Washington, DC - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) today attended a meeting of the President's American Heritage River (AHR) Technical Advisory Panel to signal his strong and active support for having the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed designated as one of the nation's ten American Heritage Rivers. Kanjorski was the only Congressman to appear personally in support of a river.

"From the first moment that I heard about the American Heritage Rivers initiative in February of 1997, I knew that this program had the potential of being a tremendous boon for our region. All of us who live or work within the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Columbia, Montour, and Northumberland counties know that the Susquehanna River is the lifeblood of Northeastern Pennsylvania and know how important it is to clean up the River and turn it into a resource for our region. By having the Susquehanna named an American Heritage River, we will be able to work together to improve and protect the River for the enjoyment of future generations. I was happy I could go to today's meeting of the American Heritage River Technical Advisory Panel to emphasize to the panel members my strong support for the Upper Susquehanna River," remarked Congressman Kanjorski.

Kanjorski was joined by other leaders in the effort to restore the Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers: Steve Barrouk of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, Len Carlin of the Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania (EDCNP), and Tom Williams, Congressman Kanjorski's District Projects Director. Barrouk, Carlin, and Williams made the trip from Northeastern Pennsylvania to the White House Conference Center in Washington D.C. to attend the meetings of the Advisory Panel in their entirety.

"The competition is intensive, but it is clear from what went on today that we're in the hunt," Barrouk commented. Carlin added, "What struck me most about the meeting was that there were more people in attendance who supported the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed than for any other river across the country - I think that says something about the level of community support for this designation."

At the meeting, the Chairman of the President's AHR Technical Advisory Panel, Dayton Duncan, called the action plan for the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed an "interesting proposal to restore a river that has suffered a lot of degradation. Designation could help create a real success story."

The American Heritage Rivers initiative is designed to highlight rivers that have important cultural, historical, economic, and environmental value. The program will assign a "River Navigator" to the chosen communities along the river to help clean up and protect the river and to create economic development programs and solutions for the communities in the designated watersheds. The program helps better allocate federal expertise, grants, and resources but does not cost any additional taxpayer dollars.

Congressman Kanjorski, the EDCNP, and the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry were joined in seeking designation of the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed as an American Heritage River by many elected officials, including Senator Arlen Specter, Congressman Joseph McDade (PA-10), multiple State Senators and State Representatives, the County Commissioners of Luzerne, Lackawanna, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, and Lycoming counties, and more than 70 local municipalities. Numerous business, environmental, and cultural organizations from Carbondale to Sunbury also supported the designation, as well as The Citizens' Voice, The Scranton Times, and The Times-Leader newspapers.

The American Heritage Rivers initiative was announced by President Clinton during his State of the Union Address in February of 1997. In September of 1997, Congressman Kanjorski was one of only eight U.S. Representatives to join President Clinton at the White House for the signing of the Executive Order establishing the program and setting a December 10, 1997 deadline for applications. Congressman Kanjorski held a series of public meetings on the AHR initiative culminating in a visit to the Susquehanna River by Karen Hobbs, Director of the federal AHR initiative, so that she could see first-hand how Northeastern Pennsylvania would be positively affected by designation as an American Heritage River Community. The first official meeting of the AHR Technical Advisory Panel was today; the Panel is expected to complete its public meetings tomorrow.

Kanjorski concluded, "I am hopeful that the President will designate the Susquehanna as one of our nation's American Heritage Rivers, but regardless of the President's decision, I am committed to working to clean up the Susquehanna so that the River can reach its full potential as a community asset for both recreation and economic development."

More information about the application to designate the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed an American Heritage River is available upon request.