Gillibrand, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Reauthorize And Expand The Delaware River Basin Restoration Program

Gillibrand, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Reauthorize And Expand The Delaware River Basin Restoration Program

Mar 20, 2026

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with eight Senate Democratic colleagues, introduced the Delaware River Basin Restoration Reauthorization Act, legislation to reauthorize the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program (DRBRP), which provides key funding to improve water quality, reduce flooding, and enhance safe recreation across New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey.

"Ensuring the long-term health of the Delaware River Basin is an investment in New York's future and essential to sustaining the communities and small businesses from the Catskills to New York City that rely on it every day," said Senator Gillibrand. "By reauthorizing and expanding this program, we can strengthen water quality, reduce flooding, and support safe outdoor recreation while safeguarding drinking water and protecting this vital resource for future generations."

The Delaware River Basin directly supplies drinking water to 13 million people and supports a $25 million water-based economy, generating 600,000 jobs and $10 billion in annual wages across the region. As the headwaters of the Delaware River, communities in New York benefit from the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program through strengthened economies, improved health, and greater access to the outdoors.

Senator Gillibrand was joined on the legislation by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).

The lawmakers' Delaware River Basin Restoration Reauthorization Act would:

• Extend program authorization through 2033 to ensure long-term conservation and restoration efforts.
• Expand the official definition of the Basin to include Maryland, officially recognizing its ecological and economic contributions to the watershed.
• Prioritize projects that serve small, rural, and disadvantaged communities, ensuring equitable access to federal conservation resources.

The legislation is endorsed by the Friends of the Upper Delaware, the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, the Delaware Nature Society, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Audubon Society, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the National Wildlife Federation, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, the American Rivers Action Fund, PennFuture, the Friends of the Wissahickon, the Pocono Heritage Land Trust, the American Sustainable Business Council, and the Riverways Collaboration.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

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