A Watershed Moment for Clean Water Action in RI & MA: U.S. Senators Unveil SNEP Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, DC -- What started over a decade ago when U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) secured a $2 million appropriation to launch the collaborative Southeast New England Program (SNEP) for Coastal Watershed Restoration program in Fiscal Year 2014 has grown into a clean water success story with over $70 million in federal funding and the appropriations pipeline flowing to revitalize local watersheds in Rhode Island and southern New England.

SNEP funding is administered through a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Restore America's Estuaries. The Southeast New England region consists of coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including areas around Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay. Federal SNEP funding is leveraged by state and local government and non-government organizations, including non-profits, community organizations, academic institutions, and businesses working collaboratively to maintain and improve water quality and habitat conditions within these coastal watersheds, waterways, and estuaries. In Rhode Island, this includes portions of Block Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, Little Narragansett Bay, coastal ponds and waters, as well as the rivers and streams that feed them and their vast watersheds. In Massachusetts it includes areas around Buzzards Bay, Nantucket Sound, and parts of Cape Cod.

Today, Senator Reed introduced the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Authorization Act along with cosponsors U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA). This bill would strengthen America's economy and environment by prioritizing the long-term health of coastal New England waters and watersheds. It would permanently authorize SNEP and set a baseline authorization level of $30 million annually for the program between fiscal year 2027-2031, for a total of $150 million for public-private efforts to safeguard local watersheds in Rhode Island and southern New England.

From Westerly, Rhode Island to Chatham, Massachusetts, the coastal watersheds of southeast New England occupy a special place between Long Island Sound and the Gulf of Maine. During the Industrial Revolution, rivers and waterways in this area served residents by powering factories that provided jobs. As the population and industry increased, communities sprouted up along Narraganset Bay and the Buzzards Bay watershed, leading to increased pollution and waste flowing into New England waters. And today, stormwater runoff, erosion, development, and infrastructure challenges affect the health of our rivers, streams, and watersheds.

Since 2015, federal SNEP funds have been used to clean up local waterways and create economic opportunities for surrounding communities. In addition to the importance of environmental stewardship for the sake of public health, SNEP has a tremendous economic impact as it safeguards waterways and ecosystems that contribute billions of dollars to the regional economy through commercial and recreational fishing, ecotourism, and other water dependent businesses.

"We want our communities, waterways, and watersheds to be strong, clean, healthy, and connected. SNEP has a proven track record of bringing people and stakeholders together to solve big challenges and clean up the Bay and other waterways in a strategic, coordinated manner that benefits the entire region. The SNEP Authorization Act would provide SNEP with an added layer of protection to clean up the Bay, preserve and conserve surrounding watersheds, and authorize strong federal funding levels that match the scope of the challenges ahead," said Senator Reed, who is a leading member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "Our waters connect and sustain us and collaboration is key to protecting our watershed. Unfortunately, pollutants and storm runoff don't stop at the border's edge. That is why I spearheaded this program: to bring people together - across communities and state lines - to take a strategic, scientific-based approach to protecting and improving the health of the Bay and our entire coastal watershed."

Senator Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, stated: "SNEP has been a reliable source of federal funding for keeping the Ocean State's treasured waterways and wetlands clean and protected. Senator Reed is leading the charge to authorize SNEP with an annual appropriation to make sure Rhode Island coastal communities remain resilient for years to come."

"From Yarmouth to New Bedford, the Southeast New England Program has funded clean water projects and restored ecosystems across Southern Massachusetts for years," said Senator Markey. "The SNEP Authorization Act would permanently support this investment in our coastal communities, as they work to manage the impacts of flooding and pollution that threaten their quality of life. It is long overdue that SNEP is given the necessary authorization to accomplish its environmental mission for our region for years to come."

The EPA designates specific areas around the country as "large aquatic ecosystems." Such ecosystems comprise multiple small watersheds and water resources within a large geographic area. According to the EPA, it partners with other federal agencies, state and local governments, tribes, and other stakeholders to develop geographic-based programs to protect and restore these large aquatic ecosystems. Other notable EPA ecosystems include: Chesapeake Bay, Columbia River Basin, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Champlain, Lake Pontchartrain, Long Island Sound, Northwest Forest Watershed, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, and South Florida.

Like many of these other EPA large aquatic ecosystems, SNEP supports three key objectives: creating a resilient ecosystem of safe and healthy waters; supporting thriving watersheds and natural lands; and building sustainable communities. In carrying out these goals, SNEP has empowered more than 150 organizations to undertake projects that contribute to the protection of critical habitat and environmental resources that are important to public health and the local economy. Along the way, the program leverages non-federal investments in communities that are often overlooked, supporting local construction and engineering businesses, tourism, and recreation.

The SNEP program is a testament to the power of coordinated, collaborative federal, state and grassroots partnerships. Across Rhode Island and throughout southeastern New England, SNEP funds have enabled partnerships among municipalities, non-profit organizations, scientific organizations and others to advance critical clean water projects; habitat, wetland and river restoration; flood prevention; stormwater solutions and other programs that meet communities' most pressing needs.

"The Southern New England Program (SNEP) has proven to be a vital source of support for a wide range of projects that help Narragansett Bay and the communities that depend on it. Bay. SNEP has enabled public and private investments to advance wetlands restoration, water quality improvements, climate resilience and public access to our coastline and rivers. Save The Bay thanks Senator Reed for his leadership in creating SNEP, and we strongly support Congressional authorization of the program," said Topher Hamblett, Executive Director of Save The Bay.

"The Southeast New England Program has made a real difference in Rhode Island by supporting projects that reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, address flooding, and improve the health of local watersheds. These are the kinds of investments that help protect our environment while also making communities stronger and more resilient," said Ryan Kopp, Director, Stormwater Innovation Center, Audubon Society of Rhode Island.

"The SNEP program is essential to Rhode Island and southern New England to improve water quality and environmental health in estuaries. Senator Reed's efforts have already resulted in significant improvements along the coast that benefit all Rhode Islanders, and this authorization ensures that these benefits will continue." said John Torgan, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island.

"Since 2014, SNEP has provided more than $60 million to support local partnerships working toward clean water, healthy ecosystems and sustainable communities in Southeast New England," said Tom Ardito of Restore America's Estuaries (RAE). "In partnership with RAE, EPA has awarded more than 150 grants for transformative projects throughout Southeast New England. With these funds, municipalities and non-profits have completed green streets projects, stormwater management, and ecological restoration from Providence to Worcester, Cape Cod, Narragansett and Buzzards Bays, and the offshore islands of Southeast New England."

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