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Week Ending July 29, 2005

S 301 A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in implementing cultural heritage, conservation, and recreational activities in the Connecticut River watershed of the States of New Hampshire and Vermont.

BRIEF

   The bill would provide grants and technical assistance to the governments of New Hampshire and Vermont, local governments, nonprofits, and the private sector to carry out projects for the conservation, restoration, and interpretation of historic and other resources in the Connecticut River watershed. 

  The funds would be used to implement the Connecticut River Corridor Management Plan and the New Hampshire and Vermont Connecticut River Joint Commissions would ride herd on the effort.

{More details below}

Sponsor: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent (July 27, 2005)

Cost to the taxpayers: “The bill would authorize the appropriation of $1 million annually over the 2006-2015 period for these purposes. S. 301 would limit the Federal share of the cost of such projects to 75 percent.” CBO said.

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MORE INFORMATION

From the Committee Report

“The Connecticut River is New England's largest river ecosystem and one of the Nation's 14 American Heritage Rivers. Its watershed encompasses over 11,000 square miles of wild, rural, and urban lands in parts of four states--Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The Connecticut River Valley's rich history, economic vitality, and renewed environmental integrity are at the heart of the region's quality of life and sense of place.

“Known to Native Americans as Quenticut, `the long tidal river,' the Connecticut carves a sinuous, shimmering pathway south from Fourth Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border--past forested mountains and small hamlets, through rich farmlands and large cities--to empty 410 miles later into Long Island Sound.

Dammed and dumped in over the past 150 years, the Connecticut gained the reputation by the mid-twentieth century of being the Nation's `best landscaped sewer.' People and communities turned their backs to it. Spring runs of Atlantic salmon and American shad disappeared.

“Following passage of the Federal Clean Water Act in 1972, communities and businesses stopped using the River as a dump. Today the water quality in the River and its tributaries is dramatically improved. Salmon and shad are returning, and community riverfronts are being revitalized.

“The rich natural diversity and special qualities of the Connecticut and its watershed have gained both national and international recognition. It was designated an American Heritage River in 1998, the entire watershed is a National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and its tidal wetlands are of international importance. Additional Federal assistance through a grants program within the watershed will allow the recovery processes to continue with enhanced community participation.”

## All Rights Reserved. © 2005 TheWeekInCongress.com.

No reproduction or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.

MORE INFORMATION

From the Committee Report

“The Connecticut River is New England's largest river ecosystem and one of the Nation's 14 American Heritage Rivers. Its watershed encompasses over 11,000 square miles of wild, rural, and urban lands in parts of four states--Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The Connecticut River Valley's rich history, economic vitality, and renewed environmental integrity are at the heart of the region's quality of life and sense of place.

“Known to Native Americans as Quenticut, `the long tidal river,' the Connecticut carves a sinuous, shimmering pathway south from Fourth Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border--past forested mountains and small hamlets, through rich farmlands and large cities--to empty 410 miles later into Long Island Sound.

Dammed and dumped in over the past 150 years, the Connecticut gained the reputation by the mid-twentieth century of being the Nation's `best landscaped sewer.' People and communities turned their backs to it. Spring runs of Atlantic salmon and American shad disappeared.

“Following passage of the Federal Clean Water Act in 1972, communities and businesses stopped using the River as a dump. Today the water quality in the River and its tributaries is dramatically improved. Salmon and shad are returning, and community riverfronts are being revitalized.

“The rich natural diversity and special qualities of the Connecticut and its watershed have gained both national and international recognition. It was designated an American Heritage River in 1998, the entire watershed is a National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and its tidal wetlands are of international importance. Additional Federal assistance through a grants program within the watershed will allow the recovery processes to continue with enhanced community participation.”

## All Rights Reserved. © 2005 TheWeekInCongress.com.

No reproduction or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.