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Trump budget again targets regional water cleanup programs

Posted at 9:18 PM, Feb 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-13 22:18:09-05

President Donald Trump again is trying to drastically reduce or eliminate federal support for cleanups of some iconic U.S. waterways.

His proposed budget would slash Environmental Protection Agency funding for Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay restoration programs by 90 percent.

It would kill all EPA spending on programs supporting other waters including San Francisco Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and Puget Sound.

Trump made a similar attempt last year but Congress refused to go along.

His administration says state, local and tribal governments should be responsible for regional water cleanups.

But the programs are popular with members of Congress in both parties, who say they boost the economy as well as the environment. Advocates say they'll resist the proposed spending cuts.