Restoring a Watershed: The Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program
From a policy concept to enacted law, ENS designed a strategy that culminated in enactment and delivered the funding that made cleanup of impaired waters possible.
The Problem
An abandoned mine was leaching contaminated drainage into a watershed that supported endangered salmon fisheries. The site's original operators were long gone, and federal liability rules meant any party who voluntarily stepped in to clean it up risked assuming responsibility for the entire problem — no existing federal program was designed to fund this kind of cleanup.
What ENS Did
- ✓ Designed a policy framework addressing the site's cleanup needs and the liability obstacles blocking action
- ✓ Assisted in drafting authorizing language establishing a federal aquatic infrastructure program
- ✓ Helped to secure bipartisan support through issue papers, briefings, and direct engagement with members and committee staff
- ✓ Assisted client as the lead stakeholder point of contact for congressional staff through drafting, markup, and passage
- ✓ Ensured the program resolved cleanup liabilities so remediation could proceed without open-ended legal risk
The Result
Congress enacted the aquatic infrastructure program, creating dedicated federal funding for aquatic ecosystem cleanup and resolving the liability questions that had stalled action for years — protecting endangered salmon fisheries and restoring water quality.