Washington, DC – Today, President Biden released his Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget proposal which would provide substantial funding for federal land conservation and environmental protection initiatives across the United States and including in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

‍

Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn applauded President Biden’s budget proposal for FY 2022:

‍

“I applaud President Biden’s FY 2022 budget proposal which includes significant and much-needed investments in land conservation and environmental protection initiatives, including for the Chesapeake Bay.

“First and foremost, this budget would provide increased funding for EPA Geographic Programs, which includes the Chesapeake Bay Program. Additional funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program would boost the science that informs conservation and restoration efforts as well as the ‘on the ground work’ by partners to restore and protect lands and waterways in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia as well as the Chesapeake Bay itself.

“Secondly, this budget provides substantial funding for federal conservation programs. Following the Great American Outdoors Act, the budget provides record high level funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), our nation’s most important land conservation program which has supported projects in every county across the country and many places in the Chesapeake Bay watershed such as Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Full funding for LWCF is needed not just to advance the Biden administration’s goal to conserve 30% of lands and waters in the United States, but also to protect highly valuable and threatened natural areas in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

“Finally, the Biden FY 22 budget proposal would fund many other federal programs supporting conservation and public access in the Chesapeake Bay, including the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office.

“I thank President Biden for supporting the Chesapeake Bay watershed in his proposed budget, and I urge Congress to support these important programs in their FY 22 appropriations bills.”

‍

Feature Photo by Yazan Hasan