Transcript of Katie McGinty, 
Chair, Council of Environmental Quality

Before the U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Resources
Testifying on

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE RIVERS INITIATIVE

SEPTEMBER 24, 1997

"A Senator will have the right to exercise that veto [to remove an area from designation as an American Heritage River] as well as the member of Congress in whose district this river, or stretch of river, might run."

"The member of Congress is afforded in this program a veto right in terms of the existence or the participation in this program."

"It’s a veto authority that any member of Congress would retain throughout the existence of the program."

"There’s no question that you [Rep. Chenoweth] have the absolute authority to ensure that no community in your district, and the Senators from the State [of Idaho] have the absolute authority to make sure that no community in the entire state is a participant in this program. And that is fine and will be respected."

"There is no one size fits all definition or command and control of what a river community constitutes. Because this is 100 percent locally-driven, the locality will self-select. The community will decide or not decide to participate and will define itself, both who’s going to be in an who’s going to be out, and what are the programs that the community is interested in pursuing."

Transcript of Katie McGinty, 
Chair, Council of Environmental Quality

Western States Coalition Summit VIII, Spokane, Washington, July 12, 1997

"It [inclusion in the American Heritage Rivers Initiative] is finally 100 percent at the option of communities. Communities become part of the American Heritage Rivers program only if they choose, and once part they can stop their participation at any time they choose as well."

"We have not made final decisions about this, but I will tell you it’s our strong inclination at this point also that if a member of Congress who oversees the area in question says he or she opposes the area being part of this program, that’s it, the area won’t be part of the program."

"If a community, if a state, if an area of the country does not want to be part of this program that is completely and fully their prerogative. There will be nobody knocking on anyone’s door and saying ‘here, sign up for this program.’ It must come from the community, from the state, from the locality to us, and again if a place is participating in the program but decides this is a raw deal one way or another and they don’t like it, there is no obligation to remain a part of the program."

Q: If the Heritage Rivers Initiative is 100 percent voluntary can I, as a landowner along the selected river, avoid influence and any requirements of the program"

A (McGinty): "Yes, you can certainly not be part of it at all, not have your part of the, if it’s a stretch of river, not be part of, say ‘this part is just not going to be included in the Initiative,’ absolutely."