Landmark Legislation for Clean Water Awaits President's Signature

(WASHINGTON, DC)—Today, the United States House of Representatives unanimously passed S. 3051, the America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act. The legislation, which now awaits the President's signature, contains three significant sections that address specific Chesapeake Bay watershed issues:

• Reauthorization of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program: The EPA Chesapeake Bay Program was first authorized in the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 (Water Quality Act of 1987). This is the coordinating entity for all of the many efforts to restore the Bay and the most critical program for Bay restoration. The Act was last authorized in 2000 and its funding authority technically expired in 2005. ACE will update this authorization for the next five years, and will also increase the authorized funding level up to $92 million annually–it is currently funded at $85 million.

• Chesapeake WILD (Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense): This provision authorizes $15 million annually for a new fish and wildlife habitat protection and restoration program. For the first time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be directed by Congress to create a habitat program specifically in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This new program will focus not just on fish and wildlife habitat in the Bay proper, but everywhere in the watershed which spans parts of six states and all of the District of Columbia and covers 64,000 square miles.

• Reauthorization of the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Water Trails Program: This provision will reauthorize this small, but critically important program for five more years. The Park Service works with state and local partners to promote and increase access for the public to iconic natural, historic, and cultural landscapes around the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed.

In response to the House passing the ACE Act, Choose Clean Water Coalition Director Kristin Reilly issued the following statement:

"The America's Conservation Enhancement Act is the most important piece of federal legislation to help the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams in more than 30 years. Not since the Clean Water Act amendments of 1987 has Congress passed a single bill that does so much to protect and restore clean water throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

"This groundbreaking legislation could not have arrived at a better time as the country perseveres through the COVID-19 pandemic. By providing critical funding for on-the-ground conservation projects, this legislation serves as an economic stimulus to communities throughout the country, providing thousands of good-paying jobs. What's more, as Americans around the country flock to public parks and waterways, the ACE Act will improve access to these cherished natural resources. And the economic impact of this access is undeniable, as recent studies show that tourists spent $25.7 billion annually throughout the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network region alone.

"Final passage of the ACE Act will greatly help address growing challenges to clean water and conservation in the Chesapeake region and nationwide. The programs in this bill are critical to conservation efforts in every region and every state, and will enhance the outdoor recreational experiences of tens of millions of Americans.

"Despite the partisan discord that plagues Washington, legislators worked across the aisle to pass the ACE Act. Leading this effort were Representatives Steny Hoyer, Elaine Luria, John Sarbanes, Bobby Scott, Rob Wittman, and Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Ben Cardin, and Chris Van Hollen. Thanks to their steadfast dedication and strong bipartisan support for this critical bill, we look forward to it becoming law. As we work to leave a legacy of clean water to future generations, the passage of the ACE Act is a critical step in the right direction."

The Choose Clean Water Coalition is an organization that harnesses the collective power of more than 250 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