WASHINGTON, DC — Legislators representing districts throughout the Delaware River Valley, including NY-19 Representative Josh Riley, have sponsored legislation to reauthorize the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program (DRBRP),  a source of funding to support conservation efforts along the river. 

The DRBRP develops a coordinated approach to identify, prioritize and implement restoration, protection and public outdoor recreation access and activities across the basin. The program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and provides a competitive grant and technical assistance program known as the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund (DWCF) to support on-the-ground restoration and conservation projects, which is facilitated by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. 

To date, the DWCF has invested $72.1 million in federal funds, leveraging $100 million in matching funds for a total conservation impact of $172.1 million in the Delaware River Basin. These investments have created 268 jobs, restored 77 miles of streams, expanded public access by 6,141 acres, enhanced 1,176 acres of wetlands and improved 32,522 acres of forest. 

"In the northern portion of the Delaware River basin in New York state, the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program has been a sight for sore eyes. Since 2018, the program has invested millions of dollars in water resource projects that provide multiple benefits to people, communities, and environmental quality,” said Jeff Skelding, Executive Director, Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “New York State is chock full of iconic water bodies from the Great Lakes to the Long Island Sound. This program helped elevate the importance of the Delaware River in a crowded playing field. It also helped us leverage new watershed protection funding at the state level that provides additive value to the federal investment. We urge our New York Senators and House members to push for quick passage of the reauthorization bill in Congress and keep us moving in the right direction." 

Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Dwight Evans (D-PA) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) introduced the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025; it is also cosponsored by Reps. Evans (D-PA), Sherrill (D-NJ), Boyle (D-PA), Dean (D-PA), Gottheimer (D-NJ), Houlahan (D-PA), Kean (R-NJ), McBride (D-DE), Norcross (D-NJ), Riley (D-NY), Scanlon (D-PA), Van Drew (R-NJ), Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Conaway (D-NJ).