WASHINGTON – Representatives Morgan McGarvey and Erin Houchin not only represent communities on opposite sides of the Ohio River, they also belong to different political parties.
“I’m proud to say that it’s only the Ohio River itself that divides us on this issue,” McGarvey, a Louisville Democrat, said at a riverside news conference Wednesday.
As co-chairs of the bipartisan Ohio River Basin Congressional Caucus, they are pushing for federal funding to restore and protect the waterway.
They gathered information at a hearing in Louisville.
“From trash and erosion to pollution and climate change, our river is struggling, and those problems aren’t going to solve themselves,” McGarvey said. “The Ohio River is the largest body of water in the country that doesn’t receive a single cent of dedicated federal funding.”
McGarvey said he is working on a bill that he sees as a legacy project to protect and preserve the river.
“It serves more than 25 million Americans in 14 states, provides vital drinking water, supports countless jobs and maintains our region’s ecosystem,” said Houchin, a Republican from Indiana. “Despite its importance, the Ohio River was ranked as the second most endangered river in the country in 2023.”
The Ohio River Basin Alliance and its partners have been working on a strategy to restore the basin.
They expect to publish it in the next few weeks and will ask the public for comments, the alliance said.
