More than 120 organizations are urging Congress to take action to protect the drinking water of more than 30 million people in the Ohio River Basin, by passing the Ohio River Restoration Program Act, a bill that would invest in actions to clean up toxic pollution, curb sewage contamination, reduce runoff, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and manage invasive species.
In a letter delivered Friday to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Senate and Environment and Public Works Committee, groups are calling on elected officials to pass the bicameral and bipartisan Ohio River Restoration Program Act (H.R. 5966; S. 3796).
The legislation would create a non-regulatory program coordinated by the Environmental Protection Agency to restore the waters of the Ohio River Basin, a 204,000-square-mile watershed that contains portions of Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as the Seneca Nation of Indians and Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians.
The letter, led by the Ohio River Basin Alliance and the Healthy Waters Coalition, notes the serious threats to local waters, including toxic pollution, sewage contamination, runo], and habitat loss and encourages elected o]icials to fund actions to accelerate restoration progress: “[Federal] investments can reverse water impairments and enhance natural assets across the region, thus ensuring healthy waters, healthy communities, and healthy economies for millions of Americans.”
“The Ohio River Restoration Program Act will benefit the environment and the economies for communities throughout the Basin,” said Chris Lorentz, Ph.D., chair of the Ohio River Basin Alliance and professor, Biological Sciences and Director, Ohio River Biology Field Station, at Thomas More University. “The legislation supports manageable solutions to urgent threats to our drinking water, public health, and quality of life. We encourage the House and Senate to pass this bill.”
“More than 30 million people stand to benefit from restoration investments to clean up toxic pollution, reduce runo], and restore fish and wildlife habitat,” said Jordan Lubetkin, director of the Healthy Waters Coalition and senior director of Ohio River Restoration at the National Wildlife Federation. “It is important that Congress act now, because delay will only make the problems worse and more expensive to solve.”
Every year, the U.S. Congress supports efforts to conserve and restore great waters, including the Chesapeake Bay, Everglades, Great Lakes, Gulf Coast, Puget Sound, and others.
The Ohio River Basin Alliance and Healthy Waters Coalition are working to elevate Ohio River restoration and protection as a national priority so that the federal government can work with local, state, and Tribal governments to confront challenges to local waters.
The complete letter is available online. More information is available at ohioriverbasinalliance.org and healthywaterscoalition.org.
Ohio River Basin Alliance