Letter to Conferees of the Energy Policy Modernization Act Conference Committe - Esty, Murphy, Blumenthal, Larson Continue Push for Lower Farmington River Wild & Scenic Designation

Letter

Dear Conferees:

During conference committee consideration of the energy policy bill, we strongly urge you to support legislative language included in the Senate version of the bill that would designate the lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook as part of the Wild and Scenic River System.

The inclusion of this language in the conference report would be the culmination of an incredible local effort and protect one of Connecticut's most vital natural resources. The journey to obtain the Wild and Scenic River designation began over a decade ago, when local residents in the towns of Avon, Bloomfield, Burlington, Canton, East Granby, Farmington, Granby, Hartland, Simsbury, and Windsor, Connecticut, came together to form a unique partnership to protect the lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook. In our estimation, the bill, The Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Act, perfectly embodies what Congress should be doing: listening to the needs of local residents and supporting their work. It is also based on a model that's worked elsewhere in the state. The upper 14-mile portion of the Farmington River was designated as Wild & Scenic in 1994. This legislation would simply extend the designation to include the lower portion of the river.

We also worked very closely with the Park Service, which has fully endorsed the bill, and a dam operator along the river to craft an amendment that ensures the interests of all stakeholders--the towns, and the companies who own property along the river--are fully taken into account. As a result of this engagement, the bill has full support from all of the stakeholders. Further, the bill passed unanimously out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and passed unanimously as an amendment to S.2012 during its consideration on the Senate floor.

There is an amazing ecological, recreational, and historic story to tell about this stretch of river. It is our hope that, with your help, that story can continue to be told for generations, and that the amazing, community-driven work that's been done can finally be endorsed this year through a federal designation for the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook.