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Release No. 0119.00 Mary Beth Schultheis (202) 720-4623 GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES $210 MILLION PARTNERSHIP WITH PENNSYLVANIA TO CONSERVE THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WASHINGTON, April 13, 2000--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced a new $210 million, 15 year partnership with Pennsylvania to improve the water quality and wildlife habitat of the watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay. "Reducing runoff contaminants will return our investment many times in healthier wildlife, recreation and clearer water in Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams and in the Chesapeake Bay," said Glickman, while addressing an Earth Day celebration. "Pennsylvania now joins Maryland and Virginia in similar programs to reduce the nutrient loading of the Bay." The Pennsylvania Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is a voluntary program that will pay farmers to plant hardwood trees and establish grass filter strips, riparian forest buffers, and vegetation and other conservation practices on highly environmentally-sensitive land. Land along streams and rivers will be planted to tree and grass to filter sediment and nutrients from runoff water. In addition to enhancing water quality, the new vegetation will also provide shelter, nesting areas, and food for many species of wildlife. The program targets highly erodible land adjacent to land along streams and riverbanks that contaminates the Chesapeake Bay with sediment and nutrients. USDA is expected to pay up to $129 million of the total cost of enrolling the maximum 100,000 acres in the program, with Pennsylvania contributing the balance. Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware have already entered into CREP agreements with USDA to help preserve the Chesapeake Bay. Farmers and landowners can obtain more
information about this program from their local USDA Service Center or
on the web at www.fsa.usda.gov #
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