Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, speaks during a House Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water Subcommittee hearing Monday. (Image captured from video | U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan's office)
WASHINGTON — The commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pledged to help clean up the Mahoning River.
During a House Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water Subcommittee hearing Monday, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, urged Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon to help clean up the river.
“One would think that the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — the two entities tasked with making sure our rivers are clean, safe and economically productive — would be eager partners in helping ... communities clean up the river,” Ryan said during the hearing. “And unfortunately, and inexplicably, I have repeatedly been told that there is no federal help available. Why? … As you said in your statement, aquatic ecosystem restoration is one of the very pillars of the Army Corp’s mission.”