On March 3rd, Democrats and Republicans took the senior brass of the Army Corps of Engineers to task for what they say has been the corps' hesitant implementation of reforms mandated by Congress more than two years ago.

On February 24th, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Columbia River Restoration Act (H.R. 4652) that will fund the clean-up and restoration of the Columbia River, the largest river in the Pacific Northwest. The Columbia River is plagued by habitat loss and degraded with dangerous PCBs and chemical pollutants that are detrimental to fish and wildlife, including many species of salmon and steelhead that are listed as threatened or endangered species.

February 17th marked the one–year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), commonly known as the economic stimulus. Included in the economic stimulus package was $6 billion for the clean water and drinking water state revolving funds. 1.2 billion (20% percent) of this water infrastructure money was set aside for projects that incorporated green infrastructure and water and energy efficiency.

If you will be Internet shopping for Valentine's Day, please think of the Clean Water Network and register with www.igive.com. We earn $5 everytime a new person registers. Amazon, Macys and Lands End are on there and so are 600 more stores. If you haven't registered, consider this: Each time a user, registered as a Clean Water Network donor, shops through the igive site, the vendor gives Clean Water Network a small percentage of the sale--between 1% and 6%. This can really add up. It's free and easy to join.