Contact: Ben Emanuel, 706-340-8868 or Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
February 15, 2017
Washington – A ruling this week on management of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, named America’s Most Endangered River in 2016, shows the effort to restore river health and ensure secure water supplies is far from over.
The Special Master appointed to oversee the trial in Florida v. Georgia, the State of Florida’s original action against Georgia in the U.S. Supreme Court, heard arguments from both sides and yesterday issued his report to the Court.
The state of Florida alleged that Georgia’s ever-increasing water consumption from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system is damaging the environment and the local economy in northwest Florida’s Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay.
The Special Master, attorney Ralph Lancaster of Portland, Maine, recommended that the Supreme Court deny Florida’s request for relief via a water consumption cap imposed on Georgia. Although he acknowledged that Apalachicola Bay has suffered due to declining river flows, Lancaster noted that capping Georgia’s water consumption may not increase river flows if there are not changes in management by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well. The Court will decide whether to adopt, modify or reject the Special Master’s recommendations.
Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“Though we’re disappointed that the Special Master did not recommend changes to water management, he did recognize the damage being done to the rivers and communities of the basin. The debate over water management in the ACF Basin is far from over. The states of Georgia, Florida and Alabama must come together to create a workable water-sharing agreement. And, it’s more important than ever that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improve management of its facilities to support healthy rivers and communities throughout the basin.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers
February 10, 2017
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington, DC – The failure of a dam in northern Nevada yesterday and the appearance of a 30-foot deep hole in the spillway of the nation’s tallest dam – Oroville Dam in California – highlight the crumbling of our nation’s water infrastructure and the danger posed by aging dams.
The earthen Twentyone Mile Dam on Thousand Springs Creek in Elko County, Nevada burst following heavy rains. On the Feather River in California, erosion created a hole in the concrete spillway of the 770-foot tall Oroville Dam. Nobody was injured in the Nevada dam failure and officials say the hole in Oroville Dam’s spillway does not endanger the integrity of the dam or safety of downstream communities.
According to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, America’s dams are degrading faster than they are being repaired, the number of high hazard dams has increased over time, and the cost to rehabilitate dams continues to rise.
By 2020, seventy percent of dams in the United States will be more than 50 years old. Aging dams can pose a serious safety threat for individuals and entire communities.
Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“Outdated dams can threaten communities. When they fail, they can destroy lives and property. Thankfully nobody was injured in Elko County, but this event raises the alarm about the danger that aging dams pose to many communities.”
“It is critical we make the right investments to ensure our rivers are healthy and our nation’s water infrastructure is safe. More frequent and intense storms and floods are straining aging dams and other infrastructure.”
“Where appropriate, communities are using dam removal as a solution to address the problem of dangerous, outdated dams,” he said.
American Rivers said that states can strengthen their dam safety programs by:
- Making it the responsibility of dam owners to inspect and maintain their dams;
- Requiring more frequent, detailed inspections of hazardous dams;
- Increasing penalties for unsafe dams and violations; and,
- Requiring dam owners to ensure that funds are available to repair or remove dams in the event they can’t or won’t meet safety standards.
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
February 6, 2017
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington, DC – Reversing a decision it made in December, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will approve the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross the Missouri River.
Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“We are disappointed with this decision and the reversal of the Corps’ determination in December that the project needed a thorough environmental review, along with the consideration of alternatives. A change in administration does not change the requirements of the law.”
“American Rivers supports the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s efforts to secure clean water for its people now and in the future. The tribe is a sovereign nation and has every right to protect the health and safety of its members as well as the lands and waters vital to its culture and heritage. The Dakota Access Pipeline deserves a full environmental review, with meaningful consultation with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
February 2, 2017
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today, with no Democrats present, supported the confirmation of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In response, Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, released the following statement:
“Scott Pruitt is the wrong choice to lead EPA and we are disappointed the Committee voted to move his nomination forward.”
“Clean water is essential for every American. As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Scott Pruitt has consistently worked to undermine clean water safeguards. He has fought to overturn protections for streams that provide drinking water for millions of Americans and sided with polluters at the expense of ordinary citizens.”
“Americans deserve an EPA Administrator who will protect our rivers and clean water. When the Pruitt nomination comes to the floor, the full Senate should reject his nomination.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
January 19, 2017
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington, DC – American Rivers applauded the Obama Administration today for acting to protect the health of the Mississippi River and protect communities from flood damage. The agencies agreed not to move forward with a decades-long effort by the Army Corps of Engineers to construct the New Madrid Levee Project.
American Rivers named the Mississippi River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® in 2014 because of the threat the levee project posed to river health, habitat and public safety. See: http://www.americanrivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/mer_2014.pdf
As a result of the Obama Administration’s action, floodwaters will continue to reach 70,000 acres of floodplain, nourishing spawning and rearing habitat for fish in the middle Mississippi River as well as essential habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.
Blocking levee construction also ensures that the New Madrid Floodway, located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, will continue to safely store floodwaters during catastrophic floods, protecting regional communities. The New Madrid Floodway serves as a “relief valve” when high water in the Mississippi threatens nearby towns including Cairo, IL.
“This is a big win for one of our nation’s most iconic rivers,” said Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers. “We applaud the Obama Administration for acting to safeguard communities from flood damage and protect vital fish and wildlife habitat. Today’s announcement underscores the importance of connecting rivers with their floodplains in the Mississippi River Basin and nationwide.”
The Mississippi River once experienced seasonal floods that spread out over its floodplain, creating a mosaic of backwaters, wetlands and sloughs. These periodic floods were the driving force behind robust and diverse ecosystems that were home to an abundant array of fish, birds and wildlife. Over the past century, levees and flood control projects cut off the river from its floodplain, destroying habitat and impacting river health. Stopping the New Madrid Levee preserves the last connection the middle Mississippi has to its floodplain.
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
January 18, 2016
Contact: Amy Kober, American Rivers, 503-708-1145
Heads of 19 Environmental, Conservation Groups Come Out Against Pruitt’s Nomination
Washington, DC – The CEOs from 19 leading environmental and conservation organizations together came out today to oppose the nomination of Scott Pruitt for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and agree that someone who denies the effects of climate change and actively fights against clean air and water regulations is not fit for the job.
The Oklahoma Attorney General has repeatedly sued the EPA to block clean air and clean water standards in place to protect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Mr. Pruitt’s actions against the EPA have put drinking water and clean air at risk, endangering communities, wildlife, national parks, forests and other public lands and waters across the country. He sued the EPA to overturn clean water safeguards for more than half the nation’s waterways, including streams that feed into the drinking water supplies of 117 million Americans. Mr. Pruitt’s anti-environmental work extends beyond Oklahoma’s borders, as he fought against important water pollution controls for the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest and most productive tidal estuary.
Mr. Pruitt has repeatedly denied climate science, calling it “speculative.” Such an ill-conceived and dangerous perspective could jeopardize national parks, which are seen as being on the front lines for impacts from climate change.
Ethical concerns have also been raised, questioning Mr. Pruitt’s relationships with fossil fuel industry leaders. More than $340,000 in campaign contributions were given to Mr. Pruitt during his political career and nearly $3.5 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association during the time he was at the helm of that organization.
The statement comes from the CEOs of National Parks Conservation Association, Center for International Environmental Law, American Rivers, The Wilderness Society, Clean Water Action, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Ocean Conservancy, Environment America, Friends of the Earth, Alaska Wilderness League, Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, Greenpeace, Green for All, League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense Fund, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Collectively, these organizations represent the interests of millions of Americans, from national parks to wildlife refuges, and call on the Senate to reject Mr. Pruitt’s nomination. Many CEOs have offered specific statements below.
STATEMENTS
“There is no denying that we are at a crossroads, and our actions now will impact the quality of the air and water in our national parks for generations to come,” said National Parks Conservation Association President and CEO Theresa Pierno. “Glacier National Park will eventually have no glaciers. Joshua trees will recede from their namesake Joshua Tree National Park. These are very real threats, where the science is conclusive. We cannot entrust the air and water quality of our national parks to someone who turns a blind eye to science. If Congress is committed to the lasting legacy of our national parks, it must confirm a nominee who will protect them.”
“As Oklahoma AG, Scott Pruitt Scott Pruitt consistently undermined people’s right to a healthy environment by fighting against vital regulations,” said Carroll Muffett, President of the Center for International Environmental Law. “He opposed investigations into Exxon’s climate denial by other state attorneys general. He passed off oil industry lobby documents as official comments by his state. And he consistently favored industry interests over the needs of his citizens, the protection of the environment or the dictates of science. His nomination would put EPA in the hands and under control of industry to the detriment of the climate, the environment and the American people.”
“Clean water is essential for every American. As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Scott Pruitt has consistently worked to undermine clean water safeguards,” said Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers. “From fighting to overturn protections for streams that provide drinking water for millions of Americans, to siding with polluters at the expense of ordinary citizens, his record makes him the wrong choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. The Senate should reject his nomination.”
“Americans deserve a leader at the EPA who will fight to protect human health and the environment–air, water and land,” said Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society. “It’s frightening to think the nation may get the exact opposite. We expect Senators will shed light on Attorney General Pruitt’s agenda. We will not let corporate interests sell out our natural heritage when they think no one is looking.”
“We have never encountered a Presidential nominee like Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, whose record indicates an open hostility towards the essential purpose and functions of the Environmental Protection Agency—the very agency he seeks to lead,” said Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen. “As Oklahoma’s attorney general, he has repeatedly attacked bedrock laws that protect our air and water and put our health and communities in jeopardy. Under his leadership, the Oklahoma Office of Attorney General filed more than 20 lawsuits against the EPA attacking life-saving public health protections, like the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard — a safeguard that would protect children against toxic mercury pollution and prevent 11,000 premature deaths each year across the country. He has also questioned the scientific basis of climate change, even though the Environmental Protection Agency is the most important agency positioned to curb the most harmful effects of our warming planet. Putting Scott Pruitt in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency is an open invitation to Big Oil and other polluters that would destroy our clean air, clean water, and our people’s health and well-being.”
“Ensuring clean air and clean water for all Americans and protecting our families’ health is the core mission of the EPA and its administrator,” said Margie Alt, Executive Director of Environment America. “Attorney General Pruitt’s track record show him to be singularly unqualified for this job.”
“An Environmental Protection Agency led by Scott Pruitt would be a disaster for America’s drinking water,” said Robert Wendelgass, President of Clean Water Action. “His activism on behalf of big water polluters in the oil and agriculture industry has already put the sources of drinking water for millions of Americans at risk. The Senate must reject him.”
“Attorney General Pruitt’s has sided with polluters over people his entire career,” said Vien Truong, Director, Green for All. “We should be under no illusion that his priorities would change as EPA Administrator. For the frontline communities that are most impacted by pollution — which are disproportionately low-income and communities of color — the EPA’s readiness to enforce our nation’s environmental laws can be literally a matter of life or death. For their sake, we urge the U.S Senate to reject this nominee.”
“Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA is like the fox in charge of the hen house,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, President and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. He has led the charge against the EPA to roll back protections for clean air and water and to stabilize the climate. His actions would put all Americans – and our climate, air, wildlife and waterways – at risk. We don’t need another Flint, Michigan or the Cuyahoga River fire on our hands. Healthy water and air benefit people and wildlife. We need a leader for the EPA who upholds our nation’s strong environmental laws, follows science and the letter of the law, accepts that climate change is real and fights to protect our air, water and wildlife.”
“LCV strongly opposes Scott Pruitt, a climate denier who has sued the EPA a whopping 14 times over commonsense, science-based public health protections,” said League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski. “There is a clear and very disturbing pattern of Pruitt taking action on behalf of polluting companies in very close proximity to those companies making large financial contributions. Scott Pruitt is the opposite of draining the swamp. He’s a radical extremist who sides with polluters and their profits at the expense of our air and water at every opportunity.”
“Pruitt has spent his entire career attempting to dismantle environmental protections,” said Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund. That’s why Mr. Pruitt is the first E.P.A. nominee from either party that the Environmental Defense Fund has opposed in our 50-year history.”
“Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is the worst nominee ever tapped to lead the U.S Environmental Protection Agency,” said Rhea Suh, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “He doesn’t have a single environmental achievement to his name, doesn’t believe in the agency’s mission, and has made a career out of suing the EPA to try to block it from doing its job as the guardian of our environment and health. Even now, secretive industry-backed groups are raising millions of dollars to try to pressure the Senate into approving Pruitt’s nomination. The Senate must reject this unfit candidate so he can’t block needed progress as the agency’s head.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
December 28, 2016
Contact: Matthew Moseley, (303) 887 -0826
Aspen should instead use this as an opportunity to forever protect Maroon and Castle creeks from dams
ASPEN, CO — Today American Rivers filed a Statement of Opposition with the Colorado Water Court to an application by The City of Aspen to continue conditional water rights to pursue two large dams at the foot of the Maroon Bells and on Castle Creek near Ashcroft. The proposed 155-foot dam on Maroon Creek and 175-foot dam on Castle Creek would flood portions of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area, forever changing the iconic and world-renowned valleys. Aspen’s own 2016 water availability report clearly states that Aspen does not need these dams.
Matt Rice, director of the Colorado River Basin Program, made the following statement:
“Aspen does not need these dams for municipal water supply, climate resiliency, or for stream protection – now or at any time in the foreseeable future. Why not come up with a solution that does not involve dams? If the city were to determine sometime in the future that new storage is needed, reservoirs that flood wilderness on Castle and Maroon Creeks would be the last place in the valley they would consider. We believe the best time to get bad projects off the books is as early as possible and this diligence filing is that opportunity for the city to do so.”
Dave Nickum, the executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited also made a statement:
“We hope that Aspen will take this opportunity to work with stakeholders on better solutions for its water future. Building dams on free-flowing streams in one of Colorado’s most iconic wilderness areas is the last approach we should be taking to meet water needs in the 21st Century. It is time to look forward toward new strategies, instead of relying on flawed ideas from the past.”
Conditional is the crucial word here. According to the Colorado Standards for Due Diligence and Colorado Water Law, the City of Aspen can only possess these rights on the condition they develop the dams. That is what the water right was granted for in 1965. If the city does not renew these rights they simply vanish. No one else can claim these water rights. There are many examples of entities giving up such conditional water rights, most notably Denver Water on the Eagle River Project and the Colorado River District canceling conditional water rights on the Crystal River.
Organizations including American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, Western Resource Advocates, Wilderness Workshop and others are engaged because they want to preserve Castle and Maroon Creeks for future generations–a value that we believe is shared by the City of Aspen. The Pitkin County Board of Commissioners and the U.S. Forest Service are also opposing Aspen’s application.
See Facebook page here with a petition: https://www.facebook.com/Preserve-Maroon-and-Castle-Creek-1320098754701449/
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
December 23, 2016
Contact:
Drew Peternell, (303) 204-3057, dpeternell@tu.org.
Matt Rice, (803) 422-5244, mrice@americanrivers.org,
Paul Bruchez, (907) 531-2008, reedercreekranch@gmail.com
(Kremmling, CO)—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) this week announced $7.75 million in funding for an ambitious slate of projects to address the impacts on the Colorado River of trans-mountain diversions of water from the West Slope to the Front Range. Fisheries conservation group Trout Unlimited is the lead partner on the grant application.
The Colorado River Headwaters Project received $7,758,830 from the NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to improve irrigation systems and reverse the decline in water quality and fish habitat in the headwaters of the Colorado River.
Led by an array of partners representing conservation interests, agriculture, local government, water providers, state agencies, and landowners, the Headwaters Project will create a bypass channel to reconnect the Colorado River at Windy Gap Reservoir, make channel and habitat improvements downstream of the bypass near Kremmling, Colorado, to support healthy river habitat, and improve irrigation systems as well as soil and water quality.
When fully implemented, the Headwaters Project will directly benefit more than 30 miles of the Colorado River and 4,500 acres of irrigated lands that provide sage grouse habitat and make available up to 11,000 acre-feet of water to improve the river during low-flow conditions.
“This is a huge win for the Colorado River,” said Drew Peternell, director of Trout Unlimited’s Colorado Water Project. “We’re seeing an exciting and ambitious conservation vision for the upper Colorado become reality. With this funding, we’ll be able to put the ecosystem pieces of the upper Colorado River back together and restore the river and its trout fishery to health.”
“The Headwaters of the Colorado project is a great example of how municipal water providers, ranchers, conservation organizations and others can work together to restore an important reach the Colorado River for both the environment and agricultural operations with benefits downstream,” said Matt Rice, director of the Colorado River Basin Program at American Rivers. “A collaboration like this would have been unheard of 10 years ago. It’s a win for everyone in Colorado.”
At present, transmountain diversions divert over 60 percent of the upper Colorado River’s native flows across the Continental Divide for use in the Front Range and northern Colorado. The resulting low flows in the river have seriously undermined the operations of irrigation systems and the health of the Colorado River in the project area. Low flows make it difficult for irrigators to divert water, especially during drought, and also raise water temperatures and hamper the river’s ability to transport sediment, leading to sediment buildup on the riverbed that degrades aquatic habitat.
Local ranchers wanted to address these irrigation problems as well as river health, said Paul Bruchez, a Kremmling-area rancher who organized his neighboring landowners into the Irrigators of Lands in the Vicinity of Kremmling (ILVK) group, a key project partner. The project will install several innovative instream structures designed to provide adequate water levels for irrigation while also improving critical fish habitat. This will be the first project in the country to demonstrate these stream engineering practices on a significant scale.
“This news is life-changing for the headwaters of the Colorado River and those who rely on it,” said Bruchez. “Years ago, water stakeholders in this region were at battle. Now, it is a collaboration that will create resiliency and sustainability for the health of the river and its agricultural producers. Healthy ranches need healthy rivers, and the RCPP funding will help sustain both.”
The Windy Gap Reservoir bypass and the Kremmling area river improvements address several pieces of the puzzle in a long-term, regional effort to restore the upper Colorado River. Other pieces include agreements that TU helped negotiate with Denver Water and the Northern Colorado Water District that contained significant river protections as well as an innovative, long-term monitoring and adaptive management process (called “Learning by Doing”) that requires stakeholders to work together to ensure the future health of the river. That progress and collaboration is all the more remarkable coming after years of conflict between West Slope interests and conservation groups concerned about the health of the river, and Front Range water providers seeking to divert more water across the Divide.
“What’s happening on the upper Colorado shows that water users can work together to ensure river health while meeting diverse uses,” said TU’s Peternell. “This project is a model of what cooperation and collaboration can achieve in meeting our water challenges in Colorado and the Colorado River Basin.”
Other Headwaters Project partners who will provide assistance include the Northern Water Conservation District, Denver Water, Colorado River Conservation District, Middle Park Soil Conservation District, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Grand County, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
About Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with 147,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. Colorado Trout Unlimited has more than 10,000 grassroots members across the state.
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRivers and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
December 15, 2016
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington, DC – Reacting to the announcement that the Obama Administration will block development of a copper and nickel mine near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“American Rivers named the Boundary Waters among America’s Most Endangered Rivers™ in 2013 because of the threat this mine posed to clean water and one of our nation’s natural treasures. Today’s announcement is a great victory for all of our partners and the tens of thousands of people across the country who took action to safeguard this special place. We applaud the Obama Administration for acting to protect the Boundary Waters and its pristine rivers, abundant fish and wildlife and world-class recreation opportunities for future generations.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRiversand Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
December 14, 2016
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington, DC – President-elect Donald Trump has selected Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) as his nominee for Secretary of the Interior, to oversee conservation and management of thousands of miles of rivers and 500 million acres of public lands including national parks, wildlife refuges and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“Of the short list of finalists who President-elect Trump was reportedly considering for Secretary of the Interior, we believe Rep. Zinke has the most balanced track record when it comes to conserving our nation’s lands, waters and wildlife. We are encouraged by the fact that he has opposed transferring federal public lands to the states, supported permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and fought to protect East Rosebud Creek as Montana’s first new Wild and Scenic River in 40 years. However, we have serious concerns about some of the views he has expressed on expanding logging, mining, and oil and gas drilling on our public lands, and we are disappointed that he has consistently opposed efforts to restore protections for clean water and combat climate change.”
“The Secretary of the Interior plays a crucial role in the management of our nation’s rivers and water supplies. Our next Secretary of the Interior must prioritize the protection and restoration of rivers nationwide. Rivers provide clean drinking water for two-thirds of Americans. They are economic engines for local businesses, and backyard escapes for families to experience the joy of the outdoors. As an angler, Rep. Zinke knows this firsthand.”
“Important river restoration and water supply agreements such as those on the Klamath, San Joaquin, and Colorado are at stake, along with the health of thousands of miles of rivers and streams nationwide. With drought gripping western states, wild salmon runs on the brink of extinction in the Columbia and Snake rivers, and climate change threatening local communities and economies nationwide, we need a Secretary of the Interior who will prioritize restoration, protection and stewardship of our nation’s natural resources.”
“With the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act approaching in 2018, American Rivers is committed to protecting and defending our nation’s free-flowing, wild rivers. If confirmed, we look forward to working with Secretary Zinke to safeguard more Wild and Scenic Rivers for the benefit of all Americans.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRiversand Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
December 9, 2016
Contact Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington –President-elect Donald Trump is expected to appoint Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) as Secretary of the Interior to oversee conservation and management of thousands of miles of rivers and 500 million acres of public lands including National Parks, Forests, Wildlife Refuges and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“President-elect Trump’s choice of Cathy McMorris Rodgers for Secretary of the Interior raises concerns about what kind of Interior Secretary she will be and her commitment to conserving our rivers, clean water supplies, wild salmon and our nation’s priceless natural heritage.”
“Over the past two years, Rep. McMorris Rodgers authored and championed legislation to roll back protections at hydropower dams, weakening safeguards for clean water, fish and wildlife and public lands, and undermining the protection of tribal lands in hydroelectric dam relicensing proceedings. By contrast, in 2013 Rep. McMorris Rodgers worked with American Rivers on successful legislation to promote hydropower without undermining bedrock environmental laws like the Clean Water Act. We hope that, if confirmed as Interior Secretary, she will return to that approach and work for the conservation interests of the American people, not just the interests of large energy companies.”
“Important river restoration and water supply agreements such as those on the Klamath, San Joaquin, and Colorado are at stake, along with the health of thousands of miles of rivers and streams nationwide. With drought gripping western states, wild salmon runs on the brink of extinction in the Columbia and Snake rivers, and climate change threatening local communities and economies nationwide, we need a Secretary of the Interior who will prioritize restoration, protection and stewardship of our nation’s natural resources.”
“Our rivers and public lands are vital to the health and well-being of our nation. They provide clean drinking water sources for downstream communities, economic engines for local businesses, and backyard escapes for families to experience the joy of the outdoors. We must protect these special places, not open them even more to unfettered oil and gas development, mining, and new dams and diversions.”
“With the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act approaching in 2018, American Rivers is committed to protecting and defending our nation’s free-flowing, wild rivers.”
“We hope that the Senate will carefully scrutinize Rep. McMorris Rodgers’s record on clean water, public lands, fish and wildlife, climate change, and other environmental issues in deciding whether to confirm her to lead the Department of the Interior.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRiversand Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
December 7, 2016
Contact Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
Washington, DC – President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raises major concerns for clean drinking water and river health nationwide, American Rivers said today.
President-elect Trump announced he will nominate Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, who worked to overturn the Clean Water Rule and who opposes efforts to fight climate change, to run the agency whose mission is protecting human health and the environment.
Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“This appointment raises serious alarms for all Americans who value rivers and the clean water they provide. As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Scott Pruitt sued to block the Clean Water Rule, issued by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which restored federal protection under the Clean Water Act to headwater streams and wetlands. Mr. Pruitt has also sued to block EPA’s Clean Power Plan which would reduce pollution that causes climate change and harms rivers.”
“Every family in the United States deserves clean, safe drinking water flowing from their taps. Rivers provide drinking water for 2/3 of Americans. By filing suit to overturn the Clean Water Rule, Scott Pruitt called into question his commitment to protecting clean water for every American. We hope that Senators will carefully scrutinize Mr. Pruitt’s record on clean water, climate change, and other environmental issues in deciding whether to confirm him to lead EPA.”
ABOUT AMERICAN RIVERS
American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 250,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations. Find your connections at AmericanRivers.org, Facebook.com/AmericanRiversand Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
