III 

Calendar No. 249 

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, Mr. LUGAR, and Mr. KERRY) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Relations 

DECEMBER 1, 2011 

Reported by Mr. KERRY, with an amendment, an amendment to the preamble, 

and an amendment to the title 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

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; 


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•SRES 227 RS 

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 

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’’; 


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•SRES 227 RS 

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’’; 

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; 


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•SRES 227 RS 

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; 

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 

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 and 

tributaries in their life cycle, including the majority of the 

commercial fish catch; 


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•SRES 227 RS 

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 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 on the Mekong River 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’’; 

Whereas the Mekong River Commission sponsored a Strategic 

Environmental Assessment of the proposed series of mainVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:47 Dec 02, 2011 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR227.RS SR227

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•SRES 227 RS 

stream dams along the Lower Mekong River, concluding 

that the mainstream projects are likely to result in serious 

and irreversible environmental damage, losses in long-term 

health and productivity of natural systems, and losses in 

biological diversity and ecological integrity; 

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 political 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 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 RS 

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 RS 

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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•SRES 227 RS 

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. 

4 That the Senate— 

5 (1) calls on the United States Government to rec6 ognize different national circumstances of riparian 

7 states along the Mekong River, including their energy 

8 and natural resource profiles, and to support the de9 velopment of cost-effective base load power that meets 

10 electricity generations needs, promotes economic 

11 growth, and alleviates poverty; 

12 (2) calls on United States representatives at 

13 multilateral development banks to use the voice and 

14 vote of the United States to oppose financial assist15 ance to hydropower dam projects on the mainstream 

16 of the Mekong River that have not been adequately co17 ordinated within the region and would impose sig18 nificant adverse effects on the environment, popu19 lation, and economic growth along the river and its 

20 basin; 

21 (3) encourages greater United States engagement 

22 with the Mekong River countries through the Lower 

23 Mekong Initiative and increased support for energy 

24 and water security in Southeast Asia; 


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•SRES 227 RS 

1 (4) calls on the United States Government in 

2 leading the Lower Mekong Initiative to devote greater 

3 attention to capacity building projects on energy and 

4 water infrastructure; 

5 (5) applauds the decision of the Government of 

6 Laos to temporarily suspend work on the Xayaburi 

7 Dam in response to regional concerns; 

8 (6) supports delay of the construction of main9 stream hydropower dams along the Mekong River 

10 until the comprehensive environmental assessments 

11 have been completed and adequate planning and mul12 tilateral coordination has been achieved; 

13 (7) calls on all riparian states along the Mekong 

14 River, including China, to respect the rights of other 

15 river basin countries and take into account any objec16 tion or concerns regarding the construction of hydro17 power dams; 

18 (8) encourages members of the Mekong River 

19 Commission to adhere to the prior consultation proc20 ess for dam construction under the Commission’s Pro21 cedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and 

22 Agreement; 

23 (9) calls on the Governments of Burma and 

24 China to improve cooperation with the Mekong River 

25 Commission and information sharing on water flows 


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•SRES 227 RS 

1 and engage in regional decision-making processes on 

2 the development and use of the Mekong River; and 

3 (10) supports assistance to the Lower Mekong 

4 River riparian states to gather data and analyze the 

5 impacts of proposed development along the river. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A resolution calling 

for states in the Mekong River Basin, including China, 

to respect the rights of all riparian states along the 

Mekong River and for increased United States engagement in promoting the resolution of multilateral water 

sovereignty disputes.’’. 


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Calendar No. 249 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 227 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the protection of the Mekong River 

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

DECEMBER 1, 2011 

Reported with an amendment, an amendment to the 

preamble, and an amendment to the title 


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