Doug Siglin peered at the Chesapeake Bay, noting its calm and beauty.
“But there?s a lot of trouble out there underneath the water,” said Siglin, federal affairs director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
To help restore and promote the Chesapeake Bay and protect the surrounding environment, U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-District 2, announced Monday $10 million in federal funding for various projects.
The money was part of an omnibus spending measure passed by Congress and recently signed into law by President Bush, Ruppersberger said while standing on a deck outside the foundation?s headquarters overlooking the Bay in Annapolis.
“The environment is such a high priority for our state, and this is just a start,” said Ruppersberger, a House Appropriations Committee member, who represents Baltimore City, and Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties.
A special guest at the announcement was Harry Hughes, governor of Maryland from 1979 to 1987, who?s now board chairman of the Harry Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology Inc.
The center is receiving funds that will support research on biofuels, forest-land conservation and water-supply protection, including the Bay?s watershed.
“It will be a great help to the studies we have ongoing,” said Hughes. The nonprofit, founded in 1999, helped to unite local environmentalists.
The following groups have these plans for their funding:
» The Chesapeake Bay Gateway Network will help museums and facilities around the Bay featuring exhibits about the ecosystem and the Bay?s history.
» University of Maryland Baltimore County Advanced Study Institute for Environmental Predictions will help create better atmospheric circulation models, marine ecosystem models and other initiatives.
» National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?s Resource Laboratory?s UrbaNet Partnership will continue to work on its network of weather-tracking stations that report data for hazards in high-threat cities.
Prior to his announcement, Ruppersberger met with members of his Environmental Council and members of the Bay Foundation to discuss the environmental funding outlook for 2009.
Officials need to explore alternative energy sources other than fossil fuels, including nuclear energy, Ruppersberger said.
Challenges facing the exploration of nuclear energy include ensuring safety and properly recycling waste, he said.
The country could look to France, which has had a nuclear energy program for around 30 years.
Further goals include studying wastewater treatment plans and taking global climate change seriously, even though some scientists disagree as to the extent of its impact, he said.
“We, as stewards of the land, can?t afford not to take care of it,” Ruppersberger said.
