| For Immediate Release | May 8, 1998 |
Twelve of 126 communities applying for a new White House initiative to help revitalize rivers will not be considered because of opposition by their local Congressman or U.S. Senator. Stretches of 14 other nominated rivers also are out of the running because of Congressional opposition.
White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Kathleen A. McGinty announced today that the 26 rivers and river sections will not be eligible for Presidential designation as an American Heritage River because their nomination was "vetoed" by a Member of Congress. McGinty said her office received 45 letters from Members opposing specific nominations, and 197 Congressional letters supporting nominations.
"Comments by Members of Congress have run more than 4-1 in favor of the American Heritage Rivers initiative and we are pleased by this overwhelming show of support," said McGinty. "Regrettably, 26 rivers or stretches of river are now out of the running. I hope these communities will continue working nonetheless to realize their visions for their rivers."
The American Heritage Rivers initiative, announced by President Clinton in his 1997 State of the Union address, recognizes and assists voluntary river restoration efforts. Communities were invited to nominate their rivers for designation, and the 10 selected will receive help tapping existing federal resources to carry out their plans for restoring their rivers and riverfronts.
The 126 nominations, from 46 states and the District of Columbia, include rivers large and small -- from the Santa Rosa Creek in California to the Cedar River in Iowa to the Hudson River in New York.
An advisory committee appointed by the President will convene in Washington, D.C., on May 11 and 12 to review the remaining nominations. The committee will recommend up to 20 of the nominations to the President, who will make the final selection. It is expected the 10 American Heritage Rivers will be named in June.
At a hearing of the House Resources Committee on September 24, 1997, the majority members of the committee strongly urged the Administration to allow Members to "veto" any river or river stretch running through their districts. The Administration agreed, and Members were asked to inform CEQ of their opposition by January 23. If a river runs through more than one district, any section not opposed by a Member remains eligible for designation.
The designation of three river sections, the South Platte in Colorado, the Willamette in Oregon and the Missouri in Nebraska, have been opposed by one Senator from each state, but will still be considered because local members of the House support the nominations or are neutral. The Senator's opposition will be appropriately weighed in the selection process, McGinty said.
Each community submitted a detailed plan for restoring and protecting the environmental, economic and cultural values of its river and riverfront. A community's plan could aim to clean up pollution, attract businesses, improve flood protection, protect farm land, rebuild historic docks and buildings, restore eroded stream banks or promote new economic opportunities.
For each American Heritage River, a "River Navigator" will be appointed to help the community identify federal programs and resources that can be used to carry out its plan. Federal agencies also will make field staff available to help match community needs with available resources. Federal agencies will have no regulatory powers or control over local decision-making.
All communities that submitted nominations will be encouraged to continue their river restoration efforts. Each will be invited to a symposium to exchange ideas with other communities and to learn about government and private resources that can help. Each also will receive site-specific data on its river, including planning software and economic modeling tools.
Information on the American Heritage Rivers initiative, including a complete list of nominated rivers, is available on the Web at www.epa.gov/rivers.
A list of members of the House and Senate who opposed nominations is attached, along with a list of Members who supported specific nominations.
Rivers Eliminated From Consideration
The entire river
is removed from consideration due to the listed Members' opposition.
Clearwater River, ID -- Rep. Helen Chenoweth (ID-1); Sen.
Conrad Burns (MT); Sen. Larry Craig (ID); Rep. Rick Hill (MT-ALL); Sen. Dirk
Kempthorne (ID)
Gunnison River, CO -- Rep Scott McInnis (CO-3)
Lake Brazos River Corridor, TX -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Osage River, MO -- Rep. Ike Skelton (MO-4)
St. Mary's River,
MI -- Rep. Bart Stupak (MI-1)
Sabine River, TX -- Sen. Kay Bailey
Hutchison (TX)
San Antonio River, TX -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
(TX); Representative Lamar Smith (TX-21)
San Joaquin River, CA --
Rep. George Radanovich (CA-19)
San Juan River, NM -- Rep. Bill
Redmond (NM-3)
San Luis Rey River, CA --Rep. Randy Cunningham
(CA-51); Rep. Ron Packard (CA-48)
Snohomish River, WA -- Rep. Jack
Metcalf (WA-2)
Upper Rio Grande, NM -- Rep. Bill Redmond (NM-3);
Rep. Steve Schiff (NM-1); Joe Skeen (NM-2)
River Sections Eliminated From Consideration
River
sections that run through the listed Members' district(s) will be excluded from
any designation, but the remaining part of the nomination will still
considered.
American River, CA -- Representative John Doolittle (CA-4),
Richard Pombo (CA-11)
Arkansas River, AR, CO, OK, KS --
Representative Marion Berry (AR-1), Senator Sam Brownback (KS), Representative
Tom Coburn (OK-2), Representative Jay Dickey (AR-4), Representative Jerry Moran
(KS-1), Representative Todd Tiahrt (KS-4), Asa Hutchinson (AR-3), Senator Tim
Hutchinson (AR), Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (CO)
Cold Water
Creek, MO-- Representative James Talent (MO-2)
Columbia River,
OR --Senator Gordon H. Smith (OR)
French Broad River, NC --
Representative Charles Taylor (NC-11)
James River, VA --
Representative Thomas Bliley, Jr. (VA-7)
Jordan River, UT
--Representative Christopher Cannon (UT-3)
Mississippi River, MO --
Representative Pat Danner (MO-6), Representative James Talent (MO-2)
Missouri River, MT, MO, NE, SD -- Representative Pat Danner (MO-6),
Representative Rick Hill (MT-ALL), Representative Kenny Hulshof (MO-9),
Representative James Talent (MO-2), Representative Ike Skelton (MO-4), Senator
Sam Brownback (KS), Senator Conrad Burns (MT), Senator Chuck Hagel (NE),
Representative John Thune (SD-ALL), Representative Vincent Snowbarger (KS-3)
Ohio River, IN -- Representative John Hostettler (IN-8)
Ouachita River, LA/AR -- Representative Jay Dickey (AR-4),
Representative Asa Hutchinson (AR-3), Senator Tim Hutchinson (AR)
St.
John's River, FL -- Representative David Weldon (FL-15), Representative
Cliff Stearns (FL-6)
Santa Cruz River, AZ --Senator Jon Kyl (AZ)
Yellowstone River, WY, MT -- Representative Barbara Cubin (WY-ALL),
Representative Rick Hill (MT-ALL), Senator Conrad Burns (MT), Senator Michael
Enzi (WY), Senator Craig Thomas (WY)
River Sections With Senatorial Opposition Only
River
sections are opposed by the listed Senator, but supported by a member of the
House or the other Senator from the state's delegation. Will still be
considered for designation.
South Platte River, CO --Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell
(CO)
Willamette River, OR -- Senator Gordon H. Smith (OR)
Missouri River, NE -- Senator Chuck Hagel (NE)
Senators Supporting American Heritage River Nominations
| Senator Akaka, Daniel K. Baucus, Max Biden, Jr., Joseph R. Boxer, Barbara Breaux, John Byrd, Robert C. Chafee, John H. Cleland, Max Coverdell, Paul D. D'Amato, Alfonse M. DeWine, Mike Dodd, Christopher J. Durbin, Richard J. Faircloth, Lauch Feingold, Russell D. Feinstein, Dianne Frist, Bill Glenn, John Graham, Bob Grassley, Charles E. Gregg, Judd Harkin, Tom Inouye, Daniel K. Jeffords, James M. Kennedy, Edward M. Kerrey, J. Robert Kerry, John F. Kohl, Herbert Landrieu, Mary L. Lautenberg, Frank R. Leahy, Patrick J. Levin, Carl Lieberman, Joseph I. Mikulski, Barbara A. Moseley-Braun, Carol Moynihan, Daniel Patrick Reed, Jack Robb, Charles S. Rockefeller IV, John D. Roth Jr., William V. Santorum, Rick Sarbanes, Paul S. Shelby, Richard Smith, Robert C. Specter, Arlen Thompson, Fred Thurmond, Strom Torricelli, Robert G. |
River(s) Hanalei Yellowstone Delaware, Broad Creek San Luis Rey, San Joaquin Lower Mississippi Potomac, Kanawha Blackstone-Woonasquatucket Chattahoochee, Coosa, Savannah Chattahoochee, Savannah Hudson Mill Creek Connecticut Chicago-Illinois, Kaskaskia, Upper Mississippi (Quad Cities) Lower Neuse Fox, Milwaukee, Rock Santa Rosa Creek Mississippi (Memphis), Tennessee Mill Creek, Muskingum, Great Miami St. John's, Everglades Upper Mississippi (Quad Cities) Connecticut, Merrimack Cedar, Upper Mississippi (Quad Cities), Missouri Hanalei Connecticut Connecticut, Blackstone-Woonasquatucket, Merrimack, Taunton Missouri Acushnet, Blackstone-Woonasquatucket, Connecticut, Merrimack, Taunton Fox, Milwaukee, Rock Lower Mississippi Passaic, Delaware, Raritan, Rahway Connecticut Detroit, Grand, Muskegon Connecticut Anacostia, Potomac Chicago-Illinois, Upper Mississippi, Kaskaskia Buffalo, Bronx, Hudson Puyallup Blackstone-Woonasquatucket Potomac, James, Rappahannock Kanawha Delaware, Broad Creek Schuylkill Potomac, Patuxent, Anacostia Chattahoochee Connecticut, Merrimack Schuylkill, Delaware, Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed, Lehigh, Rivers of Steel Cumberland, Tennessee, Mississippi (Memphis) Waccamaw Raritan, Passaic, Delaware |
Members of Congress Supporting American Heritage River
Nominations
| Member River(s) Ackerman, Gary Barrett, Thomas M. Bartlett, Roscoe G. Bass, Charles F. Bishop Jr., Sanford D. Blagojevich, Rod Blumenauer, Earl Boehlert, Sherwood L. Bonilla, Henry Borski, Robert A. Boucher, Rick Brown, Corrine Brown, Sherrod Bryant, Ed Burr, Richard Castle, Michael N. Chabot, Steve Clay, William L. Clayton, Eva M. Clement, Bob Clyburn, James E. Collins, Mac Conyers, Jr., John Cooksey, M.D., John Costello, Jerry F. Coyne, William J. Crane, Phil Davis, Danny K. Davis, Thomas M. DeGette, Diana L. Deutsch, Peter Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Dingell, John D. Doyle, Mike Engel, Eliot L. Ehlers, Vernon J. Evans, Lane Everett, Terry Ewing, Tom Fattah, Chaka Fawell, Harris Foglietta, Thomas Forbes, Michael P. Ford, Jr., Harold E. Fox, Jon D. Frank, Barney Franks, Bob Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. Furse, Elizabeth Gejdenson, Sam Gekas, George W. Gephardt, Richard A. Gilman, Benjamin Gutierrez, Luis V. Hall, Tony P. Hamilton, Lee H. Hastert, J. Dennis Hastings, Alcee L. Hefner, Bill Hinchey, Maurice D. Hobson, Dave Holden, Tim Hoyer, Steny H. Hyde, Henry Jackson, Jr, Jesse Jefferson, William J. Johnson, Jay W. Johnson, Nancy L. Kanjorski, Paul E. Kelly, Sue W. Kennedy, Patrick J. Kennelly, Barbara B. Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. Kleczka, Jerry Klink, Ron Kucinich, Dennis J. LaFalce, John J. LaHood, Ray LaTourette, Steven C. Lazio, Rick Leach, James A. Levin, Sander M. Lewis, John Lipinski, William Lowey, Nita M. Luther, Bill Maloney, Carolyn Manton, Thomas J. Manzullo, Donald Markey, Edward J. Mascara, Frank McCarthy, Carolyn McDade, Joseph M. McGovern, James P. McHale, Paul McNulty, Michael R. Meehan, Martin T. Meek, Carrie P. Menendez, Robert Minge, David Moakley, John Joseph Morella, Constance A. Murtha, John P. Nadler, Jerrold Neal, Richard E. Norton, Eleanor Holmes Oberstar, James L. Olver, John W. Owens, Major R. Pallone, Jr. , Frank Pascrell, Jr., Bill Payne, Donald M. Petri, Thomas E. Porter, John Edward Portman, Rob Poshard, Glenn Price, David Quinn, Jack Rangel, Charles B. Rivers, Lynn N. Reyes, Silvestre Ros-Lehtinen, Iieana Rothman, Steven R. Roukema, Marge Rush, Bobby Sabo, Martin Olav Sanders, Bernard Sanford, Marshall Saxton, Jim Schumer, Charles Serrano, Jose E. Shaw, Jr., E. Clay Skaggs, David E. Slaughter, Louise M. Stabenow, Debbie Stokes, Louis Strickland, Ted Tierney, John F. Upton, Fred Vento, Bruce F. Wamp, Zach Weldon, Curt Weller, Gerald J. Wexler, Robert Weygand, Robert A. Wise, Bob Woolsey, Lynn Yates, Sidney |
River(s) Hudson Milwaukee Potomac (with exception of Old Town) Merrimack Chattahoochee Chicago-Illinois Willamette Hudson Rio Grande Delaware, Schuylkill Levisa St. John's Black, Cuyahoga Tennessee New Delaware, Broad Creek Mill Creek Water Creek Lower Neuse, Roanoke Cumberland Edisto Chattahoochee Detroit Ouachita Chicago-Illinois, Kaskaskia Rivers of Steel Chicago-Illinois Chicago-Illinois Potomac, Tripps Run South Platte River Everglades Everglades Detroit Rivers of Steel Hudson, Bronx Grand River Chicago-Illinois, Upper Mississippi (Quad Cities) Chattahoochee Chicago-Illinois Delaware, Schuylkill Chicago-Illinois Schuylkill Hudson Mississippi (Memphis), Tennessee Schuylkill Acushnet Passaic, Rahway, Raritan Passaic Connecticut Swatara Creek Cold Water Creek Hudson Chicago-Illinois Great Miami Ohio Chicago-Illinois Everglades, St. Lucie New Hudson Great Miami Schuylkill Anacostia, Potomac, Patuxent Chicago-Illinois Chicago-Illinois Lower Mississippi Fox Connecticut Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed Hudson Blackstone-Woonsaquatucket, Connecticut Connecticut Detroit Milwaukee Allegheny, Ohio, Rivers of Steel Cuyahoga Buffalo, Genessee, Niagara Chicago-Illinois Cuyahoga Hudson Cedar, Upper Mississippi (Quad Cities) Detroit Chattahoochee Chicago-Illinois Hudson, Bronx Mississippi (Twin Cities) Hudson Bronx Chicago-Illinois Mystic Allegheny, Ohio, Rivers of Steel Hudson Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed Blackstone-Woonasquatucket Lehigh Hudson Merrimack Everglades Passaic, Raritan Minnesota Taunton Potomac Allegheny, Rivers of Steel Hudson Blackstone-Woonasquatucket, Connecticut Anacostia Mississippi (Twin Cities) Connecticut, Westfield Hudson Raritan Passaic Rahway, Passaic Fox Chicago-Illinois Mill Creek Chicago-Illinois, Kaskaskia New Buffalo Hudson Detroit Rio Grande Everglades Passaic Passaic Chicago-Illinois Mississippi (Twin Cities) Connecticut Cooper, Edisto Delaware Hudson Hudson, Bronx Everglades South Platte Genessee Grand Cuyahoga Muskingum Merrimack Kalamazoo Mississippi (Twin Cities) Tennessee Schuylkill Chicago-Illinois Everglades Blackstone-Woonasquatucket Kanawha Santa Rosa Creek Chicago-Illinois |
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12 Rivers Nominated for American Heritage River Designation
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