WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined her colleagues Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), along with U.S. Representatives John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), to lead members representing the Chesapeake Bay region in a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging continued investment in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The letter, sent to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Matthew Lohr, underscores the importance of supporting the region’s farmers in their efforts to reduce pollution. The letter also provides recommendations as the department prepares a final rule on the implementation of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which supports these efforts.
Major provisions from Senator Capito’s bipartisan Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act, including $300 million in mandatory funding for the RCPP, were included in the final 2018 Farm Bill and have led to increased investment in the Bay region under the program.
The members write, “As members of the Chesapeake Bay delegation, we write with recommendations regarding implementation of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) under the 2018 Farm Bill. We thank you and your team for your ongoing work to implement the 2018 Farm Bill, which included key improvements to benefit water quality and the health of the Chesapeake Bay.”
“As you know, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s financial and technical assistance for conservation efforts plays a critical role in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay watershed and supporting states’ efforts to meet their commitments under the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint by 2025. These programs are essential to support farmers throughout the region as they adopt best management practices to limit the runoff of nitrogen, sediment and phosphorus and to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay,” they continue.
The Members go on to lay out several major recommendations to help ensure the continued benefit of the program to the region. The recommendations include:
The full text of the letter is available here.
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