Dec 27, 2007 4:45 pm US/Eastern
Omnibus Bill Cuts Spending On Bay Cleanup
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
-
-
An environmental group says the federal spending bill President Bush signed Wednesday could harm efforts to improve the Chesapeake Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay gets a black eye from a new federal spending bill. The bill means cleanup efforts on the bay will suffer financial cuts.
Derek Valcourt explains how much the bay is losing.
What the government gives, it can also take away. A new bill signed by the president makes a national cut in funding for clean water and for states around the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It amounts to a lost of $44 million.
"The result is we are not going to be able to see an improving Chesapeake Bay as quickly. So the fish, the shellfish, the water quality, the swimming beaches, the dead zones in the bay won't be addressed as quickly as if we had that money," said Will Baker with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The State Revolving Loan Fund saw the biggest cut. It provides communities with low-interest loans for sewer-treatment plant upgrades.
"Putting money towards upgrading sewage treatment plants is really the low hanging fruit of pollution reduction, so they are making the cuts in the worst possible place," said Baker.
These budget cuts could be a painful setback in the regional agreement to clean up the bay by the year 2010.
In the last month alone, Maryland put up another $50 million of new money toward bay restoration.
"To lose the federal partner, to lose this much money from the feds, just means the state has to do all that much more," said Baker.
Oyster and crab restoration programs also took cuts, leaving environmentalists hoping the next administration makes a more positive splash.
The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, West Virginia and D.C.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments