Herb Kohl: “Given the urgent need for remediation, Senator Feingold and I had requested that the Committee authorize the Corps of…”

“Given the urgent need for remediation, Senator Feingold and I had requested that the Committee authorize the Corps of Engineers to help in the clean up of the Fox River, thereby becoming a partner in the effort to remediate the contamination using a consensus-based process. Specifically, we requested that the Lower Fox River sediment remediation project be authorized under Section 312(b) of the 1990 Water Resources Development Act (P.L. 101-640), which authorizes funds for environmental dredging projects within and adjacent to ongoing Army Corps navigation projects. The Fox River is currently an authorized corps project. Long-range Army Corps plans include a continued corps involvement in the ongoing operation and maintenance of the water regulation portion of the project. However, the Army Corps does not maintain the waterway for navigation purposes and has recommended an end to its role in the navigation portion of the project. In response to my and Senator Feingold's request to authorize the Army Corps to clean up the contaminated sediments along the Fox River, Chairman Chafee and other members of the Committee on Environment and Public Works expressed strong reservations.”