On March 22, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will sponsor a town hall meeting in Lancaster to discuss how Pennsylvania can encourage farmers to install best management practices on farms through the proposed Resource Enhancement and Protection Act (REAP).

This year Pennsylvania’s legislators have an historic opportunity to reduce pollution, protect the Commonwealth’s waterways and strengthen our economy by giving farmers better tools to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff.

REAP, sponsored in the House by Rep. Stern (R-Blair) and Rep. Daley (D-Washington) and in the Senate by Sen. Brubaker (R-Lancaster) and Sen. O’Pake (D-Berks) would give farmers tax credits of up to 75 percent of the cost of installing best management practices like forested stream buffer, stream fencing and other measures.

Pennsylvania has over 13,400 miles of rivers and streams that do not meet water quality standards and REAP is another tool that can help reduce pollution going into these streams and help the Commonwealth meets its commitment to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.

Sen. Brubaker, chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, will attend the event and other state legislators have been invited.

The town hall meeting will begin at 6:30 at the Lancaster Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road in Lancaster.

This is one of a series of town hall meetings the Bay Foundation will sponsor to educate farmers, watershed groups and other interested citizens on this important issue.

RSVP to Trudy Uffleman by sending email to: REAP@cbf.org .

Video Blog: REAP Promotes Clean Drinking Water

Video Blog: Stern Sponsors Innovative Approach to Reduce Nutrients

Video Blog: Daley on Water Quality Challenges Faced by Farmers

Video Blog: Helping Farmers Help the Environment

Video Blog: Help Farmers Help the Environment - Senate Ag Committee

3/16/2007