House votes to hike Chesapeake Bay cleanup, but Senate support uncertain

Jun. 28--Chesapeake Bay cleanup would get a boost under a measure that just passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but its fate remains uncertain in the Senate.

The HR 3055 Interior Appropriations bill hikes federal funding to curb bay pollution from $73 million to $85 million for fiscal year 2020, much of which would go to Virginia localities.

The funding was requested by U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a Democrat for Virginia's 2nd District, in a $110 million environmental measure. Passed on Tuesday, it also includes $25 million for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program.

Luria said one of her top priorities is "keeping the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways clean and thriving for future generations."

Fellow Democrat Robert "Bobby" Scott of Virginia's 3rd District said he was "thrilled to see high levels of support for the bay" in appropriations bills.

The package also includes $1.8 billion for the federal Clean Water State Revolving Fund, $523.9 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and $2.27 million for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Trails Program to promote public access.

Federal money for bay cleanup has been a tug of war between Congress and the Trump administration, which keeps trying to slash funding by 90% or kill it entirely. But Congress has kept funding at current levels through a series of annual appropriations.

Trump has argued that Virginia and other bay jurisdictions should pay to clean up the estuary. For decades, bay states tried -- and failed -- to do so.

The states partnered with the EPA in 2010 and agreed to limit nutrient and sediment loads. Federal funds go to the Chesapeake Bay Program, which funnels nearly two-thirds of its budget to bay jurisdictions for anti-pollution work.

Bay states must have all necessary measures in place by 2025 that will lead to a restored bay.

Ann Swanson, executive director of the bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Commission, called the bay program a national model for clean water partnerships and the additional cleanup funds "critical" to meeting the 2025 goal.

"We are in the final phase and within sight of delivering clean water," she said.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the additional funds would expand grant programs to help local governments improve water quality and support market-based approaches to reduce pollution.

Lisa Feldt, CBF's vice president of environmental protection and restoration, called the bay program the "glue" that holds the partnership together and "provides essential oversight to ensure that all are doing their part."

Bay health has been improving overall for the past decade, aided by campaigns to restore underwater grasses and oyster reefs.

Marine scientists worry that increasing development in the watershed -- as well as the more extreme weather, stormwater runoff and warmer temperatures associated with climate change -- will undermine future restoration efforts.

Other bay state representatives who pushed to increase bay cleanup funds include Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and John Sarbanes, a Democrat from Maryland's 3rd District.

Tamara Dietrich, 757-247-7892, [email protected], DP_Dietrich

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