Today, funding for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program advanced amidst cuts to other critical environmental programs. The U.S. House of Representatives approved $1.2 trillion as a package of twelve bills to appropriate funds for many government programs. The package, HR 3354, specified funding for Departments of Interior, EPA, NOAA and other related and unrelated agencies. Cuts to critical programs as well as riders which will weaken environmental protections were included. If approved, this spending package could harm public health, natural resources and habitat by cutting funding for many critical programs. Some of those proposed cuts include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a cut of more than $500 million and cuts to climate change research among many others.

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), in collaboration with the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, has launched the “Delaware River Means” campaign. This online photo and story entry contest focuses on the benefits and experiences around the Delaware River Watershed, aiming to engage residents of and visitors to the Watershed in appreciating its unique qualities.

Funding for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program was approved by the House Appropriations Committee today. This is an important step in the federal budgeting process that will allow money to flow to on-the-ground restoration projects throughout the Delaware River Watershed.

Today, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the agency is moving forward with a rule to rescind the 2015 Clean Water Rule. The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, led by New Jersey Audubon and National Wildlife Federation, and its partners are deeply dismayed by this action. Repealing the Clean Water Rule threatens the water resources of the entire nation, including the Delaware River Watershed, which supplies clean and reliable drinking water to over 15 million people.

New York City, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York state have voluntarily agreed to increase water releases above Revision 1 requirements to protect the cold water ecosystem in the Upper Delaware and enhance flood protection along the river.

The Delaware River Basin states and New York City failed to reach an agreement on managing the city's reservoirs last night, threatening the health of the people, businesses, and fish and wildlife that call the river basin home.

President Trump released a more detailed budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018 recommending severe cuts to the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency, among other areas. If enacted, these reductions would result in the elimination of funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Chesapeake Bay Program, and other geographic watershed programs, as well as the National Estuary Program and critical water quality research and support grants that go directly to the states. This would halt critical work around the country that has shown real success in protecting, preserving, and restoring our nation’s waters.

The management of the New York City Delaware River reservoirs near the top of the watershed has many implications for the entire basin. Water releases from the reservoirs are used to meet downstream flow targets, repel the northward migration of the salt front from the Delaware Bay, maximize recreational opportunities, and ensure healthy aquatic habitat.