Lawmakers from communities along the Ohio River have introduced a bill in Congress that seeks to bring federal resources and environmental protections to the 981-mile waterway.
Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville and Republican Rep. Erin Houchin of southeastern Indiana introduced the Ohio River Restoration Program Act.
“The Ohio River is the second most endangered river in the country, and it is the largest body of water in the United States that does not receive a single dollar of dedicated federal funding,” McGarvey said at a press conference in D.C. last week.
Other major watersheds, like the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay, have long-term restoration strategies that receive billions of federal dollars, according to reporting by The Allegheny Front.
The proposed Ohio River Basin program is modeled after those initiatives, McGarvey says.
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It would create a new Ohio River National Program Office in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
States, local governments, interstate compact agencies, tribal nations and non-governmental organizations would work together to secure federal funding through the office. They would also create an action plan to carry out river restoration work on the Ohio.
“It will also tackle pollution prevention, clean water protection, workforce development, commerce and emergency response and preparation,” McGarvey said.
The Ohio River Basin includes 15 states, and serves more than 30 million people, according to a 2023 report by environmental nonprofit American Rivers.
“For those of us who grew up along the river in southern Indiana and Kentucky, we've long understood the critical role that it plays in our daily lives,” Houchin said at the press conference. “It's a source of clean drinking water, a hub of commerce and an important part of our community's heritage.”
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Houchin says the lack of federal investment in the Ohio River Basin’s restoration came to her attention after a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023, spilling toxic chemicals into the air and nearby streams.
“This lack of resources directed at the Ohio River Basin has been going on for many, many years. We're here today because that has to change,” Houchin said. “We're committed to securing a federal investment that is long overdue. The Ohio River Restoration Program Act aims to bring both attention and resources to the Ohio River Valley and the entire basin.”
The bill has been endorsed by several organizations, including the Ohio River Way.