Media Items Archive

February 14, 2022

Contact: Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145

(Washington, DC) – American Rivers today announced that five new members were elected to its board of directors. The new directors bring a breadth of expertise that will be instrumental in helping the organization achieve its vision of clean water and healthy rivers everywhere, for everyone.

“I am thrilled that these dynamic and talented individuals will help chart the course of American Rivers,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers. “We are in a critical moment, and their perspective will guide us as we develop bold solutions to address some of the most pressing challenges facing rivers, including climate change, racial injustice and the biodiversity crisis. At a time where we must maximize our impact, I am grateful for the leadership of our strong and dedicated board.”

Aja DeCoteau (Portland, Oregon) is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and has other tribal lineage with the Cayuse, Nez Perce, and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. She grew up on the Yakama reservation and spent her childhood fishing and harvesting traditional foods with her family. With over twenty years of experience working on natural resource management and policy issues, DeCoteau currently serves as the Executive Director of Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) in Portland, Oregon. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Native American studies from Dartmouth College and holds a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, School of the Environment.

Queta González (Portland, Oregon) is the Director at Center for Diversity & the Environment and Environmental Professionals of Color. She has been facilitating and coaching people in Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations, government, and small businesses for over 30 years. González has developed and delivered trainings across a myriad of cultures and worked in partnership with a wide variety of organizations. She is the first woman of color to run a whitewater rafting company in the Grand Canyon and is a founding board member of Nesika Wilamut (formerly Willamette River Network). González serves on the Oregon’s Environmental Equity Committee and served on the Roadmap to the Outdoors steering team, and on the Governor’s Task Force on the Outdoors. González received the Rosa Parks and Grace Lee Boggs Outstanding Service Award in recognition of her leadership in educating and promoting action to support environmental education and environmental justice at the local, state, or global level.

Dr. Na’Taki Osborne Jelks (Atlanta, Georgia) is an environmental health scientist and educator. She is an assistant professor of Environmental and Health Sciences at Spelman College and Co-Founder of the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, a community-based environmental justice organization. She is known for her activism in environmental justice and urban sustainability, for which she was named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2014. Jelks received her BS from Spelman College, her Master of Public Health in Environmental and Occupational Health from Emory University, and her PhD from the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. She is also an immediate past co-chair of the Proctor Creek Stewardship Council, a grassroots organization focused on restoring the ecological health of the Proctor Creek Watershed in west Atlanta. In 2018, Jelks was named a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and currently serves as one of two Co-Chairs. In 2021, Rachel’s Network granted Jelks with the 3rd annual Catalyst Award.

Alyssa Macy (Seattle, Washington) is of Wasco, Diné and Hopi descent and a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. She is the CEO of the Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters. In her previous role, Macy served her Nation as the Chief Operations Officer where she was responsible for $33 million in tribal programming and services. Her previous experiences include working transportation, campaign management, communications, and international advocacy within United Nations bodies. She is a published writer and co-authored the first ever national report on Native American voting in 2005. Macy is a graduate of Arizona State University where she received her B.S. in Justice Studies and did her graduate studies at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis.

Mary J. Pavel (Silver Spring, MD) is a member of the Skokomish Tribe of Washington. Upon graduation from Dartmouth, Pavel became the first paralegal with the law firm of Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP, one of the most highly regarded federal Indian law firms in the nation. After serving as paralegal for one year, Pavel entered law school at the University of Washington School of Law, and eventually became one of the first Indian women to be made a partner in a National Indian Law Firm in 1999. In 2013, Pavel served as the Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. During her tenure, she served two Chairs: Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Senator Jon Tester (D-MT). As Staff Director and Chief Counsel, Pavel directed the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs agenda through the Senate. Pavel is former Dartmouth College Alumni Council member, and a current board member of the Native American Alumni of Dartmouth. Pavel is the Founding President of the Native American Bar Association of Washington, D.C., and a founding member of the Northwest Native American Bar Association.

About American Rivers

American Rivers believes a future of clean water and healthy rivers for everyone, everywhere is essential. Since 1973, we have protected wild rivers, restored damaged rivers and conserved clean water for people and nature. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., and 300,000 supporters, members and volunteers across the country, we are the most trusted and influential river conservation organization in the United States, delivering solutions for a better future. Because life needs rivers. www.AmericanRivers.org

February 9, 2022

Contact: Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145

American Rivers announced today that Heather Taylor-Miesle will join the organization as its new Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Regional Conservation. Throughout her career, she has built diverse coalitions and strategic partnerships and led successful campaigns for rivers and communities.

“Heather is an outstanding addition to American Rivers and I am thrilled to welcome her to our growing team,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers. “Her proven policy experience and strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion will be keys to strengthening our regional conservation strategy, building a powerful river movement, and increasing our impact for healthy rivers and clean water.”

For the past six years, Taylor-Miesle served as Executive Director of the Ohio Environmental Council, and President of OEC Action Fund. There, she engaged frontline partners, businesses, agricultural interests and other stakeholders in efforts to reduce pollution. She also negotiated federal and state legislation, including serving as lead negotiator for a Constitutional amendment to end gerrymandering in Ohio. Prior to that, Taylor-Miesle served as Founding Director of the NRDC Action Fund, where she grew the organization into a recognized powerhouse in advocacy campaigns.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Marietta College, and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

“Rivers flow through the heart of our nation’s biggest challenges, from climate change to injustice to biodiversity loss. Rivers can also be the source of transformational solutions for people and the environment,” said Taylor-Miesle. “That’s why I’m so energized to take on this new role at American Rivers. With our talented staff and fantastic partners, we’re going to aim high and I know we will achieve big, ambitious goals.”

Taylor-Miesle will start at American Rivers on April 4. The search was led by Isaacson Miller.

About American Rivers

Contact: Ted Illston, 202-834-3657

Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145

American Rivers today released the “River Budget: National Priorities for Healthy Rivers and Clean Water (FY23)”, endorsed by 47 partner organizations, outlining priorities for federal spending to ensure a future of clean water and healthy rivers everywhere, for everyone.

Rivers are essential to life. They provide drinking water, nurture fish and wildlife, power our economy, connect us to the natural world and are vital to healthy, thriving communities. But rivers and clean water supplies are threatened by pollution, dams, climate change and crumbling infrastructure, with Black, Indigenous, Latino and other communities of color feeling disproportionate impacts.

“This moment demands bold action for clean water and rivers,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers. “Equitable investment in clean water and healthy rivers is vital to helping solve the interconnected challenges of climate change, injustice and biodiversity loss. American Rivers and our partners urge President Biden and Congress to prioritize these investments.”

The River Budget includes priorities in four key categories:

Improve water infrastructure:

The American Society of Civil Engineers rates the nation’s drinking water infrastructure at C- and its stormwater infrastructure at D. Fortifying our nation’s drinking water and wastewater facilities to be resilient and sustainable requires urgent investment, especially in proven solutions like green stormwater infrastructure. The River Budget calls on Congress to appropriate necessary funds to address the scale of the drinking and clean water infrastructure crises.

$3.87 billion – Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
$4.38 billion – Clean Water State Revolving Fund
$1.75 billion – Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program
$80 million – Safe Water for Small and Disadvantaged Communities

Restore watersheds:

Conserving and restoring watersheds in a changing climate is essential to slowing and reversing freshwater biodiversity loss and supporting local economies. Congress will need to prioritize funding watershed restoration to meet President Biden’s America the Beautiful goal of conserving 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030.

$12 million – Wild and Scenic Rivers programs
$100 million – Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
$15 million – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance

Modernize flood management:

As floods become more frequent and severe, communities need cost-effective, reliable solutions to protect people and property and safeguard river health.

$2 billion – Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program
$12.5 million – Engineering With Nature
$700 million – Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program
$200 million – Flood Plain Management and Flood Mapping

Remove dams:

Removing dams can improve public safety, restore the natural functions of rivers, help endangered fish species, create jobs, protect important environmental and cultural resources, and increase climate resilience.

$60 million – Community-based Restoration Program
$200 million – High Hazard Potential Dam Safety Grant Program
$92 million – National Dam Safety Program
$30 million – National Fish Passage Program

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provided a major infusion of funding, energizing the public to let Congress know they are facing a changing climate, environmental injustice, biodiversity extinction, unaffordable or polluted water, and other issues that have long been overlooked and underfunded.

In the American Rivers 2021 Blueprint for Action, we called on Congress to invest – over the next 10 years – $200 billion to improve water infrastructure, $200 billion to modernize flood management and $100 billion to restore watersheds in our communities. Over the next five years, the IIJA will provide over $55 billion for water infrastructure, $10 billion for flood management and $21 billion for environmental remediation, paling in comparison to the $500 billion needed. We can not let the IIJA be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence; rivers and communities need those levels of funding on an annual basis.

The River Budget is a tool to voice the interests and needs of communities by recommending to Congress and the administration funding priorities and levels for programs that create clean rivers and water nationwide. Read “River Budget: National Priorities for Healthy Rivers and Clean Water (FY23)”

Conservation groups’ lawsuit prompts Army Corps’ reversal

December 15, 2021

CONTACTS:

Jill Mastrototaro | Audubon Delta | (504) 481-3659 | jill.mastrototaro@audubon.org

Louie Miller | Mississippi Sierra Club | (601) 624-3503 | louie.miller@sierraclub.org

Olivia Dorothy | American Rivers | (217) 390-3658 | odorothy@americanrivers.org

Andrew Whitehurst | Healthy Gulf | (601) 954-7236 | andrew@healthygulf.org

Stu Gillespie | Earthjustice | (303) 996-9616 | sgillespie@earthjustice.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released a memo withdrawing the agency’s January 15, 2021, Record of Decision that green-lighted its proposed 2020 Yazoo Pumps plan, a destructive agricultural drainage project in Mississippi’s South Delta. The Corps cited the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent restoring of its 2008 Clean Water Act 404(c) veto as a basis for their decision.

Federal lawsuits filed earlier this year by Earthjustice on behalf of American Rivers, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, and Healthy Gulf, against the Corps, EPA, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, challenged the Trump administration’s rushed 2020 attempt to revive the Pumps. The Corps’ official withdrawal of their approval was prompted by these legal challenges, which serves as a final step in stopping the Pumps and ensuring some of the nation’s richest wetland and water resources are protected once again.

Statement by American Rivers, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Healthy Gulf, and Earthjustice:

“The Corps’ reversal of the outdated, ineffective Pumps is an unequivocal reminder of the power of science, the law, and the public’s voice in holding agencies accountable for their irresponsible actions – namely the Corps’ unprecedented effort to illegally sidestep bedrock environmental laws, abdicate agency responsibilities, and ignore key scientific findings about the 2020 Pumps’ plan.

The Corps unlawfully refused to consider any other alternatives except the Pumps, yet they themselves acknowledge their plan would leave most local communities vulnerable – Corps data shows only 17% of the backwater would receive any flood relief from the Pumps.[1] No more time or taxpayer money should be spent on pursuing a boondoggle that would only deliver more environmental injustice to the Mississippi Delta.

This conclusion of the Pumps’ saga underscores the real opportunity to deliver meaningful flood relief to vulnerable backwater communities through existing federal programs that are available now to get money on the ground to those who need it the most.

We stand ready to support this new chapter that can benefit people’s lives, property, and livelihoods while safeguarding this globally important area for future generations.”

[1] Corps’ 2020 FSEIS, Appendix C (Tables) at Table 5.3; Corps’ 2020 SEIS, Appendix G (Engineering Report) at 135, Table 2-26.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 30, 2021

CONTACTS:

Nicole Hayler, Chattooga Conservancy, tel 864-647-9849, email info@chattoogariver.org

April McEwen, American Rivers, tel 864-710-9045, email amcewen@americanrivers.org

CHATTOOGA RIVER, GA/SC On Friday, November 26^th, six conservation groups moved to intervene in a proceeding before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to urge the agency and Georgia Power to study removal of the Tugalo Dam, located on the Georgia and South Carolina border immediately below the confluence of the Chattooga and Tallulah Rivers. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed the papers on behalf of American Rivers, American Whitewater, Upstate Forever, Chattooga Conservancy, Naturaland Trust and the Georgia Canoeing Association.

Georgia Power recently submitted a license amendment to FERC seeking authority to spend at least $24 million to rebuild, upgrade, and increase capacity of significant components of the Tugalo facility, which dams the lower Chattooga and Tallulah Rivers and floods nearly 6 miles of whitewater rapids and free-flowing river.

The conservation groups are requesting that all impacts of the Tugalo Dam be evaluated in an environmental impact statement when considering this license amendment, so that the dam relicensing process, set to begin in 2031, is not preempted by a premature amendment and major investment in the old dam.

The case for decommissioning Tugalo Dam is compelling, as the almost 100-year-old dam:

Only produces a maximum of 45 megawatts of power, less than 1% of Georgia Power’s total electric power production.
Buries nearly 6 miles of free-flowing river and world class whitewater rapids.
Removes important recreational opportunities in the region for thousands of residents and visitors.
Prevents the free movement of fish and the migration of plant and animal species in the ecologically rich Brevard Zone of the southern Blue Ridge Escarpment.
Traps over 100 years of sediment and emits significant greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.
Floods nearly 600 acres of forest lands.

Investing in smarter infrastructure and restoring the Chattooga River Gorge would:

Provide exceptional nature-based recreation opportunities, and could generate millions of dollars for the local and regional economy.
Save in excess of $24 million to upgrade a century-old facility that could otherwise be used to invest in alternative renewable and less harmful energy like solar.
Mitigate the effects of climate change by eliminating facility greenhouse gas emissions and restoring native forests that remove carbon from the environment.
Provide connectivity between large blocks of wildlands to help ecosystems adapt to climate change.

Conservationists agree that if FERC grants an amendment to Georgia Power’s operating license without thoroughly considering important economic and environmental issues, it will allow Georgia Power to spend millions of dollars to upgrade Tugalo Dam, which will result in a biased relicensing process in 2031-2036.

The coalition of national, regional and local conservation groups hope Georgia Power Company will work with them to accomplish transparency in decision-making, equitable infrastructure investment, and jump-starting the process of considering the feasible alternative of restoring the lower Chattooga and Tallulah Rivers—two iconic wild rivers—that will boost the local economy, provide exceptional recreational opportunities, and address compelling environmental concerns.

“We believe the public deserves a say in whether allowing Georgia Power to continue operating Tugalo Dam for profit is in the public interest. The dam continues to cause lasting damage to the health of the Chattooga River. The dam is also holding local communities back from all of the recreation and economic benefits that a healthy river can offer. It makes sense to explore clean energy alternatives to the dam, and invite everyone who cares about the Chattooga to be a part of shaping its future.”

– Peter Raabe, Southeast Regional Director, American Rivers

2008 Clean Water Act veto of damaging Yazoo Pumps Project is upheld

November 15, 2021

Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145

Olivia Dorothy, 217-390-3658

American Rivers today applauds EPA Administrator Michael Regan’s decision to uphold the 2008 veto of the Yazoo Pumps, a massive agricultural drainage project north of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The decision will protect hundreds of thousands of acres of some of the richest wetlands in the nation along the Big Sunflower and Yazoo rivers, which flow into the Mississippi River. This vital Mississippi Delta habitat supports over 450 species of birds, fish and wildlife, from waterfowl and monarch butterflies, to pallid sturgeon, American eels and Louisiana black bear.

American Rivers listed the Big Sunflower River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® six times between 1997 and 2020 because of the damage the Yazoo Pumps project would cause to wetlands and wildlife habitat.

“The decision to protect these globally-significant wetlands is a major win for rivers and wildlife,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers. “We applaud the EPA for basing its decision on science and we look forward to working with Delta residents and local, state and federal agencies to implement effective solutions to the flood challenges in the lower Delta.”

The Yazoo Pumps would not have protected communities from flooding. The project would have drained ecologically-significant wetlands so that a small number of large landowners could intensify agricultural production. The environmental threat from the Yazoo Pumps spurred the George W. Bush Administration to veto the project under the Clean Water Act Section 404(c) veto authority, but the Trump Administration resurrected the project in 2020.

To learn more about today’s decision, read our press release with Audubon Mississippi, Sierra Club, Healthy Gulf, and Earthjustice.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 17, 2021

CONTACTS:

Crucial safeguards restored to nationally significant area

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restored its long-standing Clean Water Act veto of a massive agricultural drainage project in the Mississippi Delta known as the Yazoo Pumps. EPA’s decision immediately reinstates Clean Water Act protections for some of the nation’s richest wetlands and waters, which provide habitat for over 28 million migrating birds each year.1 EPA also withdrew the Trump administration’s last-minute attempt to unlawfully revoke the veto, which would have allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to circumvent the law and revive the same destructive pumps project.2, 3 EPA reaffirmed its support for advancing effective, enduring flood solutions for communities in the Yazoo Backwater Area.

In January, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of American Rivers, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, and Healthy Gulf, challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to exempt the Yazoo Pumps from the 2008 veto. EPA had never before revoked a veto, and the conservation organizations contended that the 2008 veto squarely prohibits the Corps’ rushed 2020 plan to revive the project. Recent media reports have documented how Trump EPA political leadership deliberately ignored career staff scientists’ concerns when revoking the veto last year.4

“EPA’s decision is a powerful affirmation that science and law, not politics, ultimately prevail,” said Stu Gillespie, Earthjustice attorney. “EPA’s decision upholds bedrock environmental laws and restores crucial safeguards for some of the Nation’s richest wetlands.”

Although vetoed during the George W. Bush administration due to its unacceptable environmental impacts, the ineffective $440 million-dollar Pumps continue to be touted as the only solution to address flooding problems in vulnerable communities of the Yazoo Backwater Area.

“The Corps’ stunning admission that 83% of the Yazoo backwater would still be under water even with the Pumps during the 2019 flood says it all,” said Louie Miller, State Director for the Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club. “The Pumps are not designed to protect communities from flooding but benefit agribusiness. Federal focus needs to be getting money on the ground to the people who need it the most.”

1 The findings were based on 2020 analyses by the National Audubon Society, using data from eBird Status & Trends from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Partners in Flight Population Estimates Database from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. The findings were made possible thanks to data contributed by community science participants in eBird and the USGS Breeding Bird Survey.

2 EPA’s 2008 Clean Water Act 404(c) Final Determination
3 EPA letter to Corps, 11/30/2020
4 E&E News, 8/27/2021, “Trump EPA ignored scientists’ warnings on Miss. Project: Docs” (Cont.)

Right now, there are alternative flood solutions available through existing federal programs to help Yazoo Backwater communities effectively and sustainably reduce flood risks and benefit wildlife.

“EPA’s actions demonstrate a true commitment to birds and people,” said Jill Mastrototaro, Mississippi Policy Director for Audubon Delta. “Not only is this ecologically important area protected for future generations but vulnerable communities can finally get the flood relief they have long deserved.”

Instead of the ineffective, antiquated Pumps, the conservation groups have developed and shared with EPA and the Corps a Resilience Alternative, which identifies existing federal programs that would use natural infrastructure and non-structural solutions to provide prompt flood relief for local communities while benefitting wildlife.

“Communities throughout the Mississippi River basin are already putting commonsense flood measures, such as elevating homes and paying farmers to restore cropland back to wetlands, to good use,” said Olivia Dorothy, Certified Floodplain Manager and Restoration Director for American Rivers. “Federal programs and significant funding are available now to provide these same protections for people’s lives, property and livelihoods in the Yazoo backwater area.”

In April, the conservation organizations filed as second federal lawsuit challenging the Corps’ reckless approval of the project in the final days of the Trump administration.

“EPA’s unequivocal reaffirmation of the veto underscores a shocking lack of restraint by the Corps,” said Andrew Whitehurst, Water Program Director for Healthy Gulf. “Our organizations will continue to hold the Corps accountable in their attempt to sidestep federal laws by refusing to consider any other alternatives except an outdated project that they themselves acknowledge will leave most local communities vulnerable.”

####

November 10, 2021

Contact: Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145

Washington – American Rivers today announced that Dr. Mel Michelle Lewis (she/they) will join the organization as Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice.

Throughout their career, Dr. Lewis has worked to center and amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), queer, and trans communities pursuing social and environmental justice.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Lewis to American Rivers,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers. “They are an accomplished leader with the expertise and experience to help guide our critical work on behalf of rivers and communities nationwide.”

“I am elated to join the American Rivers team. This role offers a powerful opportunity to provide DEIJ strategic guidance, inspire enthusiasm, cultivate diversity, promote equity, and foster inclusion in the service of social and environmental justice,” said Dr. Lewis.

“From the deltas and bayous of Alabama, to the harbors of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, my rivers journey now courses through the most trusted and influential river conservation organization in the United States.”

Most recently, Dr. Lewis has served as the Program Director of the Ecosystems, Sustainability, and Justice Program (ESJ) and Faculty Lead/Grants Project Director for the Natural Dye Initiative (NDI) at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). In addition to their ESJ and NDI roles, Dr. Lewis also served as Associate Professor of Gender/Sexuality & Black/Ethnic Studies in the Humanistic Studies Department, and Co-Founder of The Space for Creative Black Imagination: An Interdisciplinary Research and Making Institute at MICA.

Dr. Lewis has also served as a Collaborator/ DEI Consultant with The Art of Change Agency, supporting critical voices and creative visions for sustainable practice, structural change, and social transformation within organizations, institutions, and communities.

Previous positions include Director of the transdisciplinary Center for Geographies of Justice and Associate Professor of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and Africana Studies at Goucher College; Associate Professor and Director of Ethnic Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California; and Interim Executive director of the National Women’s Studies Association.

Originally from Bayou la Batre, Alabama, Dr. Lewis’s multidisciplinary creative work explores social and environmental justice themes affecting BIPOC and queer residents in rural coastal settings and engages West African worldviews, Poarch Band Creek Nation wisdom, and ancestral narrative portraiture.

“This new position at American Rivers demonstrates our steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice,” said Kiernan. “Dr. Lewis is a tremendous addition to American Rivers and their work will make us a stronger, more inclusive and effective organization.”

Dr. Lewis will begin at American Rivers on January 3, 2022.

About American Rivers

###

November 6, 2021

Contact: Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145

American Rivers today applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill which contains significant funding for rivers and clean water nationwide. A key highlight of the package is the $2.4 billion that American Rivers helped secure for the removal, rehabilitation and retrofit of dams nationwide.

When President Biden signs the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, communities will benefit from critically needed investments in water infrastructure, river restoration and flood protection.

Now, the Senate must act with urgency to rectify their concerns in the House-passed Build Back Better Act and pass legislation true to President Biden’s Build Back Better framework. This framework provides additional funds to address the water crisis facing communities nationwide – lead service line replacement, low-income rate assistance and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Action is vital: Two million people in our country do not have access to safe, clean, affordable drinking water. Forty-four percent of waterways in the U.S. are too polluted for fishing and swimming. Climate change is threatening lives and the economy with the full range of water impacts, from severe flooding to record-breaking drought and toxic algae outbreaks. Black, Latino, Indigenous and low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by river and climate threats.

“At this moment in our nation’s history, investment in rivers couldn’t be more critical. By prioritizing rivers and clean water, Congress is addressing urgent needs in our communities, from public health and safety to environmental justice and the economy,” said Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers.

“Drought, floods and soaring temperatures are underscoring the importance of healthy rivers, reliable infrastructure, and safe, affordable water supplies to our nation’s future. We have much more work to do to advance equitable clean water solutions, tackle urgent river restoration needs, and address the climate crisis, but this bill is an important step forward.”

Highlights of the infrastructure bill include:

Clean water

The bill contains a total of $55 billion for water infrastructure. $28.8 billion will go toward the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds. Of that $55 billion, $510 million will go to small and disadvantaged communities; $1.4 billion for sewer overflow and stormwater reuse grants; and, $250 million for the Indian Reservation drinking water program. The bill will also fund studies on advanced clean water technologies and stormwater infrastructure technology.

River restoration

The bill contains $4.5 billion for watershed restoration. This includes $2.4 billion to support the removal, rehabilitation and retrofit of dams ($800 million for dam removal, $800 million for dam safety and $753 million for hydropower facilities for dam safety improvements, environmental improvements, and grid resilience)

Equitable, nature-based flood management

The bill contains critical funding for flood management, including key programs that can support nature-based flood management projects including $3.5 billion for FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance program, $1 billion for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, and $300 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program at the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The bill also includes $2.5 billion for inland flood risk management at the Army Corps, with a focus on multi-purpose projects and projects that will directly benefit economically disadvantaged and minority communities.

In addition, the bill contains important funding for key river basins. In the Colorado River Basin, funding will help implement large water reuse and recycling projects, increase resilience to climate change, and prioritize natural infrastructure solutions. In Washington’s Yakima River Basin, the bill’s funding will support the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, advancing water supply reliability and river restoration.

American Rivers called on Congress to take additional urgent steps to protect clean water and rivers nationwide:

Include funding for dam removal and dam safety programs in the Reconciliation funding process to address the nation’s aging and obsolete dam infrastructure.
Enact legislation to save Northwest salmon from extinction by restoring the lower Snake River and investing in the region’s energy, transportation and agriculture sectors
Pass the bipartisan 21st Century Dams Act, which dedicates $25.8 billion for the removal, rehabilitation and retrofit of dams, including $7.5 billion to support removal of 1,000 dams to restore 10,000 miles of rivers.
Pass bills that would designate more than 6,700 miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers in New Mexico, Washington, Montana and Oregon.

###

November 5, 2021

Contact: Amy Souers Kober, 503-708-1145

American Rivers applauds the Senate’s confirmation of Mike Connor as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the top civilian post overseeing the Army Corps of Engineers. Connor, a member of the Taos Pueblo tribe, served as deputy Interior secretary in the Obama administration.

The Army Corps of Engineers has a significant impact on river health nationwide, issuing federal Clean Water Act permits and managing 740 dams and more than 14,000 miles of levees. The Corps leads critical flood management efforts and in recent years has been instructed by Congress to incorporate nature-based solutions including floodplain and ecosystem restoration.

Among the more contentious projects the Corps is currently engaged in are the Pebble Mine in Alaska, the Yazoo Pumps in Mississippi, and its management of four federal dams on the lower Snake River in eastern Washington that are impacting endangered salmon runs.

Tom Kiernan, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:

“Mike is a proven leader with a strong conservation mindset. He has extensive experience in water management and river restoration. As a member of the Taos Pueblo, he understands the critical importance of the federal government fulfilling its trust responsibilities to Native American tribes.

Climate change is impacting communities across the country with bigger and more frequent floods and droughts. The Army Corps has a critical role to play in strengthening communities in the face of these challenges. Protecting and restoring healthy, free-flowing rivers and investing in natural infrastructure must be the cornerstone of our strategy to build climate resilience because it has proven so effective. We encourage the Army Corps to fully integrate nature-based approaches that protect communities and improve river health into the Civil Works program, and to address long-standing inequities in water resources investments.

We look forward to working with the Army Corps and the Biden-Harris administration to ensure that equitable investment in clean water and river restoration is a top priority.”

Senators Heinrich and Lujan re-introduce legislation to protect New Mexico’s Gila River

November 2, 2021
Contact: David Moryc, 503-307-1137; Mike Fiebig, 406-600-4061

Responding to strong community support, Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan today introduced legislation to add New Mexico’s Gila River to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The bill would designate 446 miles of the Gila as Wild and Scenic, forever protecting the river and tributaries from dams and other harmful development. A similar bill was first introduced in May 2020 by Senator Heinrich and former Senator Tom Udall, but the local community has been advocating for the protection of these waterways for nearly a decade.

“We stand with the communities of Southwest New Mexico and Senators Heinrich and Lujan who are seeking to protect the natural heritage of the Gila River,” said Tom Kiernan, president of American Rivers. “The Gila and San Francisco Rivers are among the most ecologically and culturally important unprotected landscapes in the United States.”

In 2019, American Rivers named the Gila America’s Most Endangered River®. “America’s Most Endangered Rivers is a call to action,” Kiernan said. “The local residents of southwestern New Mexico and Americans everywhere responded to that call by urging state and federal decision makers to protect this special river. Now, with the Wild and Scenic legislation re-introduced, the future of the Gila River looks bright. We are grateful to Senator Heinrich and Senator Lujan and former Senator Udall, and to our partners and supporters for their commitment to saving this national treasure.”

Signed into law in 1968, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is our nation’s strongest tool for protecting healthy, free-flowing rivers. The Act permanently protects a designated river’s free-flowing character, water quality and outstanding values such as scenery, recreation, fisheries and wildlife habitat. A designation honors existing uses of the river and can support a strong outdoor recreation economy. The Gila River designation prohibits involuntary condemnation of private property, and preserves private property rights and water rights, existing irrigation and water delivery operations, grazing permits, public land access, and the ability to restore the health of our rivers and forests.

American Rivers expanded its river protection efforts in fall 2019, launching a new initiative to protect the last, best free-flowing rivers in the Southwest – rivers including the Gila and San Francisco. The program represents a significant new investment in the long-term resilience of rivers in the region.

The Gila River is the last major free-flowing river in New Mexico, supporting healthy riverside forests, cold-water fisheries (including recovering populations of Gila trout) and a remarkable abundance of wildlife. The river flows through the nation’s first wilderness area, established in 1924 under the leadership of conservation pioneer Aldo Leopold who was supervisor of the Carson National Forest. It is also important to indigenous peoples who have lived in southwestern New Mexico for thousands of years. Many cultural sites are located along the Gila River and throughout its watershed.

October 18, 2021

Contact:

Patrick Phelan, Infrastructure Administrator, City of Richmond, CA
(510) 307-8111, patrick_phelan@ci.richmond.ca.us

Sarah Puckett, Director, California Central Valley River Conservation, American Rivers
(415) 203-3766, spuckett@americanrivers.org

Juliana Gonzalez, Executive Director, The Watershed Project
(510) 224-4085, juliana@thewatershedproject.org

City of Richmond, CA – After years of suffering from flooding, the Rollingwood neighborhood is one step closer to getting some relief. The City of Richmond was selected to receive $1,598,844 in funding from California’s Natural Resources Agency Urban Flood Protection Grant Program to reduce the risk of flooding in the Rollingwood neighborhood in the Rheem Creek Watershed.

In 2018, California voters passed the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018 (Proposition 68), which directed the Natural Resources Agency to administer a competitive grant program for projects that address flooding in urbanized areas and provide multiple benefits.

For over 20 years, the Rollingwood neighborhood in unincorporated western Contra Costa County has suffered from flooding related to overflows from a stretch of Rheem Creek in the City of Richmond. Due to its location at the boundary of multiple jurisdictions, the Rollingwood reach of Rheem Creek has long been neglected and is choked with invasive vegetation, leading to sediment build up, obstructed channels, and worsening flood conditions.

In 2019, the City of Richmond collaborated with American Rivers, The Watershed Project, Restoration Design Group, and other local partners to address flooding along Rheem Creek. American Rivers received a planning grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy Climate Ready Program to figure out how to solve the problem by working with project partners to complete technical studies, conduct community outreach, and prepare community-supported action plans.

Now these plans can become reality. The Natural Resources Agency Urban Flood Protection Grant will provide the City of Richmond funding to implement the project and reduce flooding in Rheem Creek. This requires several steps: preparing construction plans, obtaining agency permits, continuing community outreach and engagement, performing the on-the-ground work, and monitoring. In approximately one year, the City of Richmond will issue a public bid for construction to remove invasive vegetation and excessive sediment, grade a more stable creek channel, repair storm drains, plant native riparian vegetation, and install new fencing and educational signage. The project team will conduct monitoring activities and post-project evaluation. Opportunities for local employment and workforce development will be included in all project activities. Construction is planned for summer 2023.

“Growing up beside Rheem Creek was an opportunity to experience its beauty and wildlife, but also a challenge with yearly flooding. I am grateful that this project will alleviate the floods while healing an important natural space in San Pablo,” said Britney Zaparolli, Rollingwood resident.

“This project would not have been possible without the leadership of the City of Richmond’s Patrick Phelan, a champion for the project from the very beginning. These types of projects aren’t in City job descriptions. They require thinking outside the box, working with local partners, taking risks, and a commitment to improving local creeks and waterways,” said Sarah Puckett with American Rivers. “This project is the kind of solution with multiple benefits for people and nature that we’d like to see more in California and across the nation.”

“The team we have assembled for this project is the direct result of relationships built at the Wildcat-San Pablo Creeks Watershed Council. I am grateful for the expertise of the project partners, and for this funding which will allow us to bring much-needed improvements to the community and the environment,” said Patrick Phelan with the City of Richmond

“The Watershed Project staff, and myself in particular, are excited to see this project advance. We have been aware of the flooding of the Rollingwood neighborhood for over 10 years. I have toured Rheem Creek in the neighborhood with many stakeholders over the years and I am so grateful for the leadership that the City of Richmond has taken to ensure that the creek capacity is finally restored and all jurisdictions are aware of the great benefit this project will bring to the neighborhood,” said Juliana Gonzalez, Executive Director of The Watershed Project.

Rheem Creek flows through a highly urbanized watershed including the City of Richmond, City of San Pablo, and the unincorporated community of Rollingwood, before entering San Pablo Bay. This multi-benefit project will help protect this urban community from flooding as well as increase California’s resilience to intensifying floods due to climate change.

The Rheem Creek project partners acknowledge that all restoration work in the Rheem Creek watershed takes place on occupied Indigenous territory of Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone people, who have continuously lived upon this land since time immemorial.