Our partnerships on behalf of Chesapeake Bay health have yielded some promising outcomes this year. Maryland has announced plans to join other Bay states in legal actions to require that Pennsylvania and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect the Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.
Recent statements from the EPA indicate weakening resolve in this area, and much remains to be done to limit sediment and debris that pour into the Chesapeake Bay via the Susquehanna River.
On the national level, Congress and the President agreed on a funding package (through September 30, 2020) in which the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program is funded at $85 million - a $12 million increase, the first since 2015, dramatically reversing the President’s proposed 90% cut for Chesapeake funding. However, the President just released his election-year budget, which again slashes this funding, so our work is not done!