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Chesapeake Supporters Eye Federal Budget Battle

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Chesapeake Bay supporters are keeping a close eye on budget negotiations in Washington.

Republican riders attached to a House-passed government funding bill include language blocking the federal Environmental Protection Agency's plans to restore the Chesapeake Bay.

President Barack Obama said Friday that Democrats and Republicans in Congress are near agreement on billions of dollars in spending cuts in a budget compromise to avoid shutting down the government next week. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowed that any compromise won't include GOP proposals blocking the EPA from enforcing new rules on greenhouse gases or regulations on a host of other issues.

The EPA's Chesapeake restoration plan is being met by resistance from agricultural interests and others concerned about its costs and impact on the economy.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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