Today, the White House released its 2018 federal budget proposal, which includes draconian cuts to investment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Alarmingly, President Trump’s proposal slashes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s annual Chesapeake Bay Program budget from $73 million to $0. If this budget passes, it would eliminate the program and make it impossible for Pennsylvania to meet its Total Maximum Daily Load obligations required by the U.S. Clean Water Act to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and restore local streams in the Susquehanna River watershed.

Chesapeake Bay Program funding for restoration comprises nearly 55 percent of its total budget. Under Trump’s proposal, Pennsylvania would lose more than $10 million in aid if the Bay Program’s almost $41 million of on-the-ground grant funding disappeared, leaving the state without the resources necessary to guarantee clean water to local communities and businesses. At a time when there is broad-based support to work on TMDL compliance goals, this funding is crucial to support a wide range of watershed efforts, including agricultural best management practices for farmers, green infrastructure and stormwater management for municipalities, and protecting riparian buffers along streams.

Without full funding, Pennsylvania’s waters are put in jeopardy by nutrient pollution, erosion, sediment, and run-off. A healthy and robust Chesapeake Bay Program budget is an integral part of Pennsylvania’s effort to ensure clean water for its citizens.