PRINTER'S NO. 2202
No. 344 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY BRUBAKER, RAFFERTY, A. WILLIAMS, O'PAKE,
TARTAGLIONE, BOSCOLA, COSTA, MUSTO, GREENLEAF, PUNT, PIPPY,
RHOADES, C. WILLIAMS, EARLL, FUMO, ERICKSON, VANCE, WAUGH,
PICCOLA, BROWNE, MADIGAN, PILEGGI, D. WHITE, BAKER AND
KASUNIC, JUNE 17, 2008
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, JUNE 17, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Endorsing the request for Federal funding to address vitally
2 important water resource needs.
3 WHEREAS, The water resources of the Commonwealth of
4 Pennsylvania are vitally important for domestic purposes,
5 production of food and fiber, power generation, industrial and
6 commercial purposes and recreational uses; and
7 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a member of
8 several interstate river basin commissions, including the
9 Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Delaware River Basin
10 Commission and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River
11 Basin, hereinafter referred to as the "Mid-Atlantic
12 Commissions"; and
13 WHEREAS, The jurisdiction of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions
14 encompasses approximately two-thirds of the land area of the
15 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and approximately two-thirds of the
16 stream miles in the State; and
1 WHEREAS, The Mid-Atlantic Commissions provide invaluable
2 water resource functions, including planning and management
3 activities to avoid conflicts between states sharing the same
4 watersheds and among water users; and
5 WHEREAS, The Mid-Atlantic Commissions were established by
6 legislation enacted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the
7 other member jurisdictions to each of the compacts, including
8 the Federal Government; and
9 WHEREAS, The interstate compacts that were created as the
10 result of this legislation require their member jurisdictions,
11 including the Federal Government, to provide equitable shares of
12 funding in support of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions' annual
13 expense budgets; and
14 WHEREAS, The Federal Government has provided no direct
15 funding to the Mid-Atlantic Commissions for the past decade in
16 fulfillment of its interstate compact obligations, resulting in
17 the financial burden of responsibility being shifted to the
18 member states of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions, including the
19 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
20 WHEREAS, The 110th Congress of the United States, in its
21 first session, enacted the Water Resources Development Act of
22 2007; and
23 WHEREAS, Section 5019(b) of the Water Resources Development
24 Act of 2007 requires the Secretary of the Army to allocate funds
25 to the Mid-Atlantic Commissions to fulfill the equitable funding
26 requirements of the respective interstate compacts; and
27 WHEREAS, The Mid-Atlantic Commissions have officially
28 requested that funding be included in the Fiscal Year 2009
29 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill in the amount
30 of $1 million for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission,
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1 $715,000 for the Delaware River Basin Commission and $650,000
2 for the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin; and
3 WHEREAS, Federal funding is needed for the Mid-Atlantic
4 Commissions to address vitally important water resource needs,
5 among them the establishment of flow targets to guide the
6 Susquehanna River Basin Commission's management of major
7 withdrawals in the Susquehanna River Basin, the initiation of
8 flood mitigation activities in the Delaware River Basin and the
9 coordination with community leaders in the Potomac River Basin
10 on drinking water source water protection activities; therefore
11 be it
12 RESOLVED, That the Pennsylvania Senate wholeheartedly endorse
13 the request of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions for funding from the
14 Federal Government in fiscal year 2009; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That all members of Pennsylvania's Congressional
16 Delegation are strongly encouraged to actively support the
17 funding request of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions; and be it
18 further
19 RESOLVED, That the United States Senate and the United States
20 House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittees on Energy
21 and Water Development be urged to place a high priority on the
22 request of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions and to include said
23 request in the Fiscal Year 2009 Energy and Water Development
24 Appropriations Bill; and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That pursuant to the requirements of section
26 5019(b) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, the
27 Secretary of the Army be urged to recommend funds for the Mid-
28 Atlantic Commissions in the fiscal year 2010 budget it submits
29 to the Office of Management and Budget; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That pursuant to the requirements of the interstate
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1 compacts of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions, the President of the
2 United States be urged to include funds for the Federal
3 Government's equitable share of funding in support of the Mid-
4 Atlantic Commissions' 2010 budget in the President's 2010 budget
5 request; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the governors and general assemblies of the
7 other member states of the Mid-Atlantic Commissions be urged to
8 consider the adoption of similar resolutions; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
10 the President of the United States, the chairmen and ranking
11 members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives
12 Appropriations Subcommittees for Energy and Water Development,
13 the Secretary of the Army, the Director of the Office of
14 Management and Budget, each member of Congress from the
15 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the governors and general
16 assemblies of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia
17 and West Virginia and the Mayor and Council of the District of
18 Columbia.
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