Funding Levels for Chesapeake Bay Restoration a Mixed Bag
(WASHINGTON, DC)—Last night, the House passed the omnibus spending package for fiscal year 2022 that will fund EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program at $88 million. This minor increase from the current funding level of $87.5 million marks the highest-ever funding for the Bay Program but is below the new authorized amount of $90.5 million. These funds are in addition to the $238 million over five years allocated to the Bay Program from the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law in November 2021. The omnibus also allocates $4 million for the new Chesapeake Watershed Investments and Landscape Defense (WILD) Program, a grant program managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intended to assist local partners with on-the-ground habitat restoration and protection. This will provide the first funding to Chesapeake WILD but below the authorized amount of $15 million annually. In response, Choose Clean Water Coalition Director Kristin Reilly issued the following statement:
"At a critical juncture in the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams, we are pleased to see a $500,000 increase in funding for EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program. However, we are disappointed that the Bay Program is not funded at the fully authorized levels outlined in America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act. Passed unanimously in October 2020, ACE authorized EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program—the glue that holds together the cleanup partnership of federal, state, and local governments, conservation groups, and educational institutions—at $90.5 million in FY22, with annual incremental increases to $92 million in 2025. While we are encouraged the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will add $47.6 million annually to EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program for the next five years, we are concerned about the overall lower appropriated level than the authorized amount under the ACE Act.
"The biggest win from this omnibus package is the first-time funding for the Chesapeake WILD Program, which will allow the program to kickoff. The centerpiece of Chesapeake WILD is a grant program to assist local partners with on-the-ground habitat restoration and protection, such as installing riparian forest buffers; wetlands restoration; expanding black duck populations; restoring and protecting brook trout habitat; and removing barriers to fish migration in freshwater systems. These projects will not only produce multiple environmental benefits, but also serve as a stimulus to local economies. First created under the ACE Act and authorized for $15 million, we are hopeful that the $4 million currently allocated will establish the need for the fully authorized $15 million in FY23.
"As we rapidly approach the 2025 deadline to have all pollution reduction practices in place as part of the Bay's restoration effort, we need to accelerate our efforts. Paramount to attaining our clean water goals is strong federal investments in programs that make a difference on-the-ground in communities throughout the watershed. Alongside the more than 270 nonprofit organizations in our Coalition, we will continue to fight for additional funding so we can leave a legacy of clean water to future generations."
The Choose Clean Water Coalition, an organization that harnesses the collective power of more than 270 local, state, regional and national groups to advocate for clean rivers and streams in all communities in the Chesapeake region.
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Media Contact:
Drew Robinson
443-927-8049
RobinsonAQ@nwf.org