Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced that the 2007 Farm Bill (H.R.2419), which the House of Representatives passed today, includes $212.5 million in programs specifically dedicated to the Chesapeake Bay clean-up effort and an additional $292 million in funds that the Bay states will be eligible to receive by claiming their share of national programs. All together, this $504.5 million over 5 years represents the largest infusion of federal funds ever for the Bay. Currently, the total annual federal contributions for Bay land conservation efforts total $66 million per year.
Three months ago, Van Hollen introduced the Chesapeake's Healthy and Environmentally Sound Stewardship of Energy and Agriculture Act of 2007 (CHESSEA), which allocates funding for agricultural conservation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. CHESSEA served as the foundation for some of the key provisions that were included in the Farm Bill.
The Farm Bill designates funding for a comprehensive Chesapeake Bay strategy and projects that will address the Bay on a tributary basis. The tributaries that will receive the initial focus are the Susquehanna, Shenandoah, Patuxent and Potomac Rivers.
"This landmark effort represents a major new chapter in the Chesapeake Bay clean-up effort," said Congressman Van Hollen. "I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that this legislation passes the Congress and is signed into law so that we can provide critical funds to the farmers in the Chesapeake Bay region to support their conservation efforts and help clean up the Bay."
“I am a Californian, but I was born in Maryland and I know the importance of the Chesapeake Bay,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “I salute Congressman Van Hollen for his initiative in support of the Chesapeake Bay. This has been a priority since he came to Congress. From Monterey Bay across the country to the Chesapeake Bay, the farm bill represents a new direction.”