Posted on May 27, 2021
During a subcommittee hearing, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan urged the commanding general to help.
WASHINGTON — The commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pledged to help clean up the Mahoning River.
During a House Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water Subcommittee hearing Monday, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, urged Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon to help clean up the river.
“One would think that the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — the two entities tasked with making sure our rivers are clean, safe and economically productive — would be eager partners in helping … communities clean up the river,” Ryan said during the hearing. “And unfortunately, and inexplicably, I have repeatedly been told that there is no federal help available. Why? … As you said in your statement, aquatic ecosystem restoration is one of the very pillars of the Army Corp’s mission.”
Spellmon said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be a partner in helping to get the Mahoning River restored, and that he had spoken to EPA Administrator Michael Regan about finding a way to move forward.
“It makes little sense to have a national capability like the Corps that is very good at cleaning up these type sites,” Spellmon said during the hearing. “We’re starting those conversations now with EPA, and we look forward to moving forward on your project and one in Chicago.”
