📋 Tender Overview
(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is reintroducing the , which would formalize a partnership between federal, state, local and private entities to promote conservation, restoration, education and recreation efforts in the Watershed and establish a voluntary grant program to facilitate these activities. This collaborative effort will benefit fish and wildlife habitats, protect drinking water sources, enhance flood resilience and help promote access to the Watersheds public spaces, particularly for excluded and marginalized communities. U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (MA-02) leads a companion bill in the House of Representatives.
The Connecticut River and its watershed are a vibrant part of New Englands landscape, providing habitat for fish and wildlife, supplying safe drinking water for our communities and spurring tourism that contributes to the whole regions economy, said Senator Shaheen. Only by working together at the federal, state and local level can we effectively protect and preserve this critical environmental and economic resource--and thats just the kind of partnership this legislation would create.
The Connecticut River, New Englands longest river, drains a 7.2-million-acre watershed across five New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. 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.
Specifically, 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% 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. Along with Shaheen, the legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT).
Full bill text is available .
Shaheen has led efforts to safeguard our natural environment and invest in climate resiliency while boosting New Hampshires recreation economy. Shaheen led the bipartisan into law to require the federal government to measure the impact of the outdoor recreation on the economy. In November 2024, the release of an a 1.2 trillion economic contribution by the outdoor recreation sector in 2023, including 3.9 billion in New Hampshire. Shaheen also helped reintroduce the to fuel investment in outdoor recreation in national forests that benefits mountain communities.
Shaheen has also led efforts to help and for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which has helped protect more than 2.5 million acres of land and supported tens of thousands of state and local outdoor recreation projects throughout the nation. In 2020, Shaheen the into law to permanently fund the LWCF and provide mandatory funding for deferred maintenance on public lands.
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