Bill Will Aid Waterways

The “Moving Forward Act,” H.R. 2, passed the U.S. House with a vote of 233 to 188 according to Trout Unlimited who reported on the bill.

“Clean water and healthy waterways are critical elements of the Nation’s infrastructure system,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “They are rightly recognized as such by the ‘Moving Forward Act.’ Today, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we can see that more clearly than ever before. As individuals, we need clean water to wash our hands and to drink. As communities, we need healthy waterways to sustain our farms, fisheries, our recreation, and our economies. Improving water infrastructure should be non partisan work, and we are pleased to see this legislation contains several bills which have bipartisan, bicameral support. There is much to praise here today and as anglers, we give our thanks.”

The bill includes a number of priorities for clean water and trout and salmon fisheries such as:

• Increased funding for conservation priorities like Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes
• Smarter drought policy in the West
• Healthier public lands with the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act and the U.S. Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails program
• An extension of funding for work to clean up abandoned mines and provisions to make the process simpler for Good Samaritan groups who take on the work
• Funding for disaster preparedness for events like flood and wildfire

Trout Unlimited  is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon and their watersheds. Follow TU on  Facebook  and  Twitter,  Instagram  and our blog  for all the latest information on trout and salmon conservation.