Delaware River basin on agenda of U.S. Senate subcommittee

The Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife will discuss a bill that would establish a commission to coordinate voluntary restoration efforts and award federal grants.

Bills to protect wetlands, migratory bird habitat and restore the Delaware River basin are among measures to be discussed at a U.S. Senate hearing chaired by U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin.

Cardin is chairing the hearing today in Washington, D.C., of the Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife. U.S. Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware is the lead sponsor of the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2011. The bill would establish a commission to coordinate voluntary restoration efforts and award federal grants.

Unlike the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort led by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Delaware commission would be under the Interior Department.

The river's watershed covers parts of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. The watershed is home to more than eight million, and also provides drinking water to more than 15 million, including residents of Easton.