Victory for Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Programs in the House
(WASHINGTON, DC)—Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act. This legislation includes funding reauthorization for programs critical to protecting and restoring the more than 100,000 miles of rivers and streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These programs include:
EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program which coordinates the federal-state partnership to restore the Chesapeake Bay's rivers and streams.
Chesapeake Watershed Investments and Landscape Defense (WILD) Program, a grant program managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that assists local partners with on-the-ground habitat restoration and protection.
Chesapeake Gateways Program, a National Park Service administered network of partners and places that increases accessibility to waterways throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.
In response, Choose Clean Water Coalition Director Kristin Reilly issued the following statement:
"While today's politics are fraught with partisanship and division, clean water is the great unifier. When America's Conservation Enhancement Act passed in 2020, it was the most important piece of federal legislation to help the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams in more than 30 years. The programs supported through the ACE Act are bearing fruit throughout the Chesapeake Bay region, with vital habitats restored, public access to our waterways and green spaces improved, and local economies boosted.
"We want to thank Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) for his leadership sponsoring the ACE Reauthorization Act, as well as Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) for co-sponsoring the legislation. With strong bipartisan support for this legislation and Congress set to adjourn shortly, we urge the Senate to pass it quickly and send it to President Biden's desk."
The Choose Clean Water Coalition is an organization that harnesses the collective power of more than 300 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
Choose Clean Water Coalition
443-927-8049
RobinsonAQ@nwf.org
