To the editor:

This Friday, Congress will make a very important decision regarding our environment, setting the budget for a variety of civilian programs across the United States, like the Chesapeake Bay Program.

This program has brought life back to the Bay and to the communities that rely on it. The Chesapeake Bay’s watershed stretches over six states, as well as Washington, D.C., and cutting its budget would reduce water quality and increase pollution. This would hurt our health, our economies and the wildlife that calls the Bay their home.

We must keep pushing towards a sustainable environment and urge our lawmakers to reject this cut in the budget. Americans need a budget that matches our values of clean air, clean water and protected public lands.

Anna Kohlbrenner

Richmond