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Let's add cleaner Pennsylvania waters to the list of stuff Gov. Josh Shapiro and legislators have gotten done in the past two years.
Governor Shapiro's words echoed around the watershed when he spoke about Chesapeake Bay restoration last summer saying, "We are making sure Pennsylvania does its fair share. Pennsylvania is all in."
Thanks to elected leaders budgeting $50 million annually to the Clean Streams Fund and Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) cost-share, farmers will put more projects on the ground that reduce pollution to local waters.
The funding is included in Governor Shapiro's budget proposal for fiscal year 2025-26 and last year was inserted into the tax code by Senators Scott Martin and Gene Yaw as recurring investments.
The Governor's 2025-26 budget proposal also provides $615,000 to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to further address agricultural-related runoff to meet the standards in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
Studies found that farmers receive nearly three dollars back for every dollar invested in soil conservation practices.
With a renewed commitment in Harrisburg and support from programs like the ACAP, farmers don't have to implement needed measures on their own.
JULIA KRALL
Executive director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation of Pennsylvania
Enola
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom