River council will not support DRBC funding request

David Hulse
Posted 8/21/12

NARROWSBURG, NY — For many years the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has been trying unsuccessfully to get Congress to renew its share of funding of the interstate agency.

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River council will not support DRBC funding request

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NARROWSBURG, NY — For many years the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has been trying unsuccessfully to get Congress to renew its share of funding of the interstate agency.

The federal government has provided funding to support its 20% “fair share” of the DRBC’s annual current expense budget during only one federal fiscal year since 1996, and is $11.4 million in arrears in those payments

Over that period the Upper Delaware Council has sometimes supplied letters of support for that funding.

Last week, citing ethical questions about the DRBC’s acceptance of grant funds from groups considered as opponents to natural gas exploration, a tied UDC vote rejected the DRBC request.

Questions were asked about grants from the Otto Haas Charitable Trust and the related William Penn Foundation, which fund grants related to water quality retention.

Hancock delegate Fred Peckham said IRS documents showed $800,000 of foundation money on DRBC’s 2014 reports.

He questioned “backdoor” foundation funding of the Delaware Riverkeeper, which is seated at DRBC’s meeting table, while gas advocates have no similar representation.

Cochecton’s Larry Richardson asked for a response to the implication being made that outside funding was being taken from gas drillings opponents.

DRBC delegate Ken Najjar said the reality was “the exact opposite,” that DRBC was seeking new resources to cope with an expected flood of gas permit applications with the completion of DRBC gas regulations.

Those regulations have never come before the commission for an approval vote.

Najjal said that 2014 grant money on IRS reports was carryover remaining from 2009 and 2012 grants. He said the foundations “are all about water quality,” but to his knowledge have taken no position opposing gas drilling.

Upper Delaware National Park Service Superintendent Kris Heister is a member of the DRBC interagency advisory committee. “I can confirm everything Ken Najjal said about the gas regulations.”

While he said that he supported DRBC, Town of Delaware delegate Harold Roeder said, “I can’t help but see a conflict in sources of money.”

Roeder characterized the two foundations as “anti-gas,” and said DRBC is ignoring gas interests and “spending all its time talking to outside interests.”

The final vote on the letter was a 5 to 5 tie, with one intended abstention and four voting members absent.

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