Appropriations Bill Has $400k for Anacostia

An effort by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to clean up the Anacostia River took a step forward last week when the House passed an appropriations bill that includes $400,000 designated for restoration efforts.

The fiscal 2007 energy and water appropriations bill, passed on Wednesday, would designate the funds to go to projects run by the Corps of Engineers, which studies and undertakes projects designed to clean up the river.

"The Anacostia River is a natural element that links the metropolitian region and the nation's capital," Hoyer said in a statement. "We have a wide and scenic urban river that is crying out to be restored, renewed and reclaimed for the people of this region and its visitors."

The Corps has been studying ways to clean up the river since the early 1990s and has undertaken a variety of projects designed to improve the quality of the watershed. Hoyer has secured more than $30 million over the years for such projects.

Last year, Congress gave $200,000 to the Corps to develop an updated plan for restoring the Anacostia.

The measure now heads to the Senate.