Sens. Carper, Coons, Booker, Menendez, Schumer, Gillibrand and Casey Introduce Bill that Preserves and Improves the Delaware River Watershed

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and six of his Senate colleagues introduced legislation that would improve and preserve the overall wellness of the Delaware River watershed. The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2014, co-sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cory Booker and Robert Menendez (both D-N.J.), Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (both D-N.Y.), and Robert Casey (D-Penn.), strengthens the environmental health of the watershed while also spurring the Delaware River watershed region’s economy.

The Delaware River is not just a key resource for important habitat and recreational activity, but a vital generator of economic activity for the region. The Delaware River is directly responsible for an estimated $4.3 billion in annual wages, with $149 billion in annual wages contained within the watershed. According to a 2011 comprehensive study of the region, more than 200,000 jobs are estimated to be directly tied to the Delaware River, with nearly 3 million jobs contained within the watershed. The Delaware River also houses the nation’s largest fresh water port, the Delaware River Port Complex. The complex is estimated to generate more than $19 billion in economic activity annually.

Despite the impact on so many people, the Delaware River lacks a federal program dedicated to its conservation unlike what other nationally-significant watersheds, including the Chesapeake Bay and the Long Island Sound,  have.

The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2014 would establish the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The program would implement a coordinated approach, requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director to adopt a basin-wide plan that sustains and enhances the Delaware River basin restoration and protection efforts. The program would support projects from federal, state, and local governments and stakeholders, ensuring that existing successful restoration plans are leveraged.

In addition to the creation of the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, the bill would establish $5 million in annual competitive grant funding that assists voluntary, non-regulatory, on-the-ground restoration projects across the four-state region, with a maximum federal share of 50 percent.

“By investing in our watershed, we are investing in a resource that not only powers our environment and our local communities, but also fuels our economy,” Sen. Carper said. “The Delaware River watershed supports jobs at ports and in marine transportation, jobs in agriculture, hunting and fishing, jobs in recreation and parks and tourism, and jobs for folks who work every day to safeguard our water quality and water supply. This partnership supports our local economy by keeping our air, water and land clean, and protecting the overall health of this vital resource.” 

“The Delaware River Basin is a precious asset that provides critical resources to Delawareans as well as habitat for a diverse array of wildlife,” Sen. Coons said. “The Basin is an incredible economic engine for the region, supporting jobs in the tourism, fishing, and maritime industries, which bolster revenue in the broader regional economy. This legislation will ensure that we take a comprehensive, long-term approach to managing the Basin. It is our responsibility to preserve the Delaware River Basin’s vibrant ecosystem for future generations.” 

“This legislation will enhance the environmental health of the watershed while safeguarding thousands of jobs in the region,” Sen. Menendez said. “I am delighted to join my colleagues in introducing this proposal aimed at improving conservation efforts, promoting economic growth, and ensuring our states have a constant source of clean water.”

“I am pleased to join my colleagues in support of The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2014 – a bill that is vital to the environmental and economic health of the Delaware River watershed,” Sen. Booker said. “From providing drinking water to supporting recreational activities, the Basin plays an important role in the lives of millions of New Jersey families. This Conservation Act will help restore and protect the watershed and the many benefits it provides to our region for generations to come.”

“The Delaware River is an important part of the heritage and economy of Upstate, as well as a source of clean drinking water for millions,”  Sen. Schumer said. “Creating a partnership to coordinate conservation efforts will allow New York and other states to build on their successes and enhance water quality and the environment throughout the Delaware River watershed.”  

“Investing in our water ways is critical for our environment and our communities,” Sen. Gillibrand said. “The Delaware River Basin is a natural treasure – it helps make the Southern Tier and Hudson Valley ideal communities to work, vacation, and raise a family. It fuels our economy, inspires our artists and provides New Yorkers with quality drinking water. I am pleased with this funding and will always work to preserve the beauty and tradition the Delaware River Basin provides.”

“The Delaware River Basin provides 15 million people in Pennsylvania and surrounding states with water for drinking, agricultural and recreational use,” Sen. Casey said. “This legislation would provide assistance for habitat improvement, water quality enhancement and flood control to protect the watershed and the Pennsylvanians who rely on it.”

About the Delaware River Watershed

The Delaware River watershed stretches more than 300 miles from the Catskill Mountains in New York to the mouth of the Delaware Bay in Delaware. The land area of the watershed is 13,600 square miles, including nearly 1,000 miles in Delaware, and is home to more than eight million people. More than 16 million people depend on the Delaware River as a source of drinking water, including the populations of the first and fifth most populous cities in the U.S., New York and Philadelphia. The Delaware River watershed comprises 50 percent of the land area and 72 percent of the population of Delaware (and 26 percent of the land area and 20 percent of the population in New Jersey, and 7 percent of the land area and 30 percent of the population in Pennsylvania), and includes the tributaries of the Brandywine and Christina rivers, the C&D Canal, and the Delaware Bay.