Proposal to Modify the American Heritage Rivers Initiative

Briefing Statement
Bureau: National Park Service
Issue: Proposal to Modify the American Heritage Rivers Initiative
Area: Potomac American Heritage River Initiative (MD, DC, WV, PA, VA), NCR
Date: March 8, 2002

Background: This is a summary regarding a proposal that is being made by an ad-hoc task force of federal agency representatives, river communities and other private interests, at the request of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to look at alternatives for the management of the American Heritage Rivers Initiative (AHRI) outside of CEQ where it is currently administered. A "preferred alternative", which proposes to move AHRI to Coastal America is being presented to five federal agencies (EPA, DOC, DOI, US Army and USDA) on March 12. The proposal will then be presented, by CEQ, to the AHRI A--Team Principal's Meeting by March 31 and to the Coastal America leadership by May 31.

The community partners, and the lead federal agencies, participating in AHRI have not been provided an adequate opportunity to review, discuss and reach agreement on the proposal.

The proposal, as currently described, does not support the integration of natural resources protection, economic development, and the preservation of historical and cultural values--an important goal of AHRI. Moreover, such "top-down" decision-making by federal agencies, is contrary to the principals of AHRI (i.e. community-led, flexible, coordinated, broad and partnership-based).

Current Status:
· The American Heritage Rivers Initiative was announced in the 1997 State of the Union Address. The President subsequently issued Executive Order 13061, directing federal agencies, for a period of five-years, to establish and implement the initiative through more effective and better coordinated delivery of existing federal resources and through partnerships with state, local, and tribal governments and community and non-government organizations. In 1998 the President designated 14 American Heritage Rivers, including the Potomac River.

· In 2001 the Council on Environmental Quality contacted the community partners and federal agencies involved in AHRI and indicated that commitments to this partnership would be continued until the end of the five-year period--July 30, 2003, after which time it will be up to the sponsoring federal agencies to decide whether to continue providing appropriate services as part of their ongoing activities.

· On February 26, at the request of Bill Leary of CEQ, a meeting was convened with eight federal agency staff from Washington, three River Navigators and two community partner leaders to discuss and develop alternatives for the management of the AHRI. Attendees developed five alternatives and voted on a preferred alternative. The proposal with the highest number of votes was the alternative to move AHRI to Coastal America.

· Coastal America is a program established through a Memo of Understanding between nine sub-cabinet level agency representatives of the federal government, that is intended "to protect, preserve and restore the Nation's coastal ecosystems", including "the shared coastal concerns of habitat loss and degradation, nonpoint source pollution, and contaminated sediments".

· Following that meeting a draft proposal was circulated, dated February 28, to all the federal agencies and community partners that are participating in AHRI requesting written comments by March 6.

· The Friends of the Potomac, the community partner that represents more than 200 government and private sector organizations participating in the Potomac AHRI, wrote to the ad-hoc task force and requested additional review time. The Friends feel that it is essential that partner organizations have adequate time discuss the proposal and reach a consensus-based agreement on the preferred alternative.

The Friends expressed concern that the proposal to move AHRI to Coastal America does not recognize that economic development and historical and cultural values should be given equal priority for federal leadership, recognition, assistance and services.

In addition, the Friends believe the process being used to make these decisions does not treat them, and the other thirteen community partner organizations leading each of these river efforts, as partners. The Friends noted that the "deadlines for comments are too short for them to have an impact", "the analysis of options is biased", and "the Washington agency staff leading the ad-hoc task force don't seem to understand the intent of this partnership between federal agencies and community partners.

· The Friends , and the National Park Service, request an additional sixty-day review period for consideration, discussion and agreement on a preferred alternative for AHRI.

Contact:

Glenn Eugster, Assistant, Regional Director, Partnerships Office, NPS-NCR (202) 619-7492