RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would eliminate federal funding for the program that has coordinated Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts for decades.The president’s spending plan for the 2018 budget year, released Thursday, significantly reduces funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. As part of those cuts, it completely eliminates money that currently goes to regional environmental efforts including the Chesapeake Bay Program.Last year, the program received $73 million in federal funds, most of which
was doled out in grants to states, local governments and community groups for cleanup efforts.Lawmakers will have the final say on Trump’s proposal. A bipartisan group of the states’ congressional delegations have expressed support for the program.The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans parts of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.