[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 24, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE REINTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL URBAN WATERSHED MODEL RESTORATION 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 24, 1999

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I reintroduce the National Urban 
Watershed Model Restoration Act, a bill to establish a new approach to 
restoring urban waters. This pilot program, to be administered by the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will serve as a national model 
for the restoration of urban watersheds and community environments. The 
Anacostia River has been chosen as the pilot river because it is an 
especially polluted urban river located in the nation's capital that 
has drawn national attention and thus can lead the way for community-
involved cleanup approaches that can be modeled and taken up 
nationally.
  To achieve more focused and rapid action, the new program will 
integrate the various regulatory and non-regulatory programs of the EPA 
with other federal, state, and local programs to restore and protect 
the Anacostia River and promote community risk reduction. EPA is to 
coordinate its efforts with other federal partners, particularly the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to addressing a major local 
environmental concern, this model program will provide a framework for 
urban communities around the nation to work towards sustainable 
community redevelopment and to meet national environmental goals.
  Under the new program, EPA shall allocate a total of $750,000 per 
year over the next 4 fiscal years to implement the provisions of the 
Model Program. EPA may authorize no less than $400,000 annually in the 
form of grants, which are to be matched on a 75-25 basis with other 
federal funds and state, local, and private contributions.
  The Anacostia River has been my top environmental priority since 
coming to Congress in 1991. In the 104th Congress, I worked through the 
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment to authorize $12 
million of construction projects to help clean up and restore wetlands 
along the Anacostia watershed. I am pleased that the Administration has 
proposed over $4 million in the Army Corps of Engineers' FY 2000 budget 
for Anacostia projects that springs from the original $12 million 
authorization.
  I am committed to whatever time and effort it takes to restore the 
river that runs through the neighborhoods of the nation's capital. The 
bill that I introduce today marks a renewed effort, as well as an 
innovative approach, to advancing this top environmental priority.

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