Political gridlock clears, bay funding progresses
After a stall last month, the U.S. Senate recently voted in favor of about $200 million in additional funding over five years to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay.
The money -- part of a revision of the federal Farm Bill -- will go to farm conservation practices, such as payments to compensate farmers for not using fertilizer while planting crops in the fall, the creation of fertilizer-free buffer strips along streams, and the construction of fences to keep livestock out of streams.
Advocates with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, who have been lobbying for the money, say this is good news for bay cleanup. And they say it's a change in direction. This blog reported back on Nov. 25 that the increased funding had become stalled in the Senate. "Political Gridlock pollutes the bay," was the headline back then.
But don't cash the check -- it ain't over yet. First, the Senate version of the legislation must now be reconciled with the U.S. House version. The House in July voted to approve an additional $520 million over five years to reduce fertilizer from farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Both the House and Senate appear to be headed in the direction of more bay funding. But the thornier issue is a potential veto threat by President Bush. If he decides to veto the additional spending -- perhaps in a belated attempt to make his administration look fiscally conservative -- then the revised Farm Bill would need at least 67 votes in the Senate to override the veto. More Senators than that voted for the additional money last week. But a Bush veto threat could potentially swing the votes of some Republican Senators, killing the initiative.
John Surrick, spokesman for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said the vote on Friday by the Senate was a big victory. "It would be a major step toward reducing pollution, even at the smaller figure approved by the Senate," he said. "Conservation funding in agriculture is the most cost effecitve way to pay for the removal of nutrient pollution from the bay."
The next step: the staffs from the House and Senate are going to meet during the holiday recess and try to hammer out their differences over the Farm Bill.
The foundation's Federal Affairs Director, Doug Siglin, praised Maryland Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, both Democrats, for helping to move the legislation forward.
"We look forward to working with Senate and House negotiators to ensure that the final bill promotes water quality improvements in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to the greatest possible degree," Siglin said.
Comments
The farm bill is another joke created to line the pockets of greedy farmers who care less about anything but themselves. One percent of the population telling Congress what to do while the country is falling to its knees. Water filtration units using electricity all around the country is another example of waisted tax dollars because of overfertilizing by farmers . Ethanol meaning corn planted at about eighty percent of every farm that is allready laddened by overfertilizing meaning high nitrates causing many health affects in rural neighborhoods like here in Pa. The above is proof that Agriculture has domminated all politicians and the country has to change. Vote all out of office and bring this once great country off of its knees.
Posted by: Dennis | December 18, 2007 6:30 AM
Advocates with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, who have been lobbying for the money, say this is good news for bay cleanup.
What did the bill's critics say?
Posted by: Jesse | December 18, 2007 4:36 PM