§2.Ohio River Basin Restoration Program
This section establishes within EPA the Ohio River National Program Office, headed by a Program Director, to carry out the Ohio River Basin Restoration Program for the watershed portions of 15 states (Ohio River States: Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and South Carolina). The Program Director must (1) coordinate EPA actions to protect and restore the Ohio River Basin; (2) develop, implement, and update a restoration program and action plan in coordination with an advisory council of state, basin, Tribal Government (i.e., governing bodies of federally recognized Indian tribes per 25 U.S.C. 5131), and Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission representatives; (3) document and publicly post related information; (4) consult with Tribal Governments via the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and (5) enter applicable agreements and submit annual reports to Congress on progress, coordination, transfers, grants, projects, and agreements. The program supports projects and activities to improve water quality and drinking water, increase flood resilience (including natural systems restoration), protect and restore habitat, control aquatic invasives, remediate toxics, enhance public access and recreation, collect and assess data, and improve outreach, prioritizing natural infrastructure and non-structural solutions (e.g., restoring hydrologic/ecological functions and modifying structures like culverts, levees, and dams).