NORFOLK, Va. — President Donald Trump is trying again to slash federal cleanup funding for major U.S. waterways, including the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay.
The president's 2020 budget released Monday called for spending $30 million on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program intended to remove toxic pollution, fight invasive species and deal with other longstanding environmental problems in the eight-state region. That's a 90 percent cut from the $300 million the program has gotten in most years since it began in 2010.
The budget also proposes a 90 percent cut to cleanup efforts in the Chesapeake Bay and would eliminate restoration funding for the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, South Florida, San Francisco Bay and Puget Sound. The Chesapeake Bay Program is currently funded at $73 million, the budget proposes reducing funding to $7.3 million.
Chris Ludford, an oyster farmer of 10 years in Virginia Beach said a big part of his livelihood depends on clean water.
"For a long time, we’ve been trying to clean up the bay and to lose this funding would really set us back," said Ludford. "We’re seeing a comeback of the oysters in the bay, but it sits on a precarious position and to keep things going, we need that funding."
The Chesapeake Bay Program has worked to clean the bay over the last decade.
Christy Everett, Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said the organization plans to reach out to members of Congress to voice their opposition to the cuts.
"It's a really strong disappointment. The Chesapeake Bay is critical to our region in Hampton Roads for our economy, tourism, and livelihood," said Everett. "We need this funding to come to our state local government and area non-profits to be able to continue that restoration and continue the clean up of our waterways."
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation released a statement calling the proposal "a slap in the face to a national treasure finally beginning to recover from decades of pollution."
Ludford's hope is for his three sons to continue the work he started, taking the Ludford Brother's Oyster Company to new heights.
"I want them to have a river they can play in and eat oysters out of. In the future, losing this money is definitely not gonna help that goal," said Ludford. "The right to have clean air and clean water seems to be fundamental."
Trump sought similar cutbacks in his previous budgets but Congress rejected them.