Last month, Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced HR 6247, a radical bill that threatens salmon recovery, river restoration and collaborative community-based problem-solving across the country.
If this bill becomes law, restoration projects on rivers around the nation could come to a screeching halt. HR 6247 would end vital funding for conservation organizations working with farmers and landowners on voluntary habitat restoration projects. Federal agencies would be all but prohibited form helping local communities study or remove dams - even for legitimate safety, environmental or economic concerns. Restoration success stories like the Elwha River in Washington State or the Penobscot River in Maine would be doomed.
HR 6247 Would:
- Block federal funding to remove or to even study the removal of out-dated or dangerous dams unless explicitly authorized by Congress.
- Prohibit federal funding for organizations that have engaged in legal actions against dam projects anywhere in the country, including litigation to protect public health and safety or help imperiled species like salmon.
- Give blanket permission to private businesses to build new dams, without appropriate environmental and regulatory review - and regardless of whether the projects serve the public interest.
Take action here.
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