Volume 151, No. 68 covering the 1st Session of the 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATEMENT OF CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON ON THE ANACOSTIA WATERSHED ACT OF 2005” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1039 on May 20, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATEMENT OF CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON ON THE ANACOSTIA
WATERSHED ACT OF 2005
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HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
of the district of columbia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the first comprehensive clean-up plan for the Anacostia River. It has been called the
``forgotten river,'' ``a neighborhood river,'' ``the dirtiest river in America'' and an especially appropriate name would be the congressional river. The current original cosponsors include Representatives Jim Moran, Tom Davis, Chris Van Hollen, Robert Brady, Ed Markey, Albert Wynn, and Raul Grijalva and I expect additional regional members who signed on when I originally introduced the bill during the last Congress to do so again. The Anacostia River flows within 2,000 yards of the Capitol Dome. For years the Anacostia River and region have been associated with blight and despair. Like many cities across America in the past few years that have developed their waterfronts, the District of Columbia government has decided to end the underutilization of the riverfront by creating the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, dedicated to developing the Anacostia waterfront. However before development and hope can be brought to this area of the city, the river must be cleaned up. If the river is cleaned, it could be a very important economic development asset for the entire region. With a cleaned up river, visions of restaurants, parks, office buildings and pedestrian walkways will become a reality.
The bill introduced today would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a program within the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) known as the ``Anacostia Watershed Restoration Initiative.'' This initiative would create an ``Anacostia Watershed Council,'' composed of the EPA Administrator, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Interior, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, the Governor of Maryland, the Governor of Virginia and the County Executives of Montgomery and Prince George's County. The primary responsibility of the council would be to develop an action plan for the restoration, protection, and enhancement of the environmental integrity and social and economic benefits of the Anacostia watershed. Several federal agencies, such as the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Transportation, the EPA, and Army Corps of Engineers would be involved in the development and implementation of the action plan. This bill also calls for $3 million for each of 10 years to be authorized for use by the EPA, and $1 million for each of 10 years would be authorized for the other agencies. The strong Federal involvement in the bill reflects not only the location of the river, but also that Federal facilities represent the major source of its pollution.
This vital piece of legislation also would amend the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to authorize $150 million to repair and upgrade the District's inadequate combined sewer overflow system, a critical part of cleaning up the river. The District's combined sewer system was designed and constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers 160 years ago. The sewer system services Federal downtown DC, including the Capitol complex. As such, the Federal Government is directly responsible for the sewage and pollution that drains into the Anacostia River on a daily basis. I had secured a $35 million authorization in last Congress's WRDA bill in 2003, but the Senate never acted. This year I have requested $150 million, even though this amount is not enough to help the District address the combined sewer overflow problem. However, this authorization will be a major step toward correcting a serious problem.
This bill also will be the first step in bringing real hope to a region often referred to as ``east of the river''. With this bill, this once neglected region of our Nation's capital will become a thriving gathering place for tourists and residents of this region. 60 Minutes recently captured the story of the young people who are cleaning up the Anacostia River in a moving segment entitled ``Endangered Species.'' These young members of the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) are working not only to clean up the river but to ``empower our endangered youth to reclaim the Anacostia River, their communities, and their lives.'' With the Anacostia River as their classroom, the ECC has been able to achieve positive strides, both environmentally and socially. There is more we can do to support and expand their efforts and help Anacostia to become the jewel of the District of Columbia.
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