HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 46
(By Delegates Fleischauer, Amores, Anderson, Azinger, Beach,
Beane, Border, Browning, Butcher, Calvert, Campbell, Cann,
Canterbury, Caputo, Carmichael, Caruth, Craig, Crosier, DeLong,
Duke, Ellem, Evans, Foster, Fragale, Frederick, Frich, Hall,
Hamilton, Hatfield, Houston, Hrutkay, Kominar, Kuhn, Leach, Long,
Louisos, Manchin, Manuel, Martin, Morgan, Overington, Palumbo,
Paxton, Perdue, Perry, Pethtel, Poling, Renner, Schadler, Schoen,
Shaver, Shelton, Spencer, Sumner, Susman, Tabb, Tucker, Warner,
Webb, Webster, G. White, Williams and Wright)
Memorializing the United States Congress to authorize and fund a
demonstration project on the upper Monongahela River in West
Virginia for removal and disposal of river trash and debris.
Whereas, Flowing river trash and debris, consisting of man-made
rubbish and naturally-occurring wood wastes, deposits on river
banks and at riverside facilities, and accumulates behind locks and
dams on our nation?s navigable rivers, creates many problems,
including: (1) Visual and odor pollution; (2) water pollution,
hazardous to humans and aquatic life, from chemicals and hazardous
materials in man-made rubbish; (3) health and safety hazards, for
community and industrial water intakes, swimmers, water skiers,
marinas, public and private docks and launching ramps and
recreational boaters and river commerce; (4) navigation hazards,
for commercial tows and recreational and long-range tourist
boaters; and (5) interference with and damage to locks and dams;
and
Whereas, No workable and cost-effective methodology exists
today to deal with the problem of river trash and debris; and
Whereas, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is charged with the
responsibility for our nation?s navigable rivers; and
Whereas, State and local governments with navigable rivers
within their purview cannot solve the river trash and debris
problem on their own, but, are willing to partner with the federal
government in addressing the river trash and debris problem;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the United States
Congress to authorize and fund a demonstration project on the upper
Monongahela River in West Virginia for removal and disposal of
river trash and debris; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Legislature also requests that the
Congress of the United States authorize and fund a demonstration
program to be conducted on the upper Monongahela River in West
Virginia, by the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, to develop the methods and technology needed to solve
the problem of river trash and debris removal and disposal and to
develop a national technology base for addressing the river trash
and debris problem on all our nation?s navigable rivers; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Legislature stands ready to partner
with the federal government in this endeavor and suggests: (a) That
the federal role focus on the technology for removing flowing
river-borne debris and debris accumulating at the locks and dams and that state and local government entities focus on the means for
removing trash from riverbanks, providing transportation and
disposal sites for collected river trash and debris, educating the
public not to dump trash, illegally, that subsequently gets into
streams leading to the river, and, programs that clean up illegal
dump sites before they contribute to river-borne debris; (b) a
three-phase approach to solve the river trash and debris problem be
as follows: (1) Phase 1 would be for the Corps to prepare a report
on historical approaches for dealing with river trash and debris
removal and disposal, in the United States and worldwide. The
report would also address the economic costs to our nation?s
economy resulting from the river trash and debris problem, and a
cast-benefit analysis rationale for evaluating solutions to the
river trash and debris problem. A first draft of the report would
be due six months after congressional authorization for the river
trash and debris project. The final report would be due six months
later. This phase would also include the development of partnering
agreements with state and local government entities, and business,
recreational and environmental entities, within the West Virginia
demonstration region. Further, the Corps would establish a
steering committee with representation from appropriate entities
within the West Virginia demonstration region, to advise on project
implementation. The steering committee might also include other
organizations within the United States that have an interest in the river trash and debris problem or who have expertise that bears
upon the problem; (2) Phase 2, lasting perhaps one year following
the completion of Phase 1, would develop one or more method and
technology approaches for dealing with the river trash and debris
problem, with recommendations as to the feasibility of each
approach, and a recommendation for the best and first approach to
be tried; (3) Phase 3, lasting perhaps five years, would implement
and test the favored approach for dealing with river trash and
debris removal and disposal; (4) Phase 4, a one-year effort, would
evaluate results to date, and propose any further efforts needed to
continue to improve on methods and technology for solving the river
trash and debris problem; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House is hereby
directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Clerk of the
United States House of Representatives, the Clerk of the United
States Senate and to West Virginia's representatives in the
Congress of the United States.