March 19, 2024
Annapolis, US 37 F

Maryland, EPA, Chesapeake Bay Trust provide $3.7 million in grants

CB TrustToday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Chesapeake Bay Trust announced more than $3.7 million in grants to be provided to 34 organizations through the Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs Initiative (G3). This program was created in 2011 to advance watershed protection and economic vitality through the development of stormwater management techniques, green jobs creation, and enhanced livability. Today’s announcement is the largest amount ever awarded in the program’s history and includes 24 recipients in Maryland, four in the District of Columbia, three in Pennsylvania, two in Virginia, and one in Delaware.

“Making investments to advance stormwater management through green infrastructure is critically important to restoring local waters and the Chesapeake Bay,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “These sustainable solutions not only improve our environment, but also benefit local communities by creating green jobs and improving livability.”

The G3 grant program, which is administered by the Chesapeake Bay Trust, helps support President Obama’s Executive Order for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Its purpose is to help municipalities and nonprofit organizations implement projects that add green space and reduce stormwater runoff by using green infrastructure practices that increase tree canopy, capture and filter rainwater, and remove impervious surface. Today’s announcement of $3.7 million in grants includes close to $3 million in funding from Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources’ Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, over $600,000 contributed by the EPA and the remainder from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

“Maryland has made a significant commitment to the G3 program because we believe strongly in supporting practices that promote green infrastructure and manage stormwater effectively,” said Maryland DNR Secretary Joseph Gill. “We know that in order to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, it is going to take a collaborative approach — involving urban cities, smaller municipalities, and local communities — to ensure that everyone is doing their part to make a difference.”

“Stormwater runoff poses a grave threat to our environment, public health and budgets. I applaud the EPA, DNR and Chesapeake Bay Trust for continuing to work together with our local communities to address the challenges of stormwater runoff with innovative solutions,” said U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Water Subcommittee. “This type of collaborative partnership at the federal, state and local level is crucial to our overall efforts to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay.”

The Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns grant program is open to local governments, non-profit organizations, and neighborhood/community associations focused on green stormwater management retrofits such as green streets and urban tree canopy projects that enhance livability in urban areas. Awarded grants ranged from $10,000 smaller tree canopy efforts to large-scale impervious surface removal and green street development totaling $400,000.

“The G3 partnership helps communities throughout the watershed become more Bay friendly,” said Congressman John Sarbanes. “The Chesapeake Bay is an environmental treasure and a regional economic engine. Investing in innovative solutions that improve the health of the Bay is good for the environment and our economy.”

“This program provides vital resources that empower local communities to better meet water quality goals, improve livability and walkability, increase tree canopy and air quality, and contribute to their economic well-being by adding green elements to their downtowns,” said Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “This program provides a win-win for everyone involved that impacts citizens and water quality at the grassroots level.”

Today’s 2014 Green Streets grant announcements include:

1.      Low Impact Development Center, Prince George’s County, MD: $46,935

2.       City of Mount Rainier, Prince George’s County, MD: $242,500

3.       City of College Park, Prince George’s County, MD: $150,886     

4.       City of College Park, Prince George’s County, MD: $80,960

5.       Town of Forest Heights, Prince George’s County, MD: $202,940              

6.       University of Maryland College Park, Prince George’s County, MD: $45,154      

7.       Town of Marydel, Caroline County, MD: $47,460           

8.       Reservoir Hill Improvement Council, Baltimore City, MD: $58,010        

9.       Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association, Baltimore City, MD: $10,000    

10.   Parks & People Foundation, Baltimore City, MD: $250,000                        

11.   Blue Water Baltimore, Baltimore City, MD: $114,342   

12.   Patterson Park Neighborhood Association, Baltimore City, MD: $250,000          

13.   Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, Baltimore City, MD: $249,913

14.   Civic Works, Inc., Baltimore City, MD: $50,000

15.   Baltimore Tree Trust, Baltimore City, MD: $220,520      

16.   Blue Water Baltimore, Baltimore City, MD: $224,535                   

17.   City of Cambridge Department of Public Works, Dorchester County, MD: $399,560

18.   Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection & Sustainability, Baltimore County, MD: $15,000

19.   Town of Easton, Talbot County, MD: $13,557   

20.   Izaak Walton League of America, Montgomery County, MD: $139,370

21.   Town of Betterton, Kent County, MD: $91,045

22.   Boy Scouts of America Venturing Crew 202, Carroll County, MD: $25,000           

23.   Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, Baltimore County, MD: $20,708          

24.   City of Hagerstown – Department of Parks & Engineering, Washington County, MD: $170,000

25.   The American Society of Landscape Architects Library and Educational Advocacy Fund, Washington, DC: $47,600

26.   Federal City Council, Washington, DC: $25,000              

27.   Low Impact Development Center, Washington, DC: $24,999    

28.   American Rivers, Washington, DC: $24,865      

29.   Wrightsville Borough, York County, PA: $47,118

30.   City of Lancaster, Lancaster County, PA: $100,000

31.   Borough of Gettysburg, Adams County, PA: $47,262

32.   Marshall-Wythe School of Law Foundation, William & Mary Law School, James City County, VA: $25,000         

33.   City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, VA: $182,035

34.   Town of Bethel, Sussex County, DE: $100,000  

“We are pleased to see so many grantees advancing greening efforts here in Baltimore City,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, where nine grants announced today will be implemented. “With the recently launched Growing Green Initiative (GGI), the City of Baltimore is a leader in urban greening efforts that enhance our community, create green jobs, and improve water quality. This program is a great testament to what can be achieved if nonprofits and local governments work together to manage environmental challenges and improve their communities collectively for the better.”

For more information on the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns grant program, please visit www.cbtrust.org. For a complete list of project descriptions, email [email protected].

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