Trump Budget Hurls Hurdles at Chesapeake Bay Restoration

Throwing new obstacles at Chesapeake Bay restoration, the Trump Administration rolled out a top-line budget proposal today that undermines the science and programs needed for a healthy Chesapeake Bay.   

Restoring the Bay relies on support from many federal efforts that would be slashed or eliminated in the latest budget request. Last year, Trump’s budget proposed similar cuts to investments in programs needed for a healthy Bay. In recent months leaders in the House and Senate rejected those reckless cuts and funded Bay restoration efforts.  

Proposals related to Chesapeake Bay restoration in the Trump Administration’s budget proposal include: 

• A cut to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program’s budget from its current level of $93 million down to $91 million. The Chesapeake Bay Program is the lead federal partner in restoring the Bay and coordinates across federal and state partners. The majority of the Bay Program funding goes directly to work in communities that leads to healthier waterways, including grants for tree plantings, oyster restoration, and other community projects.  The overall EPA budget was slashed by 52 percent.
• NOAA’s environmental and climate education grants would be eliminated. That includes the Bay Watershed Education and Training program (BWET), which jump-starts hands on learning outside for students and teachers around the Chesapeake Bay.
• Reduced investment in NOAA climate science research programs. More frequent and more intense storms due to climate change wash more pollution into the Chesapeake Bay, and warmer water temperatures harm fish and wildlife. This threatens coastal communities, fisheries, and our ability to restore the Bay. Cutting this research at NOAA would hamper our understanding and adaptation to these threats.
• Major cuts to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), including elimination of the USGS Ecosystems Missions Area. This includes programs that provide the critical science necessary for restoration and conservation in the Chesapeake Bay region and that help manage invasive species, such the invasive blue catfish. 
• A 90 percent cut to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and elimination of key grants for Clean Water Act work. These programs provide communities across the watershed with financial support to put in place practices that reduce pollution in rivers and streams. That includes upgrades to wastewater and sewage systems needed to prevent disasters like the recent Potomac River sewage spill.  
• The elimination of the National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways and Trails Network, which connects visitors to the natural and cultural heritage of the region.
• The elimination of the EPA’s environmental justice programs, which aim to protect the health of people in communities where they are at risk from pollution.  

Congress will now aim to pass a budget before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) urges lawmakers to reject the steep cuts for Chesapeake Bay work in the Trump Administration’s budget request.  

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Vice President for Programs Alison Hooper Prost issued the following statement:  

“The Chesapeake Bay must be feeling a bad case of déjà vu. President Trump is once again swinging a wrecking ball at the very work that keeps the Bay alive.  

“This budget pulls the rug out from under one of America’s greatest environmental success stories: the Chesapeake Bay. If the Trump budget becomes reality, kids will lose hands-on outdoor learning, science needed to make waterways safe to swim and fish will be sidelined, and pollution will continue to threaten people’s health. 

“The cuts proposed by the Trump Administration could leave cash-strapped states struggling to meet their commitments to reduce pollution to the region’s waterways. Just a few months ago, Congress rejected similar cuts in a show of bipartisan support for the Bay. Now Congress must once again protect the work needed to fulfill the federal government’s promise to restore the Chesapeake Bay.”