Momentum is building behind the bipartisan Ohio River Restoration Program Act, and partner organizations across the basin have a chance to put their names behind it. The Ohio River Basin Alliance is circulating a regional Letter of Support, and organizations are invited to sign on by close of business on Tuesday, June 10.
What the bill would do
- H.R. 5966 and S. 3796 would amend the Clean Water Act to establish a dedicated, EPA-led Ohio River Basin Restoration Program.
- The program is modeled on proven efforts like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Chesapeake Bay Program, bringing coordinated federal funding to water quality, habitat restoration, and community resilience.
- More than 25 million people rely on the Ohio River Basin for drinking water, yet it remains one of the largest U.S. watersheds without a dedicated federal restoration program.
- The legislation is bipartisan, with cosponsors from across the basin, including representatives from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia.
How your organization can sign on
- Deadline: Close of business, Tuesday, June 10
- Who: Any organization across the Ohio River Basin
- How: Sign on through the Ohio River Basin Alliance form linked below
- Already signed? The Alliance circulated this letter last week, so if your organization already added its name, there is no need to sign again.
The Letter of Support is the top priority for the Healthy Waters Coalition, which is working to demonstrate the broad, regional backing the bill has earned.
Where the H2O network fits
For the communities of the Upper Ohio River Basin, a dedicated restoration program would mean real federal investment in the streams and rivers that carry our headwaters down to the Ohio. Adding our partner organizations to the letter helps show Congress the kind of unified, cross-state support this bill needs to advance. We covered the introduction of the Act earlier this year, and you can read that background here.
