Funds to clean up the Chesapeake Bay survived Virginia’s recently ended legislative session, but in Maryland and at the federal level, threats of major cuts loom. In Virginia, there will be more money for water quality improvements — programs that make it financially feasible for farmers to install clean water practices like fences to keep cows from defecating in streams, for example.
The state’s major source of money for water quality improvement will see an increase of $28 million in fiscal 2012, despite efforts from some lawmakers to cut that amount. Virginia also passed a law to take effect in 2013 banning the sale of lawn fertilizer that contains phosphorous — one of the Bay’s major pollutants.
Not all news was good for environmentalists, however. The legislature did not fund $107 million promised over the past year to localities that need to modernize their wastewater treatment plants. Modernizing the plants decreases the pollutants that escape into watersheds, and eventually into the Bay.
In Maryland, where the legislature is struggling to tackle a $1.6 billion shortfall, every dollar added to Bay cleanup means a dollar taken away from schools, roads or other priorities.
The General Assembly’s nonpartisan research arm is recommending permanent caps to two Bay cleanup funds, potentially saving the state nearly $100 million.
“Everyone understands that the budget is tight. … Year by year, we can agree to adjustments to the funds, but we can’t agree to permanent change,” said Kim Coble, executive director of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
On Monday, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley backed away from a proposal to outlaw septic systems for new housing developments. Septic systems produce nearly 10 times more pollution than systems that run through wastewater treatment plants, but concerns about angering rural constituents led O’Malley to allow more time to study its economic effect.
At the federal level, the House’s budget for the remainder of 2011 would cut $383 million from Bay cleanup — nearly three-quarters of all federal funding for the effort. Congress has until March 18 to agree on the terms of a budget to be sent to the president.
Doug Siglin, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s director of federal affairs, was on the Hill Wednesday rallying for the House cuts to be restored.
The House bill “would jeopardize hundreds of millions of federal funds that are being expected and counted on by towns, townships, wastewater treatment plants and farmers to help them plan for cleaner water,” Siglin said.
