Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3428, a bill to direct the GAO to review the three Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions and report on the practices and Federal responsibilities of each commission.

The Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions serve an important role in the region by managing, protecting, and improving their respective river basins. The commissions were created to consolidate a complex web of State, interstate, and Federal efforts into one.

For example, the history of the Potomac Basin Commission reminds us how the commission was formed in response to extreme pollution levels in our Nation's River that required a regional, cooperative response by all jurisdictions.

Similarly, the Delaware River Basin Compact, signed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy and the then-Governors of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, created a commission with the force of law to oversee a unified approach to managing the river without regard to political boundaries.

As a result of these commissions, water quality on the Delaware, Potomac, and Susquehanna Rivers has, in many ways, vastly improved, but threats such as population increases, land use changes, and the growth of impervious surfaces, chemical contaminants, and nutrient and sediment enrichment still require focused, regional attention.

This GAO study will review these partnerships and how responsibilities are split between the commissions and the Federal agencies, as well as examine the transparency and communication practices of the commissions.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3428 and urge my colleagues to do the same.

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Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his leadership on this issue. I support H.R. 3428, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

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