Local politicians stress importance of Chesapeake Bay funding
"We must not let the federal partner quit right as its starting to work," exclaims Will Baker.
Impassioned words from Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Will Baker as he explains the importance of preserving the bay that he says 18 million people live and depend on.
It's something U.S. senators Ben Cardin of Maryland and Tom Carper of Delaware feel strongly about.
"We need to make sure we protect those waters that are coming into the Chesapeake Bay and the waters in the U.S. that affect so many areas around the country," explains Sen. Cardin.
This coming after President Trump proposed to drastically cut EPA spending, completely eliminating the $73 million of federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay Restoration program.
The senators say the move will directly affect not just the health of the bay but also local economies.
"There's a direct economic benefit we calculated to be about 1 trillion dollars so it's a huge economic impact. It's the people that make their livelihood on the bay, the watermen, its the people that do the recreation along the bay, its the recreational properties from Ocean City all the way through so many different regions," says Sen. Cardin.
Salisbury Mayor Jake Day says it even reaches the city of Salisbury, with millions being used to rebuild the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
"Analysts may see the Chesapeake Bay just as a percentage point, just something to cut nothing more than a fraction, but to the farmers and families of our region of the Eastern Shore it has been the tool that's reversed mistreatment of our most precious asset," exclaims Mayor Day.
It's just one of many reasons both Senator Cardin and Senator Carper are coming together to call attention to this issue.
"We're going to fight and do everything we can to ensure those funds are maintained," says Sen. Cardin.
Sen. Carper exclaims, "We're not going to go back, we're going to continue to go forward."
Plus, both senators stressed that eliminating the Chesapeake Bay program is not only an attack on environmental efforts but an attack on science as well.
Sen. Cardin says science is the key foundation for the Chesapeake Bay program. He says cutting out this funding cuts out key science research that are paramount for environmental studies.
They showcase what's working or what more needs to be done to keep the bay safe and healthy for marine life and our public health.
Sen. Cardin explains, "We need to fund basic science so when the President is suggesting to get rid of the Chesapeake Bay program he wants to get rid of the earth sciences done at NASA or suggests that the EPA not have the funds to do basic science or the NIH should have the funding cut, all that's related."
So they are fighting to maintain that funding for not only the health of the bay and the people that use it but the important research findings that come with it.
