skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, November 4, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump offers darkness, Harris offers optimism on election eve in America; Despite the hype, noncitizens aren't voting in Wisconsin; KY labor unions want the next administration to support the PRO Act; the Future of public education is on the line in the NH governor's race.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump escalates violent rhetoric against the press, Harris aims to reassure Michigan's Arab Americans angered by the war in Gaza, and a respected poll shows an unexpected lead for Harris in solidly red Iowa.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

Funds for Chesapeake Bay Survive in Federal Spending Bill

play audio
Play

Friday, March 23, 2018   

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The spring snowstorm didn't stop Chesapeake Bay advocates from making their way to the nation's capital this week, where they warned members of Congress that many of the bay-restoration programs will be placed on ice if they don't get full funding.

It's the second year the Trump administration has proposed cutting federal funds for the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional partnership between states to help restore the bay. This year's proposal would have cut the $73 million budget by 90 percent.

But Chanté Coleman, director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, says her group of about 200 members stormed Capitol Hill with success stories about the progress of the bay cleanup efforts – and it worked.

"So, we were able to get the funding back by going and meeting with our members of Congress in all of our watershed states,” says Coleman. “So that's Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and the District of Columbia."

The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill working its way through Congress overrides the Trump administration's proposed cuts in the current fiscal year, and would maintain the Chesapeake Bay Program funding at last year's level.

Coleman says there is broad bipartisan support for the Chesapeake Bay, and lawmakers simply want proof that cleanup efforts are working – proof she says coalition members were ready to provide.

"We've seen submerged aquatic vegetation come back, and these are the grasses that are home to snails and seahorses, and blue crabs,” she says. “We talk about that progress. We talk about the importance of local water quality and community health."

That funding, she adds, goes directly to the projects yielding those positive results.

Congressional leaders are racing to approve the federal funding bill today, to avoid another shutdown when government spending authority expires.

The Choose Clean Water Coalition includes some 230 local, state and regional national groups advocating for clean rivers and streams in the Chesapeake region.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The Ohio Organizing Collaborative registered nearly 160,000 new voters for the Nov. 5 election, which represents the largest grassroots voter registration program in the country. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Ohio voters are facing significant challenges at the ballot box, with some groups expressing concerns over voter roll purges and gerrymandering …


Social Issues

play sound

North Carolina lacks laws mandating time off for employees to vote, making it hard for workers who juggle demanding schedules and civic …

Social Issues

play sound

According to some experts, a significant undercount in Florida's 2020 census may have lasting consequences for the state, jeopardizing vital funding …


The Internet Crime Complaint Center is the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. It is run by the FBI, the lead federal agency investigating crime. (Anete Lusina/Pexels)

Social Issues

play sound

Online scams are growing in scale and sophistication, affecting millions and creating economic losses estimated at $1 trillion globally in 2023…

Social Issues

play sound

Temperatures are dropping in the Commonwealth and community action agencies said help is available for those struggling to pay their heating bills…

New Hampshire families whose incomes fall under 350% of the federal poverty level - anything under $109,200 for a family of four - are eligible for the private school voucher program. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

In the race for New Hampshire governor, the future of public education is on the line. Democrat and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig opposes …

Social Issues

play sound

Early voter turnout in Wyoming has been high leading up to Election Day, and a survey shows most think local vote counting will be reliable. …

play sound

Genetic studies overwhelmingly are based on data from people of European descent. But University of Maryland, Baltimore scientists are working to …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021