Chesapeake Bay Foundation Applauds Senate Action On Bill To Allocate $500 Million To Fund Local Growing Greener Projects, Establish Clean Streams Fund

On September 29, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA issued a statement from Pennsylvania Executive Director Shannon Gority, commending the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for passing to the full Senate pieces of legislation that would allocate $500 million to Growing Greener and also establish a Clean Streams Fund.  [Read more here.]

The committee voted 10-1 on Tuesday to support Senate Bill 525 [Gordner-R-Columbia, Comitta-D-Chester] and allocate $500 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to fund Growing Greener, a lifeline to conservation and clean water projects across the state since 1999.

The committee also amended and reported out Senate Bill 832 [Yaw-R-Lycoming] that would allocate an additional $250 million in ARP funds to establish a Clean Streams Fund. [Read more here.] The fund would establish the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) to help farmers, and the Municipal Stormwater Assistance Program to provide funding to local governments.

Ms. Gority said:

“As the 2025 deadline to achieve the Clean Water Blueprint is fast approaching, seizing investment opportunities like Growing Greener and the Clean Streams Fund is essential to getting the Commonwealth back on track toward its commitment to cleaner local rivers and streams.

“Growing Greener investments bring lasting benefits to communities across Pennsylvania from clean water to open spaces to recreational pursuits for Pennsylvanians and tourists alike.

“Funds applied to green infrastructure through Growing Greener also help the current economy by supporting numerous small businesses and the good-paying jobs that go along with them.

“The Clean Streams Fund would create dedicated funding devoted solely to addressing Pennsylvania’s top sources of water pollution.

“Establishing ACAP will fund conservation practices on farms, improve water quality on local creeks and streams, and help the bottom line of our state’s farm families.

“Support by the full Senate of greater investments in Growing Greener and the Clean Streams Law would be a significant step toward the clean water our economy, health, and quality of life depend on.”

For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage.  Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column).  Click Here to support their work.

Also visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to learn how you can help clean water grow on trees.

CBF has over 275,000 members in Bay Watershed.

October Is Buffer Month!

Penn State Extension is joining the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, who declared October as Riparian Buffer Month, as an opportunity to build awareness and familiarity of forested riparian buffers while sharing the applicability of these sustainable practices in a variety of settings.  Read more here.

PA Chesapeake Bay Plan

For more information on Pennsylvania’s plan, visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Office webpage.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

DEP’s Interactive Report Viewer allows you to zoom in on your own stream or watershed to find out how clean your stream is or if it has impaired water quality using the latest information in the draft 2020 Water Quality Report.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Appalachian Voices: Congress Fails To Reauthorize Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program; People In Pennsylvania Have Worked For 5 Years So Far To Get Their Members Of Congress And General Assembly To Act On This Critical Issue  [PaEN]  [PA’s #1 Water Pollution Problem - Mine Drainage]

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Bay Executive Council Fails To Hold Pennsylvania Accountable For Its Water Pollution Cleanup Commitments [PaEN]  [PA’s #2 Water Pollution Problem - Agricultural Runoff]

-- Senate Committee Reports Out Bipartisan Bill Allocating $500 Million In American Rescue Fund Monies For Local Environmental Improvement, Recreation Projects

Related Articles:

-- Senate/House Return Sept. 20 - Will They Fund Local Flood Prevention, Watershed Restoration, Recreation Projects With Part Of The $5 Billion That’s Laying Around?

-- Growing Greener Coalition: American Rescue Plan For Water & Green Infrastructure

-- DCNR Secretary: American Rescue Fund Dollars One Option To Address $1 Billion State Parks, Forests Maintenance Project Backlog, Paying Back Oil & Gas Fund

-- Growing Greener Coalition: Let’s Invest In Natural Infrastructure So We Don’t Have To Worry About Floods 

-- 90 percent Of Voters Want MORE Funding For Critical Environmental, Conservation Programs & Local Projects-- Whose Budget Proposal Does That?

-- New Poll: 86% Say Parks, Trails, Outdoors Are Essential To Their Physical, Mental Health During Pandemic; State Parks Saw 26.6% Increase In Visitors

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation: Celebrate The Legacy Of Maurice K. Goddard By Investing In Free And Accessible State Parks & Forests

-- Learn More About $1 Billion State Parks, Forests Maintenance, Infrastructure Backlog At New Website; Then Take Action

-- Green Infrastructure Offers Triple Benefits, Cost Effective Solutions To Stormwater Pollution, Reducing Flood Damage

-- Presidents Of PA Farm Bureau, Farm Groups: In Chesapeake Bay Watershed Call For USDA To Create $737 Million Resilient Farms Initiative

[Posted: September 29, 2021]  PA Environment Digest