Betty McCollum

Biography

Congresswoman Betty McCollum |Representing the 4th District of Minnesota

Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI)

I grew up along the Mississippi River in South St. Paul, Minnesota. The river was and continues to be a working river that is vital to transporting commerce. But for decades, no one cared for the river, and it became a source of pollution that was slowly killing the river ecosystem.

I have fond memories as a child of my father taking me to Hastings to watch with wonder at the raising and lowering of the locks to watch boats and barges make their way through the dam and down river.

Today, because people who cared stepped up to protect it, the Mississippi is not only a working river but a place for families to enjoy.

The river plays a vital role in all of our lives. It is woven into our culture, showing up in America's literature, poetry, and music. It is a shipping corridor for goods and resources. It is the center of a $500-billion-per-year natural resource and recreation-based economy employing 1.5 million workers. It's also a source of drinking water for 20 million Americans. It is deeply tied to Native American culture – its name comes from the Ojibwe for "big river" and it is a sacred place of origin for many Dakota people. 72 miles of the river are even part of our National Park System, within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

From the northernmost headwaters in Lake Itasca to the Middle Mississippi where it meets the Ohio River, and all the way down to the Mississippi Delta, the health of this great river continues to be at risk.

Flooding and other extreme weather events, pollution, and runoff threaten the river and surrounding communities. The health of the river is critical not just for the sake of the natural beauty, wildlife, and climate change-fighting capabilities of these resources, but for our economy and so our communities can thrive as well.

That's why I'm proud to introduce legislation that will establish the Mississippi River Resilience and Restoration Initiative (MRRRI). This initiative will coordinate efforts on conservation and environmental restoration along the entire river corridor and open up grant opportunities for state and local governments, tribes, and nonprofit organizations.

MRRRI will:

Improve community resilience to climate change, and reduce flood risk by restoring floodplains, riverine wetlands, delta and coastal wetlands, and backwaters;

Improve drinking water quality in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico by reducing polluted runoff;

Protect and restore wildlife habitat and throughout the River corridor;

Prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in the River system; and

MRRRI will follow the successful model of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to ensure coordinated and sustained federal investments to restore the Mississippi River and protect it as a healthy working river.

We all learned as children how to spell the "MISS-ISSI-PPI" – instilling in us the significance of this river. With MRRRI, we have the chance to ensure this resource remains a healthy and thriving resource for generations to come.