ÃÛèÖAPP Applauds Bipartisan Federal Effort to Protect Delaware River Basin with Critical Reauthorization Bill
Program extension would protect jobs, habitat, and communities.
Last week, members of the Delaware River Watershed Caucus introduced the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill would extend program authorization through 2032 to ensure long-term conservation and restoration efforts, expand the official definition of the basin to include Maryland, and prioritize projects that serve small, rural, and disadvantaged communities. ÃÛèÖAPP thanks the leadership from caucus co-chairs Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) for their commitment to the restoration of the watershed.
The Delaware River watershed encompasses a complex system of forests, rivers, marshes, and urban landscapes stretching 13,500 square miles and 2,000 rivers across the five basin states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. The watershed provides drinking water to over 14 million Americans and supports a $25 billion economy. The watershed provides important year-round habitats and critical migratory stopovers for approximately 400 bird species, including Red Knot, Wood Thrush, and Cerulean Warbler.
The Delaware River Basin Restoration Program is more important than ever as biodiversity loss and ÃÛèÖAPP change threaten wildlife and communities across the mid-Atlantic region. This program, administered by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, champions federal-local collaboration and critical on-the-ground projects in the watershed that conserve and restore this irreplaceable natural resource.
Support from federal elected officials in the watershed helps advance the conservation and protection of the Delaware River. ÃÛèÖAPP thanks the original cosponsors of this legislation, including: Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Dwight Evans (PA), Mikie Sherrill (NJ), Brendan Boyle (PA), Madeleine Dean (PA), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Chrissy Houlahan (PA), Thomas Kean (NJ), Sarah McBride (DE), Donald Norcross (NJ), Josh Riley (NY), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA), Jeff Van Drew (NJ), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), and Herbert Conaway (NJ).