[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17019]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  SEQUESTRATION AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2012

  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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