McGarvey Announces Community Endorsements for Bill to Fund Ohio River Restoration
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 20, 2025) – Environmental and conversation groups endorse the Ohio River Restoration Program Act, led by Congressman Morgan McGarvey and a bipartisan group of Representatives throughout the Ohio River Basin, to fund the restoration of the Ohio River.
Ohio River Basin Alliance
Chairperson Dr. Chris Lorentz: "We are thrilled with the introduction of this legislation. Over 30 million people depend on the waters of the Ohio River Basin for their drinking water, health, jobs, and quality of life. This region deserves focused federal investments to restore and protect its waters, and to support the public health, economic, and ecological benefits that this bill provides.
“As much as this legislation is an ecological restoration initiative, it will spur economic development, safeguard public health, and enhance the quality of life of the millions living in the Basin.
“We are grateful to Representatives Erin Houchin and Morgan McGarvey for their bipartisan leadership as co-chairs of the Ohio River Basin Caucus and their efforts to protect these critical habitats and waterways.”
National Wildlife Federation
President and CEO Collin O’Mara: "More than 25 million Americans and thousands of wildlife species depend upon the Ohio River Basin. This legislation represents a critical national commitment to conserve the Ohio and ensure current and future generations will benefit from cleaner water, healthier habitat, and stronger communities.”
Healthy Waters Coalition
Director Jordan Lubetkin: "This bill can be a game-changer for the 30 million people who depend on the waters of the Ohio River region for their drinking water, health, jobs, and quality of life. Serious threats to local waters, such as toxic pollution, sewage contamination, and flooding, need to be addressed now, before the problems get worse and more expensive to solve. This bill, when passed, will benefit people and wildlife alike."
Ohio River Way
Executive Director Forest Clevenger: “Experiencing the Ohio River’s majesty and scale—whether as a boater, paddler, angler, or cyclist—is awe-inspiring. These investments will safeguard our drinking water and natural beauty for generations to come, while growing recreation-based economies that can sustain rural river communities today.”
American Rivers Action Fund
Executive Director Heather Taylor-Miesle: “American Rivers Action Fund is proud to support the Ohio River Restoration Program Act, which will safeguard the drinking water source for more than 25 million Americans across 15 states. The Ohio River Basin is the backbone of regional commerce, industry, and agriculture, and maintaining its health is critical to strengthening local economies and securing future growth. For years, we have partnered with communities to improve water quality, reduce flooding risks, and modernize infrastructure—investments that pay dividends through job creation.
“This legislation reflects a smart, basin-wide strategy to protect an essential resource while ensuring taxpayers get the best return on investment. We thank Representatives Houchin and McGarvey for advancing a plan that prioritizes water security, and prosperity for the region.”
The legislation is endorsed by the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Beaver Creek Hydrology (BCH), Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau in Indiana, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, EnviroKinecs, Inc., Friends of Bell Smith Springs, Friends of the Riverfront, Friends of the White River, Greenbrier River Watershed Association, Hoosier Environmental Council, Hoosier Heartland Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc., Indiana Parks Alliance, Indiana Wildlife Federation , Kentucky Conservation Committee, Kentucky Ecological Restoration Association (KERA), Kentucky Resources Council, Kentucky Riverkeeper, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Lewis and Clark Trust, Inc., Lower Wabash Partnership, Miami Conservancy District, Mill Creek Alliance, Mon Water Project, Mountain Watershed Association, Muncie Indiana Sanitary District’s Bureau of Water Quality, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District , National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Ohio Conservation Federation, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio River Basin Alliance, Ohio River Foundation, Ohio River Way, Ohio Water Partnership, Ohio Wetlands Association, PennFuture, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, Pristine River Initiatives, River Fields, SWCA Environmental Consultants, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Thomas More University Biology Field Station, Three Rivers Waterkeeper, UpstreamPgh, Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission, Watersheds of South Pittsburgh, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and Wilderness Louisville.
Read the Ohio River Restoration Program Act here.
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