A group of U.S. senators is urging Washington to use its “voice and vote” in international institutions to ensure strict environmental safeguards for the Mekong River in Southeast Asia.

The senators, led by Democrat Jim Webb of Virginia, introduced a resolution in the Senate Thursday.

It calls on U.S. representatives in such global institutions as the World Bank to use their influence to protect the river.

The resolution also applauds Laos for postponing construction of the Xayaburi Dam. It calls for all other dam projects to be put off until there can be what it calls “adequate planning.”

Webb says the United States and the global community have a strategic interest in preserving the health and well-being of the 60 million people who depend on the Mekong.

The Mekong River flows from the mountains of southern China, through Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea.

Senator Webb says dams along the Mekong could threaten regional food security, block fish migration routes, and let more salt water into the river.