Sens. Warner, Kaine Applaud Over $18M in USDA Funding for Chesapeake Bay Projects

Press Release

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) applauded U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's announcement today that Virginia projects will receive over $18 million in federal funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration through the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). USDA announced today that the RCPP will allocate more than $370 million in competitive grants for conservation projects across the country for the next two years. As part of the 2014 Agricultural Act, Sens. Warner and Kaine worked with colleagues to streamline USDA conservation programs while designating the Chesapeake Bay as one of the nation's top conservation priorities.

"These Bay conservation projects are voluntary and locally-driven, and that's a great way to move us closer to achieving the goal of restoring the Chesapeake Bay," Sen. Warner said. "We know that these public-private partnerships can leverage significant additional investments, and that's a key part in delivering cost-effective solutions to clean the Bay."

"Agricultural conservation is good for farmers and good for the environment," said Sen. Kaine. "Fostering wide community support for land and water conservation was an important priority of mine as Governor. I was proud to support the 2014 farm bill in the Senate last year that authorized these important measures to protect the Chesapeake Bay and other critical watersheds."

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