Senate Restores Full Funding for Chesapeake

The Coalition applauds the work of our Chesapeake Bay champions in the Senate who have included full funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program in the Senate Interior Appropriations Bill for FY2018. The Senate has requested $73 million for the Program, with $12 million reserved for the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship grant program. The bill also included a provision that would require the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program to be housed in Annapolis, MD, something the new administration had considered changing.

In response to the release, the Coalition has issued this statement:

“The Choose Clean Water Coalition would like to thank our champions in the Senate for recognizing the importance of protecting federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort. By including $73 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program, and $12 million for on the ground restoration projects, the Senate recognizes that the President’s proposed budget was not only unrealistic but also detrimental to the progress that has been made for our local rivers and streams, and the Chesapeake,” said Chanté Coleman, director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition. “We will continue to work to ensure that the Chesapeake Bay Program receives $73 million in 2018. Without full funding for the Program, the progress we have made to improve our waterways will be jeopardized and possibly reversed.”

For questions on the bill, please contact Peter Marx.

For press inquiries, please contact Kristin Reilly.