Robert Wittman, and Andy Harris, for their leadership in securing these critical additional funds.”

– Jason Rano, Federal Executive Director

Keep checking back for additional statements.