[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 188 (Thursday, November 16, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7298-S7299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Capito, Mr. 
        Casey, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Warner, Mr. Carper, Mr. 
        Coons, and Mrs. Gillibrand):
  S. 2139. A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to address 
critical conservation conditions under the regional conservation 
partnership program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Chesapeake 
Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act of 2017 to accelerate our efforts to 
restore the health of one of America's greatest natural treasures--the 
Chesapeake Bay. This legislation will strengthen our Bay clean-up 
program by increasing and better targeting resources under the Regional 
Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which is administered by the 
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  I have long advocated for more effective protection, preservation, 
and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. During the development of the 
Farm Bill of 2008, I worked with my colleagues to adopt the Chesapeake 
Bay Watershed Initiative, which provided assistance to farmers to help 
them prevent the excessive runoff of nutrients and sediments into the 
Bay and its tributaries. As a result of that initiative, about $50 
million was invested annually in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
  In the 2014 Farm Bill, the RCPP was established to expand the 
successful concept of the Chesapeake Bay Initiative to our vital 
watersheds in the country. The goal of RCPP is to encourage 
stakeholders to partner with agricultural producers to increase the 
restoration and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife and related 
natural resources on regional or watershed scales.
  Mr. President, while very successful nationally, the overall 
investment in Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts through the RCPP has 
been reduced relative to investments that were made under the stand-
alone Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative. That is why today I am 
introducing the Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act to make 
refinements to the RCPP in order to improve conservation efforts in the 
Chesapeake Bay--and other vital watersheds--through providing 
additional funding, bolstering the role of critical conservation areas, 
and improving technical assistance.
  On funding, this bill will triple the amount of mandatory funding for 
RCPP available per fiscal year from $100 million to $300 million. The 
bill also allows in-kind support to count towards a partner's matching 
contribution to a project.
  The Chesapeake Bay has already been designated as a Critical 
Conservation Area under the RCPP. However, my bill will make 
refinements to the requirements for partnership agreements awarded 
within Critical Conservation Areas that recognize key

[[Page S7299]]

strengths of the Chesapeake Bay region. For example, the bill will 
strengthen the definitions of a critical conservation area to include 
critical conservation conditions that would improve water quality and 
water quantity. Furthermore, the bill adds a prioritization for 
partnership agreement applications that implement the project 
consistent with multi-State watershed restoration plans and bring 
together a diverse array of stakeholders into a project.
  I have heard from many organizations in my state and others states in 
the Bay watershed that there is a significant need for better technical 
assistance to better implement the RCPP. Therefore, my bill authorizes 
the USDA to advance reasonable amounts of funding to eligible partners 
for technical assistance. Also, the bill allows the USDA to provide 
written feedback to applicants throughout the application process on 
how the proposals can be improved.
  Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined in introducing the bill by 
Senator Cardin, a long-time supporter of the Chesapeake Bay. My other 
Bay state colleagues, Senators Capito, Kaine, Casey, Manchin, Warner, 
Carper, Coons and Gillibrand are also original cosponsors of the 
Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act. My former colleague 
Congressman Bobby Scott is introducing a companion measure in the House 
of Representatives. Furthermore, I am grateful that this bill has the 
support of Maryland Governor Hogan, 4 other Governors within the 
Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, and 
the Chesapeake Bay Commission. This bill is also supported by over 70 
organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Choose Clean 
Water. Together, I look forward to working together to see the 
inclusion of this important legislation in the next Farm Bill.
                                 ______