Van Hollen, Cardin Make First Requests to Appropriators for Maryland Community Projects

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Card (both D-Md.) have submitted their first requests in a series for Fiscal Year 2022 to the Senate Appropriations Committee for Congressionally Directed Spending for Community Projects. This marks the first time since 2010 that the Senate has permitted such requests, which, under new guidelines, must meet strict transparency and funding requirements. 

In this first round, to the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee and the Agriculture & Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee, Senators Van Hollen and Cardin put forward projects aimed at supporting the long-term health of the Chesapeake Bay, as well as other projects that also support habitats and spur economic development.

“Bringing federal investments home to Maryland is one of our top priorities. That’s why we’ve worked across our state with government and nonprofit community partners to request these funds that will create jobs, protect our environment, and stimulate our economy. We’ll be working to bring these resources directly to our communities, and we will continue pushing in Congress to provide vital funds to our state,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.   

“We have worked with local officials and organizations across Maryland to identify the projects that could use a strong federal partner to get started or expand in a meaningful way. Congressionally Directed Spending is one of the best tools to maximize the use of taxpayer dollars in the places it can make a real difference for our state and region,” said Senator Cardin, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “A healthy Chesapeake Bay means a healthy Maryland economy and our early community requests reflect key priorities for the health and restoration of this national treasure.”

While not all requests may receive funding in the final annual appropriations legislation, potential recipients of federal funds under the Van Hollen and Cardin asks include the Maryland Departments of Agriculture, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Morgan State University, and The Packing House of Cambridge, Md. 

Senator Van Hollen's FY22 requests can be found here. Senator Cardin's FY22 requests can be found here. These pages will be updated as Appropriations subcommittee requests are submitted. 

Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Requests

Project Title: C&O Canal Rewatering Project

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: This project is a priority for Western Maryland as it will support recreation and economic development in the region. It aims to reconstruct and re-water 1.2 miles of the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal terminus at Cumberland with the vision of transforming the underutilized Potomac riverfront into a showpiece of historical preservation. The project requires funding to complete its environmental review process and move forward with design and construction.

Project Location: Cumberland, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $390,000

Project Title: Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: The Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project provides a long-term strategy for placement of material dredged from the approach channels to the Port of Baltimore while maximizing the use of dredged materials as a beneficial resource. Mid-Bay will restore and expand approximately 2,000 acres of island habitat that will be utilized by fish, shellfish, reptiles, amphibians, and migratory and shore birds. Preconstruction engineering and design for the project has been fully funded and USACE is ready for a new start designation to negotiate and execute a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the non-federal sponsor.

Project Location: Dorchester County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $500,000

Project Title: Pocomoke River, Maryland

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: This federally authorized navigation channel was last dredged nearly 20 years ago and serves heavy industry, commercial fishermen, and recreational boaters. Due to severe shoaling in certain parts of the river, commercial industry barges are limited in their overall load capacity. Future dredging efforts would allow for more efficient operations and increased economic opportunities for Somerset County businesses. I request $150,000 in engineering and design funding to establish a definitive cost estimate for dredging this navigation channel.

Project Location: Somerset County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $150,000

Project Title: Section 510 Chesapeake Bay Comprehensive Plan Outreach and Training

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: The Section 510 program is an important tool for advancing efforts to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay through implementation of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s 2025 milestone for integrated water resources management. Congress recognized this by increasing the authorization for the program in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020. In order to expand the pipeline of projects that are ready to take advantage of this program in Maryland, the Army Corps Baltimore District needs to expand its outreach efforts to potential non-federal project sponsors. WRDA 2020 also recognized the need for this outreach in Sec. 306(b) of the bill. I request funding to support this important outreach effort.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $100,000

Project Title: Stadium Way Slope Stabilization

Recipient Name: Morgan State University

Project Purpose: Funds will be used on an Army Corps of Engineers project to stabilize and rebuild a main roadway on the Morgan State University campus, which is sinking as the hillside along Herring Run Stream erodes.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $585,000

Agriculture & Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee Requests

Project Title: Maryland Soil Health Grants Program

Recipient Name: Maryland Department of Agriculture

Project Purpose: The Maryland’s Healthy Soils Program supports farmers who want to explore new technologies and farming techniques that reduce polluted runoff, sequester carbon, and improve the health and productivity of agricultural soils in Maryland. The program administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, and in consultation with Maryland’s Soil Health Advisory Committee, supports initiatives to advance agricultural acres under healthy soil practices by 2030, and to promote further education and adoption of healthy soil practices. To accomplish these goals, the Department has launched several initiatives including a “Farming for Healthy Soils” grant to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers as they adopt new practices.?

Project Location: Annapolis, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2.5 million

Project Title: Packing House – 411 Kitchen

Recipient Name: The Good Stuff

Project Purpose: Funds will be used to build out a shared-use commercial kitchen to provide job training, technical assistance, and access to equipment for small businesses at the center of the revitalization of the Historic Pine Street Neighborhood in Cambridge.

Project Location: Cambridge, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1.4 million

Project Title: Susquehanna River Basin Watershed Implementation Plan

Recipient Name: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Project Purpose: The Susquehanna River, which flows 440 miles from New York to Maryland and through Pennsylvania, drains nearly 92% of the watershed. Streams within the sub-watershed were identified as the optimal areas in which to concentrate restoration efforts. Within each of these, land use analysis, hydrological modeling, and detailed mapping identified the specific locations of deficiencies, and prescribed a combination of best management practices (BMPs) to address those conditions imperiling aquatic life. Each of these agriculture practices requires technical design and planning expertise, as well as outreach and education to assure compliance with various regulations, and to increase participation in conservation programs. Monitoring and modeling is also needed to assess impacts of BMP implementation, and direct ongoing efforts to improve soil and water quality. In addition to targeted stream efforts, watershed-wide goals are proposed, as well as monitoring to track progress and community outreach.

Project Location: Susquehanna River Basin within Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2.184 million