By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, is leading the New England Senate delegation in reintroducing a bill that will promote and fund restoration and protection efforts in the five-state Connecticut River Watershed.
The introduction of the initiative came Wednesday morning with the former governor noting the tremendous economic, environmental and recreational benefits to New Hampshire and the region as the mighty river makes its way from the state’s North Country to the Atlantic.
The Connecticut River Watershed Partnership would formalize a partnership between federal, state, local and private entities and establish a voluntary grant program to benefit water quality, protect fish and wildlife habitat and enhance recreational opportunities while also building flooding resilience, the Senator’s office said.
“The Connecticut River and its watershed are a vibrant part of New England’s landscape, providing habitat for fish and wildlife, supplying safe drinking water for our communities and spurring tourism that contributes to the whole region’s economy. Only by working together at the federal, state and local level can we effectively protect and preserve this critical environmental and economic resource—and that’s just the kind of partnership this legislation would create.”
The companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives is led by Congress member Jim McGovern (MA-02).
Starting in the area of Fourth Connecticut Lake in Pittsburg and serving as the border between Vermont and New Hampshire through much of its southerly flow, the Connecticut River is New England’s longest and drains a 7.2-million-acre watershed across the five New England states including Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts as well.
The watershed is home to 396 communities and provides multiple environmental and economic benefits to diverse stakeholders and industries, including fisheries, farming, hunting, recreation, boating and tourism.
The Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge encompasses the entire Watershed and is the only refuge of its kind in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Shaheen has worked over the course of her career on building additional protections for the watershed as part of the Conte efforts.
The CRWPA would require the Secretary of Interior to establish a non-regulatory Watershed Partnership Program intended to identify, prioritize and implement restoration and protection activities within the watershed in consultation with federal, state, local and non-profit stakeholders; create a grant and technical assistance program for state and local governments; tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; and other eligible entities for activities in the Watershed; implement a 75 percent federal cost share for the grant program, except where the Secretary determines a larger cost share is appropriate; and ensure other activities conducted by the Secretary in the Watershed would supplement, not supplant activities carried out by the partnership program.
The legislation is supported by a broad coalition of more than 50 public and private organizations throughout New England, including the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership, Friends of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, The Nature Conservancy, Kestrel Land Trust, the Connecticut River Conservancy and the Appalachian Mountain Club and more.
Along with Shaheen, the legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT).