New Jersey-2018-AR165-Introduced

An Assembly Resolution denouncing the Trump Administration's proposal to impose cuts to the budget of the United States Environmental Protection Agency affecting the Delaware River Basin Commission.

Whereas, The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is an interstate agency established in 1961 that is responsible for the oversight and management of all water resources within the geographical boundaries of the Delaware River Basin; and

Whereas, The DRBC consists of five members: the governors of the four basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) and a representative from the United States Army Corps of Engineers; and

Whereas, The DRBC is authorized to establish standards of planning and design for the operation of all projects and facilities within the Delaware River Basin that affect its water resources; and

Whereas, On June 10, 2014, President Obama signed into law the "Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014" (WRRDA), Public Law 113-121, which received the overwhelming support of Congress; and

Whereas, WRRDA directs the Secretary of the Army to allocate funds to the DRBC to fulfill the equitable funding requirements of DRBC's interstate compact; and

Whereas, The WRRDA further stipulates that if this directive is not followed, the secretary must inform the appropriate House and Senate committees why funds were not allocated and also explain the impact of that decision with respect to nine listed areas of jurisdiction, such as water supply allocation, water quality protection, and flood loss reduction; and

Whereas, Although the WRRDA is an authorizing bill and not an appropriations bill, its language clearly encourages ongoing efforts to provide federal funding support for the DRBC's operating budget; and

Whereas, The new administration has proposed a 31 percent budget reduction for the U.S. EPA for the upcoming federal fiscal year, which would reduce the DRBC's current budget of $8 billion to $5.4 billion, which is a reduction of $2.6 billion; and

Whereas, The new federal administration's proposed budget for the federal Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) could cut water-related programs at the DRBC by a third; and

Whereas, The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection receives approximately half of its clean water program funding from the U.S. EPA, which includes grants to the DRBC for water-pollution control, nonpoint-pollution control, and drinking-water protection; and

Whereas, The U.S. EPA budget cut could threaten efforts to reduce pollution in waterways, impair enforcement of various programs, and threaten restoration efforts within the Delaware River watershed; and

Whereas, The DRBC has jurisdiction over more than 1,000 pollution permits in the lower Delaware, and a budget cut could curtail the efforts made to enforce the law and address violations that harm water quality; and

Whereas, The federal budget cuts could also jeopardize cleanups of four Superfund sites located in the Delaware River Basin; and

Whereas, The Delaware River supplies drinking water to more than 15 million people in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; and

Whereas, The Delaware River Basin is also a major economic driver for the region, bringing in $25 billion annually in economic activity; and

Whereas, The federal budget cuts to the U.S. EPA's clean-water programs could have devastating effects on the Delaware River and the people who depend on it for their drinking-water supply and livelihoods; and

Whereas, The President's budget for the U.S. EPA should give high priority to the Delaware River Basin in its funding priorities; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House hereby denounces the Trump Administration's proposal to impose cuts to the budget of the United States Environmental Protection Agency affecting the Delaware River Basin Commission.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice‑President of the United States, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Administrator of Region 2 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Administrator of Region 3 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, each member of Congress elected from the State of New Jersey, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the Delaware River Basin Commission.

STATEMENT

This bill denounces the Trump Administration's proposal to impose cuts to the budget of the United States Environmental Protection Agency affecting the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC).

The DRBC is an interstate agency established in 1961 that is responsible for the oversight and management of all water resources within the geographical boundaries of the Delaware River Basin. The DRBC consists of five members: the governors of the four basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) and a representative from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The DRBC is authorized to establish standards of planning and design for the operation of all projects and facilities within the Delaware River Basin that affect its water resources.

On June 10, 2014, President Obama signed into law the "Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014" (WRRDA), Public Law 113-121, which received the overwhelming support of Congress. WRRDA directs the Secretary of the Army to allocate funds to the DRBC to fulfill the equitable funding requirements of DRBC's interstate compact. The WRRDA further stipulates that if this directive is not followed, the secretary must inform the appropriate House and Senate committees why funds were not allocated and also explain the impact of that decision with respect to nine listed areas of jurisdiction, such as water supply allocation, water quality protection, and flood loss reduction. Although the WRRDA is an authorizing bill and not an appropriations bill, its language clearly encourages ongoing efforts to provide federal funding support for the DRBC's operating budget.

The new administration has proposed a 31 percent budget reduction for the U.S. EPA for the upcoming federal fiscal year, which would reduce the DRBC's current budget of $8 billion to $5.4 billion, which is a reduction of $2.6 billion. The new federal administration's proposed budget for the federal Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) could cut water-related programs at the DRBC by a third. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection receives approximately half of its clean water program funding from the U.S. EPA, which includes grants to the DRBC for water-pollution control, nonpoint-pollution control, and drinking-water protection. The U.S. EPA budget cut could threaten efforts to reduce pollution in waterways, impair enforcement of various programs, and threaten restoration efforts within the Delaware River watershed. The DRBC has jurisdiction over more than 1,000 pollution permits in the lower Delaware, and a budget cut could curtail the efforts made to enforce the law and address violations that harm water quality. The federal budget cuts could also jeopardize cleanups of four Superfund sites located in the Delaware River Basin. The Delaware River supplies drinking water to more than 15 million people in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. the Delaware River Basin is also a major economic driver for the region, bringing in $25 billion annually in economic activity. The federal budget cuts to the U.S. EPA's clean-water programs could have devastating effects on the Delaware River and the people who depend on it for their drinking-water supply and livelihoods.