Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $507,902 in grant funding to the Maumee Watershed Alliance (MWA) through its Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. MWA will use grant funding for phosphorus-removal technologies at three different watershed locations in northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan, and northeast Indiana with the aim of reducing phosphorus concentrations in local water bodies.
“This funding will ensure that we are developing and implementing practices that will keep phosphorous out of the rivers and streams that provide drinking water to millions of Ohioans,” said Brown. “I will continue to advocate for federal resources to invest in farming practices that promote soil health and improve water quality.”
Brown has worked to secure important wins for water infrastructure through legislation and by speaking out against harmful proposals that threaten the health of Lake Erie.
Brown secured $1 billion for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in the bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act signed by President Biden in November. Funding will provide resources to communities to address the most serious issues that threaten the ecological and economic wellbeing of the Great Lakes basin, including invasive species, pollution, and toxic contamination.
Brown spoke out against the President Trump’s 2021 budget, which would have cut USDA conservation programs that help improve water quality in Lake Erie. Brown and Portman worked together to ensure GLRI was not only reinstated but also fully funded after President Trump proposed eliminating the program in 2018.
Brown was also able to include several provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill to protect Lake Erie and Ohio’s waterways. The final bill includes provisions from Brown’s bipartisan Give Our Resources the Opportunity to Work (GROW) Act, which will better utilize existing federal conservation programs to protect Ohio’s waterways and expand access to quality farmland.
Brown helped to establish the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in the 2014 Farm Bill, which created voluntary partnerships between agricultural and conservation groups aimed at helping farmers improve soil health, protect water quality, and restore wildlife habitats. This program has resulted in numerous innovative conservation practices that are reducing runoff into Lake Erie.
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