Iowa sustainable energy advocates and environmental officials warn that federal cuts to the Sustainable Rivers Project could threaten aquatic species and reduce the program’s economic benefits.
The program, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has been in place for nearly 25 years. The Trump administration has said it is standing down on such programs in favor of more traditional approaches to sustainability and energy infrastructure.
Jim Howe, senior policy adviser for The Nature Conservancy, said the Sustainable Rivers Project has helped improve and expand healthy wetlands, bringing economic, recreational and environmental benefits.
“Wetlands provide habitat for fish and ducks and shorebirds,” Howe pointed out. “We're getting better boating opportunities, better fishing opportunities, better duck hunting, better birdwatching.”
The administration has paused spending on the Sustainable Rivers Project and other Army Corps conservation programs.
Howe noted the program’s benefits extend beyond the environment. He pointed to what he described as a 9-to-1 return on investment.
“It's delivering between $240 and $265 million of benefits,” Howe reported. “And for a very small fraction of that, by investing $5 million in this program, we can deliver outsized benefits for the public, healthy rivers and streams, which I know we all care about.”
Recent research by The Nature Conservancy showed for every dollar invested in the Sustainable Rivers Project, it returns between $12 and $14 in wildlife and other environmental benefits.