Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today reintroduced legislation that would improve the restoration of watersheds – the land and waters that supply our communities with drinking and irrigation water and provide habitat and recreation opportunities – across Oregon and nationwide.
“With this year’s scorching hot summer right around the bend, it is more important than ever to improve watersheds so our communities have clean drinking water, fertile soil, outdoor recreation, productive fisheries, and other basic essentials,” Wyden said. “This bill would use cost-efficient tools backed by science to restore the health of our waterways so they are safe and resilient for generations of Oregonians and Americans nationwide to enjoy.”
Watersheds are made up of rivers and streams, farms and rangeland, forests and developed towns and cities, with restoration opportunities varying dramatically from acre to acre. Wyden’s Watershed Results Act would use the best scientific and data analysis to identify the most effective areas, where watershed restoration work would generate the greatest environmental results at the best value for taxpayers. The Interior Department would pilot this fresh approach in several watersheds across the country, addressing environmental, economic and public health concerns.
The Watershed Results Act was successfully reported out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the previous Congress.
The text of the bill is here.
