From forest land owners to counties to oyster farmers, everyone wants a piece of the pie. But with just $50 million allotted in the new Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund, lawmakers are trying to determine the best way to allocate the money for Bay restoration.
“If we don?t focus this on key, cost-effective practices … we?re not going to change the landscape” of the Bay, Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin said to a Senate committee.
Lawmakers are considering a measure specifying that the funds be spent on reducing diffused, or nonpoint, sources of pollution from agricultural, urban and suburban stormwater runoff, the origin of which is difficult to trace.
The bill also requires that BayStat, which monitors Bay restoration initiatives, be used to assess which programs are the most cost-effective. The money would be awarded through grants to counties, nonprofits and academic institutions, among others.
Environmentalists and activists lauded the creation of the fund, but they urged lawmakers to include existing programs, emphasize specific areas or dedicate funds to local jurisdictions.
Griffin said officials were working on amendments to clarify the bill.
Bill Satterfield, executive director of nonprofit Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., said the bill should allow the money to go to projects required through regulations, such as nutrient-management plans for farms.
Programs such as the Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share program, which helps farms reduce soil and nutrient runoff, and a program aimed at boosting the oyster harvest also should be included in the measure, activists said.
David Bliden, executive director of the Maryland Association of Counties, requested a certain portion of the fund be set aside for county governments.
Griffin said most of the funds should be directed to local programs, though the law does not include a specific percentage.
At a glance
Lawmakers are considering a measure specifying that the $50 million in the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund be spent on reducing diffused, or nonpoint, sources of pollution from agricultural, urban and suburban stormwater runoff.
