Ruppersberger Announces $10 Million For the Environment in Maryland

January 14, 2008 12:00 PM

(Annapolis, MD)- Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger announced $10 million in federal funding for projects that restore and promote the Chesapeake Bay, protect the environment, restore wetlands and wildlife habits, help better predict natural disasters, prevent erosion, and track weather.  The money was included in the omnibus spending measure that passed Congress and was recently signed into law by the President. 

Congressman Ruppersberger, a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, also met with members of his Environmental Council and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to discuss the funding strategy for 2009.  The meeting was held at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Headquarters in Annapolis on Monday, January 14, 2008. 

$10 Million for the Environment
$1.7 Million for the Chesapeake Bay Gateway Network
• $1.7 million will be used to enhance the Chesapeake Bay Gateway Network.  The money will pay for museums and facilities around the Chesapeake Bay to create exhibits about the ecosystem and history of the Bay, including the John Smith Trail.
$446,500 for the John Smith Water Trail Interactive Buoys
• The money will fund the installation of interactive bouys marking the John Smith National Water Trail on the Chesapeake Bay, also known as the Chesapeake Bay Interactive Buoy System (CBIBS). CBIBS is a system that combines on-the-water sensor buoys and educational materials to interpret portions of the trail with the use of cell phone and Internet technology.   In the long term, the system contributes significantly to the restoration of the Bay habitat.  
$535,000 for the Harry Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology at the University of Maryland
• At the Harry Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology at the University of Maryland in Queenstown, $535,000 will continue to fund the Statewide Plan for Agricultural Policy and Resource Management.  The money will support research on bio-fuels, forest land conservation, and water supply protection including protecting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  The goal of the program is to help farmers diversify and make their operations more efficient so that farming and forestry in Maryland are environmentally sound and economically viable.
$178,600 for Susquehanna Flood Forecast & Warning System
• On the Susquehanna River in northern Maryland, $178,600 will fund the Flood Forecast and Warning System that uses sophisticated radar techniques, a network of stream and rain gauges, and automatic data transmission to provide the National Weather Service with information for river forecasts.  The system provides accurate and advanced warnings of floods to residents and communities throughout the basin to significantly reduce the loss of life and property damage.
$1.8 Million for the University of Maryland Baltimore County Advanced Study Institute for Environmental Prediction
• Funds will be used by the Institute to merge different programs within NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), and the University of Maryland.  The goal is to create better atmospheric circulation models, ocean circulation models, land surface models, interactive vegetation models, marine ecosystem models, atmospheric chemistry models, global carbon cycle models, remotely-sensed observations, and sensor development of the Earth.
$412,000 for the Mid-Bay Project
• On Barren Island and the remnants of James Island in the Chesapeake Bay, $412,000 will begin restoration of 2,070 acres of wetlands, surrounding habitats, and shoreline using dredged material.
$190,000 for Atlantic Coast
• The Atlantic Coast of Maryland Shoreline Protection Project, Ocean City, Maryland, is designed to provide coastal flood and erosion protection to Ocean City. As part of the project design, periodic renourishment and maintenance of the beach are required to maintain an adequate level of protection.  Every four years, approximately 800,000 cubic yards of sand are required to renourish and maintain the beaches.
$5.4 Million for Urbanet III
• The money will fund the continuation of the NOAA Air Resource Laboratory’s Urbanet Partnership to expand the number of metropolitan areas covered by the Urbanet system which will improve weather forecasting.  UrbaNet is a highly dense network of weather tracking stations reporting real-time data for all hazards in high-threat cities across the United States.  The purpose of the program is to provide emergency response officials with improved weather information to respond effectively to severe weather events.

 

 

 

 

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