Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BRESNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to introduce H.R. 3428, the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act.

This legislation will bring much-needed oversight and clarity to the activities and funding streams for the Delaware River Basin Commission, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

The river basin commissions in the Mid-Atlantic work across State lines to regulate the river systems within a watershed. Since their inceptions after World War II, the rivers they manage have grown in importance as our populations have grown and water usage has increased.

Millions of people rely on these rivers for water and wastewater needs, including my constituents in Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District.

These commissions also play a role in protecting rivers from pollution and ensuring the ecosystems remain vibrant and resilient.

As their roles have grown, Congress has not always had insight into the exact responsibility and tasks the river basin commissions are undertaking.

My legislation directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and compile recommendations for the Mid-Atlantic river basin commissions to ensure they have proper ethics policies in place, conduct an inventory of their Federal responsibilities, and look to see if any of their responsibilities have become duplicative since their inceptions.

My legislation then directs these river basin commissions to report back annually on how they are complying with these recommendations. GAO is the gold standard for Federal reports and has conducted numerous reports and studies of government agencies. In fact, according to the GAO, 75 percent of their recommendations are implemented over a 4-year period.

I trust this proper oversight will help these river basin commissions find ways to improve their services to their citizens and the rivers they serve.

I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source