Let’s Give Our River What It Deserves: A Dedicated Federal Program

 The Mississippi River provides so much. Just a few of the River’s gifts to our communities: 

• Drinking water to 20 million people
• River road or “flyway” for 325+ bird species
• Outdoor enjoyment and recreation opportunities for over 1.5 million people.

As a River Citizen, you can probably think of at least a dozen more ways that you and your loved ones have enjoyed the gifts of the River. You may also be able to identify a similar number of ways that you give back to the River – through big and small decisions that you make each day to value the health and resilience of the Mississippi River. Now, there’s one more way that we can give back.

Did you know that the Mississippi River lacks a dedicated, holistic, federal restoration program?

Other treasures like the Everglades, Puget Sound, and the Great Lakes already enjoy the benefits of a dedicated federal program. Now, it’s the Mississippi River’s turn.

The Mississippi River Network is pleased to support the creation of a Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI, made possible by the vision and leadership of Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) and many other engaged organizations up and down the River.

A Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative is a crucial component of Congresswoman McCollum’s FY 2021 Interior Bill. The funding bill asks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lead efforts to develop a federal government-wide Mississippi River restoration and resiliency strategy focused on improving water quality, restoring habitat and natural systems, eliminating aquatic invasive species, and building local resilience to natural disasters.

We know that both the benefits and burdens brought by the Mississippi River are not equitably shared. Too often, the voices of those most impacted by environmental decisions and those most affected by environmental degradation and pollution are suppressed, excluded, or ignored in the making of those decisions. That is why we are hopeful that a comprehensive program like MRRRI would prioritize restoration and resilience investments in communities of color and economically disadvantaged populations.

Read more about this important new initiative by clicking on the links to our partner organizations below. If you aren’t already, please sign-up and become a River Citizen today so we can share how you can be more involved in MRRRI in the future! 

• Conservation Federation of Missouri
• Friends of the Mississippi River
• Healthy Gulf

By Maisah Khan,

Policy Director, Mississippi River Network

Can the River Count on You?

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