The president’s fiscal 2011 budget proposal requests $63 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, up $13 million (26 percent) from the $50 million provided by Congress in fiscal 2010.
Summary of Federal Appropriations, Fiscal 1984 to Fiscal 2011
Congressional appropriations rose for the Chesapeake Bay Program from a low funding level for the initial year in fiscal 1984 to the fiscal 2011 level of $63 million. Adjusted for inflation using 2010 dollars, program funding increased $53.9 million, or 592 percent, from fiscal 1984 to fiscal 2011. With federal funding levels not adjusted for inflation-driven decreases in the value of the dollar, Congressional appropriations rose by $58.4 million, or 1,270 percent, from the low level in fiscal 1984 to the fiscal 2010 amount. The recent significant spikes in funding are due primarily to a concerted Congressional focus on the restoration of America’s “Great Waters,” as well as the May 2009 Executive Order by President Obama directing the federal government to step up leadership efforts in Chesapeake Bay restoration.
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