WASHINGTON—The House is preparing to vote on H.R. 5895, which includes the FY 2019 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Jan Goldman-Carter, the director of wetlands and water resources for the National Wildlife Federation, made the following statement in advance of the vote:

“This spending bill contains unacceptable provisions that would harm our nation’s waters and wildlife. Unless these riders are removed, we have to urge a ‘no’ vote against the spending package as a whole. 

“The bill would undermine Clean Water Act protections for the drinking water of 117 million people—protections that are strongly supported by Americans across the political spectrum. It would also put endangered salmon and steelhead populations at even greater risk of extinction by blocking court-ordered releases of water for juvenile fish in the Columbia River basin.

“We urge the House to vote against any bill that would foul our nation’s waters and harm salmon and steelhead populations. Instead, the House should pass a clean spending bill that includes robust funding for critical ecosystem restoration projects in the Everglades, the Great Lakes and elsewhere.”