Sequestration and the Chesapeake Bay

Floor Speech

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the potential damage that sequestration could cause to vital efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay is our nation's largest estuary, with a 64,000 square mile watershed that crosses six states and the District of Columbia and is home to 17 million people and over 3,600 species of animals and plants. In 2004, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Blue Ribbon Finance Panel estimated the economic value of the Bay at over $1 trillion annually.

This vast resource presents unique challenges--the health of the Bay has been threatened by nutrient runoff, population growth and development, overfishing, and even natural factors like rain and snowfall. For nearly thirty years, the Federal government has been a partner in Bay restoration through the Chesapeake Bay Program, an innovative regional partnership that fosters collaboration among the multiple state and local governments, agencies, and advisory groups in the watershed.

In 2009, the President, with the support of those of us in the Bay states, signed an Executive Order to accelerate Bay clean-up by improving targets and coordinating resources. It's an ambitious plan, and states and localities are working hard on implementation. But they cannot do it alone. The federal government must be an active partner, providing financial support and technical assistance.

For example, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund finances capital projects for wastewater treatment upgrades and helps local governments manage stormwater projects, curbing runoff pollution into the Bay. In Maryland, it will cost over $2 billion between 2010 and 2017 to make the necessary stormwater improvements to meet its pollution reduction targets. Sequestration would cut nearly $196 million from the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water funds, limiting resources for these vital repairs and breaking faith with our state and local partners on this collaborative effort.
Chesapeake Bay clean-up is at a critical juncture. As state and local governments are working to implement ambitious plans, the federal government must maintain or increase its funding support, not cut it.

Sequestration's meat-ax approach jeopardizes the years of planning and collaboration that have led to this moment, arbitrarily and unwisely slowing progress on what should be a national priority. We must replace sequestration with a balanced approach that includes revenue increases and targeted cuts while maintaining investments in initiatives like Bay restoration that preserve our national resources. The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure and an economic engine for the Bay states. It must not fall victim to sequestration's ill-advised cuts.

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