Inflation Reduction Act Provides Boost for Clean Water in Chesapeake Bay Region
(ANNAPOLIS, MD)—With the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law yesterday by the President, the rivers and streams that feed the Chesapeake Bay received a major boost. Included in this historic legislation are key provisions that will bolster critical clean water programs. These include more than $20 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support climate-smart agricultural conservation practices; $3 billion to improve air quality, particularly in under resourced and marginalized communities suffering disproportionate impacts from pollution; and $2.6 billion to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to protect coastal communities and marine habitats. All of this support will make major impacts in the work to protect and restore the rivers and streams that feed the Chesapeake Bay, providing states and the District of Columbia with additional resources to implement on-the-ground restoration projects and achieve their pollution reduction goals.
In response, Choose Clean Water Coalition Director Kristin Reilly issued the following statement:
“In the face of the growing climate crisis, the Inflation Reduction Act will provide crucial investments to improve the resilience of the rivers and streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. From New York to Virginia, the impacts of climate change are easily recognizable. Urban heat islands are intensifying; waters are rising, warming, and acidifying; and an increase in extreme weather events are causing catastrophic flooding.
“This historic legislation will support critical clean water programs that will not only improve local water quality, but also help alleviate the worst impacts from climate change. Along with our more than 270 member organizations, the Choose Clean Water Coalition looks forward to capitalizing on this transformative investment.”
The Choose Clean Water Coalition is 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