III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 227 

Calling for the protection of the Mekong River Basin and increased United 

States support for delaying the construction of mainstream dams along 

the Mekong River. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 7, 2011 

Mr. WEBB (for himself, Mr. INHOFE, and Mr. LUGAR) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the protection of the Mekong River Basin and 

increased United States support for delaying the construction of mainstream dams along the Mekong River. 

Whereas the Mekong River is the world’s 12th longest river, 

originating on the Tibetan Plateau and flowing nearly 

3,000 miles down through China into Burma, Thailand, 

Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam; 

Whereas the Lower Mekong River in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam is a source of fresh water, food, and 

economic opportunity for more than 60,000,000 people; 

Whereas the Mekong River is second in biodiversity only to 

the Amazon River, with an estimated 1,500 different species of fish, of which at least a third migrate up the river 


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•SRES 227 IS 

and tributaries in their life cycle, including the majority 

of the commercial fish catch; 

Whereas the Mekong River supports the world’s two largest 

rice exporters, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as the 

world’s largest inland fishery of 4,000,000 tons of freshwater fish per year, providing up to $9,000,000,000 annual income and approximately 80 percent of the animal 

protein consumed in the Lower Mekong Basin; 

Whereas China is constructing a cascade of up to 15 dams 

along the mainstream of the Upper Mekong River, and 

Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam are planning to 

construct or finance the construction of up to 11 dams 

on the lower half of the river’s mainstream; 

Whereas scientific studies have cautioned that mainstream 

dam construction will negatively affect the river’s water 

flow, fish population, and wildlife; 

Whereas the Mekong River Commission is a river basin management organization including the Governments of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam that have signed the 

Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin, done at Chiang Rai, 

Thailand, April 5, 1995, and agreed to cooperate on 

management of the river and ‘‘development of the full potential of sustainable benefits to all riparian States’’; 

Whereas the members of the Commission have also agreed to 

‘‘make every effort to avoid, minimize and mitigate harmful effects that might occur to the environment, especially 

the water quantity and quality, the aquatic (eco-system) 

conditions, and ecological balance of the river system, 

from the development and use of the Mekong River Basin 

water resources or discharge of wastes and return flows’’; 


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•SRES 227 IS 

Whereas the Mekong River Commission sponsored a Strategic 

Environmental Assessment of the proposed series of 

mainstream dams along the Lower Mekong River, concluding that the decision to move forward with even one 

dam would result in permanent and irreversible changes 

to the river’s productivity and regional environment; 

Whereas such changes could threaten the region’s food security, block fish migration routes, increase risks to aquatic 

biodiversity, reduce sediment flows, increase saline intrusion, reduce agricultural production, and destabilize the 

river channels and coastline along the Mekong Delta; 

Whereas the United States has significant economic and strategic interests in the Mekong River subregion that may 

be jeopardized if the construction of mainstream dams 

places the region’s stability at risk; 

Whereas the Department of State initiated the Lower 

Mekong Initiative in July 2009 to engage Thailand, 

Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam on water security issues, 

to build regional capacity, and to facilitate multilateral 

cooperation on effective water resources management; 

Whereas funding for the Lower Mekong Initiative has primarily focused on the environment, health, and education, leaving the fourth pillar—infrastructure—largely 

unfunded; 

Whereas attention to infrastructure development is a critical 

element of promoting the sustainable, coordinated construction of hydropower dams in the region; 

Whereas, on September 22, 2010, Laos submitted for review 

to the Mekong River Commission the proposal for the 

Xayaburi Dam, the first of nine mainstream dams 

planned by Laos along the Lower Mekong River; 


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•SRES 227 IS 

Whereas, on April 19, 2011, the Mekong River Commission’s 

Joint Committee representatives met to discuss the 

Xayaburi project without reaching consensus on whether 

the project should proceed, but agreed during the meeting to table the decision and consider it at a later date 

at a higher, ministerial level; and 

Whereas, on May 8, 2011, the Government of Laos agreed 

to temporarily suspend work on the Xayaburi dam and 

announced plans to conduct further environmental assessments on the project in response to regional concerns: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls on United States representatives at 

3 multilateral development banks to use the voice and 

4 vote of the United States to support strict adherence 

5 to international environmental standards for any fi6 nancial assistance to hydropower dam projects on 

7 the mainstream of the Mekong River; 

8 (2) encourages greater United States engage9 ment with the Mekong River countries through the 

10 Lower Mekong Initiative and increased support for 

11 sustainable infrastructure and water security in 

12 Southeast Asia; 

13 (3) calls on the United States Government in 

14 leading the Lower Mekong Initiative to devote great15 er attention to and funding for capacity building 

16 projects on infrastructure and to assist in identifying 

17 sustainable economic, water, and energy alternatives 


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•SRES 227 IS 

1 to mainstream hydropower dams on the Mekong 

2 River; 

3 (4) applauds the decision of the Mekong River 

4 Commission to delay endorsement of the Xayaburi 

5 Dam; 

6 (5) supports further delay of the construction of 

7 mainstream hydropower dams along the Mekong 

8 River until the studies by the Government of Laos 

9 have been completed and adequate planning and 

10 multilateral coordination can be guaranteed; 

11 (6) encourages members of the Mekong River 

12 Commission to adhere to the prior consultation proc13 ess for dam construction under the Commission’s 

14 Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and 

15 Agreement; 

16 (7) calls on all riparian States along the 

17 Mekong River, including China, to respect the rights 

18 of other river basin countries and take into account 

19 any objection or concerns regarding the construction 

20 of hydropower dams; 

21 (8) calls on the Governments of Burma and 

22 China to improve cooperation with the Mekong River 

23 Commission and information sharing on water flows 

24 and engage in regional decisionmaking processes on 

25 the development and use of the Mekong River; and 


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1 (9) supports assistance to the Lower Mekong 

2 River riparian States to gather data and analyze the 

3 impacts of proposed development along the river. 

Æ 


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