When you think of the State of Delaware, water doesn’t naturally come to the top of mind. Delaware can lay claim to having twice as many chickens as people and keeping license plates as family heirlooms, but water isn’t typically the first thing people think of – though it should be. When the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed started their legislative advocacy efforts in “The First State” earlier this year, that was the number one request: remember to vote for clean water.
April Events
Coalition Statement on Latex Chemical Spill into the Delaware River Watershed
The Coalition is saddened to learn that about 8,100 gallons of harmful latex chemicals ― like butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate ― entered Otter Creek, a tributary for the Delaware River Watershed on the evening of Friday, March 24th. This spill, caused by the Trinseo plant, has threatened the drinking water for over 975,000 people, including the watershed communities of Bristol, Philadelphia, Camden, and more.
The Coalition Applauds the EPA's PFAS Announcement
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed applauds the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of a proposed national standard to regulate six Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) ― PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFBS, PFHxS, and GenX ― as part of its Strategic Roadmap of concrete actions to reduce harmful contaminates through 2024.
CDRW Opposes Overturning the Clean Water Restoration Rule
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed strongly urges Members of Congress to oppose the Congressional Review Act legislation that would prevent clean water protections from being implemented. This is a short-sighted piece of legislation will have negative impacts to clean water, wildlife, and human health in our region, which provides 13.3 million people with their drinking water ― more than 4% of the total U.S. population.
Advocating for Clean Water, Land Restoration, and Wildlife Conservation During Hill Day 2023
For the first time in two years, over 50 members of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed met in-person with Members of Congress in Washington, DC to educate offices on key policy and funding priorities that support conservation and restoration in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Previously, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition’s annual Hill Day was held virtually.
Sen. Carper, Rep. Blunt Rochester, Rep. Fitzpatrick Introduce Bill to Expand Equity in Important Delaware River Conservation Program
Building off success of the federal spending bill recently signed into law by President Biden — that included a significant increase of $11.5 million in funding for the region — Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) took another major step forward in protecting the drinking water, state wildlife, and restoration sites across the watershed by introducing the bipartisan Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act (DRBCA).
