KENTUCKY, USA — Two Congressional lawmakers from Kentucky and southern announced Tuesday their plans to clean up the Ohio River.
"For communities across Indiana and Kentucky this would be an investment in clean water and economic growth," U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Indiana) said. "And a healthier future on families who rely on the Ohio River every single day."
Houchin and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-Kentucky) announced plans to introduce new legislation, called the Ohio River Restoration Program Act, in hopes of bringing federal funds to the river for the first time and revitalize the 981 miles of water.
Representatives said the Ohio River supports 670,000 jobs, generates $20 billion in wages and provides 25 million people with daily drinking water. The body of water also connects 14 states.
McGarvey said the goal is to establish an office dedicated to this work within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"It's going to create an Ohio River National Program Office within the Environmental Protection Agency to convene the states, local governments, interstate compact agencies, travel nations, non-government organizations, getting everybody together and actually streamlining communications so that we can work together to secure the urgently needed federal funding that's going to protect and preserve the Ohio River," he added.
These funds can be allocated to community nonprofits like Ohio River Way (ORW), or to government agencies like Louisville Metro Government or others cities along the bank. ORW has already been taking the initiative to clean up the water and Executive Director Forest Clevenger said he's glad to potentially see federal funds flowing in.
"If you look across the country there's hundreds of millions of dollars that not only make the water clean but are huge economic development initiative in all these places," Clevenger said.
Clevenger said this act is timely because the river was designated the second most endangered within the country last year.
"What's happened though tragically for many of these small towns is that the industry that built this corridor polluted the land and water and left," Clevenger said. "So it's part of what our organization is working on. We believe the Ohio River can be an asset for sustainable tourism. For the well being of our communities and help revitalize all of these beautiful places that we have."
The support to invest into the river is also gaining national attention. Regional Executive Director for National Wildlife Federation Jen Mihills stood alongside McGarvey and Houchin in Washington D.C. in support of the legislation.
"We know that clean water is essential for people and wildlife," Mihills said. "It's a top priority for the National Wildlife Federation and our 52 state and territorial affiliate organizations."
The organization Living Lands & Waters is also in support of the legislation.
"At Living Lands & Waters, our mission has always been to protect, preserve, and restore the health of our nation's rivers. We are encouraged to see efforts aimed at improving the Ohio River, a vital waterway that impacts millions of lives and ecosystems. We look forward to learning more about the Ohio River Restoration Act and continuing our work to keep this waterway clean," the group said in a statement.
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