Virginia gets funding for Bay clean-up efforts
Last November, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which included $238 million in funding for programs to reduce pollution that makes its way into the Chesapeake Bay.
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that $40 million will be made available through two separate programs.
“I am pleased to announce the new funding that will help support ready-to-go projects throughout the 64,000-square-mile Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe in a news release. “This unprecedented funding can go straight into projects that will protect public health, improve water quality and help restore lands, rivers and streams that impact the Chesapeake Bay – from farm fields to suburban neighborhoods to city streets.”
First, $15 million will come from the Most Effective Basins (MEB) program. Virginia will get over $3 million from this pool of funding.
“The funding will largely support farm-based actions to improve local rivers and streams in locations most beneficial to the downstream Chesapeake Bay,” the release continues.
The other $25 million will be administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through two grant programs. Specific awards will be made in September.
One group that is often a forum for local efforts to meet pollution reduction controls is the Rivanna River Basin Commission. They meet next virtually tomorrow at 2 p.m. (meeting info) (RRBC agendas)
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