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ANEP Update

June 2003

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

HISTORIC HIGH - SENATE PANEL APPROVES $25 MILLION FOR NEP: - The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $25 million to fund the National Estuary Program, more than $7 million dollars above the amount requested by the President, and $6 million, or 33 percent, more than the program received last year.  Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) chairs the subcommittee that approved the funding, and is highly supportive of the NEP.  Senator Linc Chafee (R-RI) championed legislation last year to reauthorize the NEP, and together with Senators Warner, Dodd, Kerry, Murray, Lieberman, Edwards, Landrieu, Graham, Breaux, Schumer, Clinton, Reed, Sarbanes and Wyden recently circulated a letter supporting higher NEP funding. The full Senate still must approve this funding level, which is likely to complete action on the bill before it adjourns for the recess beginning August 4.  The legislation must then also be conferenced with the House of Representatives, which recently approved $20 million for the NEP, and signed into law by the President.  The Chairman of the House subcommittee which funds EPA and the NEP, James Walsh (R-NY), and Representatives Jim Saxton (R-NJ) and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) have also been strongly supportive of the NEP. These developments virtually assure that the NEP will get a significant increase in funding. It is a testament to the success of the program, the hard work of the NEP directors, and the strong support from management committee members, project partners and the public in our NEP areas.

NEP NEWS

Economic Valuation - Maryland Coastal Bays Program - A new report the Greeley-Polhemus financial consulting firm unveiled last week suggests that the value of the coastal bays natural resources to the local economy is staggering. Without the inclusion of beachgoers or most Ocean City-related activities, the total value of the coastal bays was placed at around half a billion dollars annually. Of the 8.5 million people who come to Worcester County every year, about 2,040,000 participate in bay-related activity. Sightseeing alone is worth about $21.4 million annually. For wildlife observation, including birding, around $20.7 million was the total impact in 2000. Recreational fishing, camping, hunting and boating are also a significant part of the $500 million in goods and services purchased by consumers every year in the coastal bays watershed. Food, lodging and transportation related to these activities have a yearly market value of around $114 million. Recreational activity, which does not include related boating, food, property or lodging was worth a total of $206 million in 2000. Commercial fishing was worth $7.9 million and recreational boating about $25.5 million. Full-time jobs related to the bays come in at 5,680. Some 5,114 of those are related to recreation and 516 support the commercial fishing industry. The study was requested by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program with the assistance from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Funded through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the study used the standard Impact for Analysis Planning Model to derive expenditures from 134 economic sectors. Surveys and county and state sources of economic and demographic data provided much of the necessary input. The study does not address the inherent value of living things.

The Galveston Bay Estuary Program is developing tools for small cities in the urban watershed of Galveston Bay that will be affected by the Phase II NPDES storm water regulations. GBEP is positioning itself to help with implementation of this regulatory program because nonpoint source pollution is the biggest water quality threat to our bay.   Workshops have been jointly sponsored with the local council of governments (Houston-Galveston Area Council) and portion of the GBEP website has been dedicated to this and other issues that are important to local governments and to implementation of The Galveston Bay Plan.  A model storm water management plan will be completed over the next few months. 

Opinion Poll Shows Residents Understand Threats to Tampa Bay - Responses to a public opinion poll developed by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program's Community Advisory Committee (CAC) indicate that citizens have a good grasp of key issues affecting the health of Tampa Bay. The poll was created by CAC members to assess perceptions and attitudes about the bay, how residents use the bay, and what major challenges they foresee to continued restoration and protection. The Bay Opinion Poll has been available on TBEP's website (www.tbep.org) since Feb. and will remain there throughout the summer. More than 80 responses were received between Feb. and May 2001. Among the preliminary results:

  • 46 % of respondents have seen "some improvement in the bay" in the time they have lived in the region (with the vast majority reporting residency of 10 years or more). About 28 % believe there has been "substantial improvement," while 20 % report "no improvement."
  • 46 % consider the overall environmental condition of the bay "fair," while 42 % classify it as "good," 6 % as "poor" and 1 % as "excellent."
  • the main bay recreational activity for respondents is boating and fishing, followed closely by wildlife/nature viewing.
  • 45 % are "somewhat optimistic" that the region can continue to grow economically while protecting its environment, while only 17 % are "very optimistic" about achieving that balance and 36 % are "not optimistic" at all.
  • 30 % believe promoting redevelopment of urban areas to reduce sprawl is the most important thing their local government can do to achieve a cleaner bay, followed by improving stormwater treatment (25 %) and purchasing and restoring wetlands and other important habitats (24 %)
  • One-third of respondents say public water supply conflicts will be the most important environmental issue facing Tampa Bay in the next 25 years, followed by habitat loss (27 %), air pollution (13 %), desalination plant discharge (12 %), and stormwater runoff (11 %).

Although not scientifically designed, the poll is a valuable tool for assessing the effectiveness of existing outreach efforts, and refining those tools to address gaps in general knowledge about the bay or to address issues of paramount concern to the community.

For more information, contact Nanette Holland at (727) 893-2765 or vie e-mail at nanette@tbep.org.

Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program announces that the organization has launched www.sarasotabay.org, its official website to provide the public with information about its program. Designed to showcase the progress the Bay has made since the inception of SBNEP in 1989, the Web site features information of how the Bay has recorded a decade of progress. In achieving a healthier bay, the accomplishment section of the site showcases the community's support and efforts and how SBNEP turned the vision of the community into a reality.

The US EPA, Connecticut Sea Grant, and New York Sea Grant recently announced a second round of research grants, making more than $400,000 available to support research on the Long Island Sound ecosystem. The deadline for submitting proposals to the EPA Long Island Sound Office was August 3, 2001. For the eighth consecutive year, the Long Island Sound Study Small Grants Program is offering $5,000 education grants for projects, programs, or publications that will educate and involve the public in the protection and restoration of the water quality and habitat of the Long Island Sound and its watershed. The deadline for submitting proposals to the EPA Long Island Sound Office is September 28, 2001. The Long Island Sound Study recently posted the expanded version of the Sound Health 2001 environmental indicators report on the LISS website, . The comprehensive report is accessible as either .PDF or .HTML.