by Alex Annett

About the author: Alex Annett is a research assistant for the Heritage Foundation, a public policy research organization.

During the 1997 State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton announced a new federal program entitled the American Heritage Rivers Initiative (AHRI), which he intended to support communities in their efforts to restore and protect rivers across the United States. To many, this lofty goal sounds good. But, on closer inspection, the pristine image it paints becomes murky, revealing a program that violates many constitutional and statutory provisions, involves the federal government further in local and state environmental issues, is inefficient and wastes tax dollars, and threatens personal property rights....

The Details of the Initiative

President Clinton unveiled new details about how he plans to implement his new American Heritage Rivers Initiative...