March 12, 2014
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(Washington, DC) – Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) took a bold step today to protect rivers in Colorado and across the nation by removing his support for H.R. 3189, the so-called “Water Rights Protection Act.” The House of Representatives will vote on the bill on Thursday.
The bill, which is being pushed by the National Ski Areas Association, Aspen’s SkiCo, as well as the Farm Bureau and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, would have sweeping impacts on rivers in the West and nationwide — preventing federal agencies from doing their job to safeguard rivers, fish and wildlife.
“We applaud Congressman Polis for having the courage to stand up and do what is right,” said Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers. “Jared Polis is a true champion for healthy rivers, and for everybody who fishes, boats, and enjoys the outdoors. His leadership sets a great example and we hope his colleagues in the House follow him in opposing this harmful bill.”
“Rep. Polis’ district is in the headwaters of the Colorado River, and his action today removing his support from this bill will help protect this great river,” said Gary Wockner of the Save The Colorado River Campaign. “The rivers of Colorado and the Southwest U.S. are already under extreme threat and stress. Rep. Polis is taking the right position in opposing this bill that would further imperil our rivers.”
H.R. 3189 essentially allows private water users to dry up rivers with impunity and would impact a wide variety of river restoration efforts nationwide. The bill could stop the Fish and Wildlife Service from requiring flows that help salmon find fish ladders so that they can safely pass over dams. It could prohibit the Forest Service from requiring water diverters to leave some water in streams on National Forests to keep native cutthroat trout alive. It would potentially destroy broadly supported multi-year and multi-million dollar settlement agreements — such as the ones on the Klamath and San Joaquin rivers — to restore salmon and steelhead fisheries at hydropower facilities, and would even set back efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.
More than 80 local, state and national environmental, recreation, and sportsmen’s groups have written letters in opposition to H.R. 3189 and tens of thousands of individual Americans have taken action, urging their Members of Congress to oppose the bill.
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.
March 3, 2014
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(Washington, DC) – Statement of Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers
The Environmental Protection Agency today announced a process that could lead to prohibiting industrial mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The agency is invoking its Clean Water Act authority to assess whether to prohibit or restrict waste disposal from the proposed Pebble Mine into Alaska’s pristine Bristol Bay watershed, one of the most productive on earth.
The rivers of Bristol Bay support the world’s largest salmon fishery, worth more than $300 million annually. Pebble would be North America’s largest open pit mine, threatening not only clean water and salmon, but the way of life of native tribes and the economy of local communities.
American Rivers listed the rivers of Bristol Bay among America’s Most Endangered Rivers for six years (1990-1993, 2006, and 2011), highlighting the threat of mining and the national importance of the rivers.
Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers, made the following statement:
“We applaud EPA for taking this important step toward protecting one of the world’s last great places. The risks associated with this mine are simply too great to allow it in such a pristine area. We hope EPA follows the science and ultimately decides to block the mine. We must protect Bristol Bay and its salmon and clean water 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/AmericanRivers, and Twitter.com/AmericanRivers.
February 28, 2014
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(Washington, DC) – American Rivers today applauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Michael Connor as Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
The President of American Rivers, Bob Irvin, made the following statement:
“The confirmation of Michael Connor as Deputy Secretary of the Interior is great news for our nation’s rivers and all of the communities that depend on them.”
“Mike Connor was an outstanding Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. His support for restoring and protecting rivers and his leadership in finding solutions to water scarcity challenges throughout the West, in such places as the Yakima, Klamath, and Colorado basins and river systems throughout California, will pay dividends for generations to come.”
“American Rivers congratulates Deputy Secretary Connor, and we look forward to continuing our work with him and Secretary Jewell to protect and restore the health of our nation’s rivers.”
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 19, 2014
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(Washington, DC) – American Rivers opposes H.R. 3492, the River Paddling Protection Act. This bill, as amended, would lift the National Park Service’s longstanding ban on paddling on most waters in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, effective three years from the date of enactment.
The Park Service would have those three years to develop a new set of regulations that would clarify which waters would be open to paddling and under what conditions. The bill was introduced by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) and was incorporated into H.R. 2954, a package of legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month.
American Rivers opposes this legislation because we believe that it is inappropriate for Congress to micromanage individual uses in our national parks, especially if these uses have the potential to impair park resources or adversely impact visitor experiences. We believe that management governing paddling and other recreational activities on our Wild and Scenic Rivers and in our National Parks should be developed using the best available science and with ample opportunities for public involvement, not by Congressional fiat. We urge the Senate to reject H.R. 3492.
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 19, 2014
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
(Washington, DC) – Communities in 18 states, working in partnership with non-profit organizations and state and federal agencies, removed 51 dams in 2013, American Rivers announced today. Outdated or unsafe dams came out of rivers in Alabama, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, restoring more than 500 miles of streams for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people.
Pennsylvania topped the list for the eleventh year in a row. The top three states for river restoration through dam removal in 2013 are:
- Pennsylvania – 12 dams removed
- Oregon – 8 dams removed
- New Jersey – 4 dams removed
Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Vermont all had three dam removals in 2013.
“The river restoration movement in our country is stronger than ever. Communities nationwide are removing outdated dams because they recognize that a healthy, free-flowing river is a tremendous asset,” said Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers.
American Rivers will add the information on these 51 dam removals to its database of nearly 1,150 dams that have been removed across the country since 1912. Most of those dams (nearly 850) were removed in the past 20 years. American Rivers is the only organization maintaining a record of dam removals in the United States and uses the information to communicate the benefits of dam removal, which include restoring river health and clean water, revitalizing fish and wildlife, improving public safety and recreation, and enhancing local economies.
American Rivers played a role in 25 of the dam removals in 2013. This list includes all known dam removals, regardless of the level of American Rivers’ involvement. See the full list at www.AmericanRivers.org/2013DamRemovals.
To accompany the 2013 list, American Rivers launched an interactive map that includes all known dam removals in the United States as far back as 1936. The map features the name of the dam and river, location, year the dam was removed, and a description. Explore the map at www.AmericanRivers.org/DamRemovalsMap.
Highlights of dam removal and river restoration efforts in 2013 include:
Whittenton Dam, Mill River, Massachusetts
The Whittenton Dam was the second in a series of three dam removals from the Mill River in Taunton, MA. Built in 1832, this 8-foot high, 100-foot wide, concrete dam originally provided power for textile and other mills. Concerns over dam owner liability, public safety, and fish passage prompted its removal. A near failure in 2005 that would have caused catastrophic flooding resulted in the evacuation of 2,000 people from downtown Taunton. The issues at the dam provided the catalyst for improved dam safety regulations in Massachusetts. This successful project restored a mile of river and floodplain habitat for fish and wildlife. American Rivers and project partners are completing the designs to remove the third dam in the coming year. Together with a new fish ladder at the fourth upstream dam, this restoration effort will open access to important spawning habitat for river herring, American eel and sea lamprey.
Lassiter Mill Dam, Uwharrie River, North Carolina
Lassiter Mill Dam, a 12-foot high, 200-foot long structure on the Uwharrie River in Randolph County, North Carolina, was removed in August 2013. American Rivers, along with the Piedmont Conservation Council, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the landowners worked to restore a historic American shad run as well as habitat for other aquatic life, including freshwater mussels and native fish. The dam removal allowed access to an additional 14.6 miles of mainstem habitat and a total of 189 reconnected river miles including tributaries. This was the third dam removal in this watershed. American Rivers and partners will work toward removal of a fourth dam in the coming years.
Stearns Dam, Crooked River, Prineville, Oregon
The six-foot tall, 150-foot wide Stearns Dam was removed from the Crooked River to open up 12 miles of habitat for Chinook salmon and Middle Columbia steelhead.
Stearns Dam was a rock- and log-filled structure covered with concrete. A pioneering family led by patriarch Sidney Stearns constructed the dam in 1911. The family used the structure to divert water from the Crooked River onto their ranch lands for irrigation. The aging dam had outlived its useful purpose and was no longer used to divert irrigation flows, making it a candidate for removal.
The section of the river upstream from this dam is some of the river’s best habitat and includes the beginning stretch of the Wild and Scenic portion of the Crooked River. The Crooked River is the Deschutes River’s largest tributary and the Stearns Dam removal will benefit the fish reintroduction program underway in the larger Deschutes Basin. This project to restore fish passage and river health to the Crooked River was in development for 10 years. The project was funded in part by a national partnership between American Rivers and the NOAA Restoration Center. The local Crooked River Watershed Council and landowner, Quail Valley Ranch, were key project collaborators.
See the full list at www.AmericanRivers.org/2013DamRemovals.
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 5, 2014
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
(Washington, DC) – The House of Representatives today will consider H.R. 3964, legislation that waives critical clean water and river safeguards in California, slashes endangered species protections, and unravels key river protection and restoration agreements such as the San Joaquin River Settlement Act.
The president of American Rivers, Bob Irvin, made the following statement:
“This bill is a radical and misguided response to the drought in California and would do far more harm than good. This is a drought of historic proportions and the people of California deserve real solutions that will protect and restore their rivers and clean water and make water supplies more flexible, reliable, and resilient for the future.”
“It is the lack of rain, not environmental laws, that has caused the low water supplies across the state. Waiving protections provided by the Endangered Species Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and other state and federal environmental laws will not make it rain or create more water. But it will be devastating to endangered salmon and steelhead and the many communities that rely on fishing for their livelihoods. In times of drought and stress to our rivers, we need more than ever to maintain environmental safeguards, which protect clean drinking water, conserve fish and wildlife, and benefit people.”
“American Rivers supports immediate actions to ease the impact of the drought, including drought relief for farmers and statewide water conservation. We are also working toward longer-term innovative water management solutions. While we cannot prevent droughts from happening in the future, we can make our communities better prepared through investment in solutions such as groundwater recharge, water recycling, stormwater reuse, forest and meadow restoration, and agricultural easements to preserve seasonal crops that can be fallowed during droughts.”
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 29, 2014
Contact: Amy Kober, 503-708-1145
(Washington, DC) – “We applaud President Obama for redoubling his commitment to fight climate change, which he noted is already harming communities with more frequent droughts and floods. In California and across the West, where the drought is of historic proportions, and rivers and water supplies are at record lows, the need to fight climate change and embrace solutions like water conservation is more urgent than ever.
“We also commend the President for his pledge to safeguard clean water and pristine federal lands for future generations. Clean, healthy rivers and wild places are vital to the health of our communities, families, and local economies.
“We look forward to continuing to work with President Obama and his administration to protect and restore the rivers that benefit us all.”
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 13, 2014
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(Washington, DC) – Statement of American Rivers’ President Bob Irvin:
“We support the communities that depend on the Elk River for their drinking water and call upon all citizens, industry, and state officials to protect this vital resource. The recent spill of coal-processing chemicals into the Elk River, contaminating the drinking water supply for hundreds of thousands of West Virginians, brings our reliance on clean, healthy rivers into sharp focus. The Elk River, like all waterways in West Virginia, is designated for use as a source of public drinking water. The Freedom Industries spill clearly shows the importance and need for upholding and enforcing laws that protect clean drinking water and public health. Preventing future spills of this kind is one reason American Rivers advocates for strong legal protections for our rivers provided by laws such as the federal Clean Water Act and related state laws.”
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.
