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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

House Bill Aims to Promote Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

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Friday, July 3, 2020   

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - This week, the House of Representatives passed the Moving Forward Act, which includes $3 billion for coastal restoration projects. Its backers say the House bill would give a much-needed boost to cleanup efforts for the Chesapeake Bay.

Chris Moore, senior regional ecosystem scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, says projects on parts of the bay in Maryland and Virginia are building up shorelines and habitats to improve flood resiliency and minimize storm-water runoff.

He points out that funding is especially important to support oyster habitats, also a major part of the local economy.

"These underwater ecosystems are extremely important from a water quality perspective, from an economic perspective," says Moore. "And also, we're looking now, more and more, about how oysters can help protect vital infrastructure in the face of sea-level rise and climate change."

The $1.5 trillion bill also includes money for Great Lakes restoration and support for communities of color. However, it faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate, as Leader Mitch McConnell has called it "pointless political theater."

Director of the Ocean Defense Initiative, Jean Flemma, says the pandemic has prompted a loss in seafood markets for fishermen.

In the Chesapeake Bay states, the oyster industry is in crisis because so many restaurants are closed due to the novel coronavirus. While some of those markets are starting to reopen, she says the fishing industry and coastal communities need support.

"Many coastal communities have been hit by a loss of tourism, due to the restrictions on traveling," says Flemma. "They've been hit by a loss of fishing-industry jobs."

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report finds that every one million dollars spent on coastal restoration creates about 15 jobs.

Disclosure: Ocean Defense Initiative contributes to our fund for reporting on Oceans. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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