Bay funding gets House approval

“We have made some progress in restoring this national treasure to its former glory, but so much more must be done,” Speier said in a press release. “With the passage of H.R. 1132, the Bay Area is finally on the right track to get desperately needed federal dollars.” 

The bill is an amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a grant program to support Bay conservation and restoration projects. The funds would be distributed by the Environmental Protection Agency and would match the $25 million that local Measure AA is expected to raise annually for Bay restoration. Measure AA is a parcel tax passed by Bay Area voters in 2016 that’s projected to raise $500 million over its 18-year lifespan. 

In the release, Speier claimed 90% of the Bay Area’s wetlands have been destroyed by human activity over the past 200 years — damage that will be irreversible by 2030. 

She also claimed the San Francisco Bay has “consistently received less funding than watersheds that are smaller and less populated in the past” and cited a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found “the lack of sufficient federal funding is one of the biggest risks to long-term restoration efforts needed for the survival of numerous species, including more than 100 endangered species.”

“This is beyond a wakeup call; we are now in a fight for life and without radical environmental action and federal support, the future of this delicate but critically-relied upon region is in grave danger,” she said in the release.

David Lewis, executive director of nonprofit Save the Bay, also said time is of the essence when it comes to funding for the Bay because of sea level rise. 

“We’re in a race against time with sea level rise so one big case for investing more sooner is getting more marsh restoration started ahead of sea level rise so the marshes can adjust and keep up with the changes in sea level,” he said. “The longer we wait to get that going the harder it is for the marshes to keep up.” 

Lewis is hopeful the Senate will approve the bill because of the bipartisan support it received from the House, though he anticipates the road to approval, if that happens, will not be straightforward.  

“What happens more often is bills get stapled together and passed as one big comprehensive package at the end of the year,” he said. “That’s happening more frequently so that could be a way that this bill could move forward.”

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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