Sarbanes Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort to Restore and Protect the Chesapeake Bay

Statement

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force Co-Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined fellow co-chairs Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.), along with Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) and Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), to introduce the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act, a bill that would fully fund the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's successful Chesapeake Bay Program for the next five years.

This $455 million investment would provide consistent funding to Bay restoration efforts in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York every single year. This includes reducing nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution across the Bay Watershed.

"Today, we're making a critical investment in the Chesapeake Bay," said Congressman Sarbanes, co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force. "This bipartisan, bicameral bill will provide Maryland and other states in the Bay Watershed with the resources they need to restore Bay health and ensure that the Bay remains an economic driver and environmental treasure for generations to come."