THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250409
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would receive $30 million to help restore Chesapeake Bay habitat for oysters, crabs and other marine life under a bill introduced Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Herbert Bateman, R-Newport News.
The money would be used for a pilot program that would allow the corps to create wetlands, combat shoreline erosion or remove obstructions that prevent fish from getting to spawning areas.
``The idea is to take authorities that the corps already has in navigation and flood control and expand that into habitat restoration projects,'' said Bateman aide Paul McClung.
The bill would provide $10 million a year over the next three years.
The corps would pay for 75 percent of each project, while a local, non-federal sponsor would cover the rest.
The bill would also require the secretary of the Army to report the program's accomplishments to Congress by Dec. 31, 1998. by CNB