WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is pressing for a sweeping restoration effort for the Ohio River Basin while touting nearly $289,366,974 in federal spending he says is now locked in for projects across Pennsylvania, including $1.5 million for Chester County.
Fetterman, a Democrat, and Sen. Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana, introduced the Ohio River Restoration Program Act to improve water quality, transportation, the regional economy, and ecological health across a watershed that spans parts of 15 states and serves as a drinking water source for millions. The proposal would create an Ohio River National Program Office within the Environmental Protection Agency, bringing together states, local governments, Tribal nations, and nonprofit organizations to coordinate restoration initiatives.
“As I’ve always said, access to clean drinking water is a right that everyone deserves – including communities that have long been marginalized and forgotten,” Fetterman said, calling the legislation a way to protect a vital resource while supporting related conservation and homeowner initiatives.
Young said the Ohio River is central to southern Indiana’s economy, ecosystem, and drinking water supply, and described the bill as a non-regulatory program that would deliver federal support to protect the river and help restore tributaries that ultimately flow into it.
The Ohio River runs 981 miles from Pittsburgh — where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet — to Cairo, Illinois. Backers point to research and sampling in tributaries feeding Pittsburgh’s rivers that found evidence of coal-mining impacts, including concerning levels of manganese and elevated iron, as well as high nutrient concentrations that can trigger algal blooms and oxygen-depleted conditions harmful to aquatic life.
The bill outlines a broad menu of activities to be carried out through the EPA, including habitat restoration, farm conservation, invasive species management, pollution prevention, expanded monitoring and data collection, workforce development, public engagement, flood resilience investments, and targeted support for communities most affected by pollution. The proposal is endorsed by dozens of conservation, sportsmen, and environmental organizations, including PennFuture, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Three Rivers Waterkeeper, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The full bill text is available at https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MAZ26086-latest.pdf.
In a separate announcement dated February 10, Fetterman said $289,366,974 in Congressionally Directed Spending funding was included in eleven FY26 appropriations bills signed into law, supporting 121 projects statewide. He highlighted a $183,829,000 award for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to modernize the Montgomery Locks and Dam in Beaver County.
For Chester County, the release listed $1,000,000 for Ludwigs Corner Fire Company No. 1 to construct additional bay space, bunk rooms, and other improvements to its rural firehouse, and $500,000 for the Mt. Zion Historical, Cultural and Educational Community Center and Sepulcher to help restore a historic African-American church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Bringing money back to PA is one of my core responsibilities as the senior senator,” Fetterman said. “I’m proud of the work our community is doing and believe this funding will continue to show why Pennsylvania is a leader on all fronts.”
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