SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Delaware River Basin 
Conservation Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) the Delaware River Basin is a national 
treasure of great cultural, environmental, ecological, 
and economic importance; 
(2) the Basin contains over 12,500 square miles 
of land in the States of Delaware, New Jersey, New 
York, and Pennsylvania, including nearly 800 square 
miles of bay and more than 2,000 tributary rivers 
and streams; 
(3) the Basin is home to more than 8,000,000 
people who depend on the Delaware River and the 
Delaware Bay as an economic engine, a place of 
recreation, and a vital habitat for fish and wildlife; 
(4) the Basin provides clean drinking water to 
more than 15,000,000 people, including New York 
City, which relies on the Basin for approximately 
half of the drinking water supply of the city, and 
Philadelphia, whose most significant threat to the 
drinking water supply of the city is loss of forests 
and other natural cover in the Upper Basin, accord-
ing to a study conducted by the Philadelphia Water 
Department; 
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(5) the Basin contributes $25,000,000,000 an-
nually 
in 
economic 
activity, 
provides 
$21,000,000,000 in ecosystem goods and services 
per year, and is directly or indirectly responsible for 
600,000 jobs with $10,000,000,000 in annual 
wages; 
(6) almost 180 species of fish and wildlife are 
considered special status species in the Basin due to 
habitat loss and degradation, particularly sturgeon, 
eastern oyster, horseshoe crabs, and red knots, 
which have been identified as unique species in need 
of habitat improvement; 
(7) the Basin provides habitat for over 200 
resident and migrant fish species, includes signifi-
cant recreational fisheries, and is an important 
source of eastern oyster, blue crab, and the largest 
population of the American horseshoe crab; 
(8) the annual dockside value of commercial 
eastern oyster fishery landings for the Delaware Es-
tuary is nearly $4,000,000, making it the fourth- 
most lucrative fishery in the Delaware River Basin 
watershed, and proven management strategies are 
available to increase oyster habitat, abundance, and 
harvest; 
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(9) the Delaware Bay has the second largest 
concentration of shorebirds in North America and is 
designated as 1 of the 4 most important shorebird 
migration sites in the world; 
(10) the Basin, 50 percent of which is forested, 
also has over 700,000 acres of wetland, more than 
126,000 acres of which are recognized as inter-
nationally important, resulting in a landscape that 
provides essential ecosystem services, including 
recreation, commercial, and water quality benefits; 
(11) much of the remaining exemplary natural 
landscape in the Basin is vulnerable to further deg-
radation, as the Basin gains approximately 10 
square miles of developed land annually, and with 
new development, urban watersheds are increasingly 
covered by impervious surfaces, amplifying the quan-
tity of polluted runoff into rivers and streams; 
(12) the Delaware River is the longest 
undammed river east of the Mississippi; a critical 
component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
System in the Northeast, with more than 400 miles 
designated; home to one of the most heavily visited 
National Park units in the United States, the Dela-
ware Water Gap National Recreation Area; and the 
location of 6 National Wildlife Refuges; 
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(13) the Delaware River supports an inter-
nationally renowned cold water fishery in more than 
80 miles of its northern headwaters that attracts 
tens of thousands of visitors each year and generates 
over $21,000,000 in annual revenue through tourism 
and recreational activities; 
(14) management of water volume in the Basin 
is critical to flood mitigation and habitat for fish 
and wildlife, and following 3 major floods along the 
Delaware River since 2004, the Governors of the 
States of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and 
Pennsylvania have called for natural flood damage 
reduction measures to combat the problem, including 
restoring the function of riparian corridors; 
(15) the Delaware River Port Complex (includ-
ing docking facilities in the States of Delaware, New 
Jersey, and Pennsylvania) is one of the largest 
freshwater ports in the world, the Port of Philadel-
phia handles the largest volume of international ton-
nage and 70 percent of the oil shipped to the East 
Coast, and the Port of Wilmington, a full-service 
deepwater port and marine terminal supporting 
more than 12,000 jobs, is the busiest terminal on 
the Delaware River, handling more than 400 vessels 
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per year with an annual import/export cargo tonnage 
of more than 4,000,000 tons; 
(16) the Delaware Estuary, where freshwater 
from the Delaware River mixes with saltwater from 
the Atlantic Ocean, is 1 of the largest and most 
complex of the 28 estuaries in the National Estuary 
Program, and the Partnership for the Delaware Es-
tuary works to improve the environmental health of 
the Delaware Estuary; 
(17) the Delaware River Basin Commission is a 
Federal-interstate 
compact 
government 
agency 
charged with overseeing a unified approach to man-
aging the river system and implementing important 
water resources management projects and activities 
throughout the Basin that are in the national inter-
est; 
(18) restoration activities in the Basin are sup-
ported through several Federal and State agency 
programs, and funding for those important pro-
grams should continue and complement the estab-
lishment of the Delaware River Basin Restoration 
Program, which is intended to build on and help co-
ordinate restoration and protection funding mecha-
nisms at the Federal, State, regional, and local lev-
els; and 
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(19) the existing and ongoing voluntary con-
servation efforts in the Delaware River Basin neces-
sitate improved efficiency and cost effectiveness, as 
well as increased private-sector investments and co-
ordination of Federal and non-Federal resources. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) BASIN.—The term ‘‘Basin’’ means the 4- 
State Delaware Basin region, including all of Dela-
ware Bay and portions of the States of Delaware, 
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania located in 
the Delaware River watershed. 
(2) BASIN
STATE.—The term ‘‘Basin State’’ 
means each of the States of Delaware, New Jersey, 
New York, and Pennsylvania. 
(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service. 
(4) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 
means the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a 
congressionally chartered foundation established by 
section 2 of the National Fish and Wildlife Founda-
tion Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701). 
(5) GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘grant pro-
gram’’ means the voluntary Delaware River Basin 
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Restoration Grant Program established under sec-
tion 5. 
(6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 
the nonregulatory Delaware River Basin restoration 
program established under section 4. 
(7) RESTORATION
AND
PROTECTION.—The 
term ‘‘restoration and protection’’ means the con-
servation, stewardship, and enhancement of habitat 
for fish and wildlife to preserve and improve eco-
systems and ecological processes on which they de-
pend, and for use and enjoyment by the public. 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di-
rector. 
(9) SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Service’’ means the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 
SEC. 4. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish a nonregulatory program to be known as the 
‘‘Delaware River Basin restoration program’’. 
(b) DUTIES.—In carrying out the program, the Sec-
retary shall— 
(1) draw on existing and new management 
plans for the Basin, or portions of the Basin, and 
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work in consultation with applicable management 
entities, including representatives of the Partnership 
for the Delaware Estuary, the Delaware River Basin 
Commission, the Federal Government, and other 
State and local governments, and regional and non-
profit organizations, as appropriate, to identify, 
prioritize, and implement restoration and protection 
activities within the Basin; 
(2) adopt a Basinwide strategy that— 
(A) supports the implementation of a 
shared set of science-based restoration and pro-
tection activities developed in accordance with 
paragraph (1); 
(B) targets cost-effective projects with 
measurable results; and 
(C) maximizes conservation outcomes with 
no net gain of Federal full-time equivalent em-
ployees; and 
(3) establish the voluntary grant and technical 
assistance programs in accordance with section 5. 
(c) COORDINATION.—In establishing the program, 
the Secretary shall consult, as appropriate, with— 
(1) the heads of Federal agencies, including— 
(A) the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency; 
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(B) the Administrator of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration; 
(C) the Chief of the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service; 
(D) the Chief of Engineers of the Corps of 
Engineers; and 
(E) the head of any other applicable agen-
cy; 
(2) the Governors of the Basin States; 
(3) the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary; 
(4) the Delaware River Basin Commission; 
(5) fish and wildlife joint venture partnerships; 
and 
(6) other public agencies and organizations with 
authority for the planning and implementation of 
conservation strategies in the Basin. 
(d) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program in-
clude— 
(1) coordinating restoration and protection ac-
tivities among Federal, State, local, and regional en-
tities and conservation partners throughout the 
Basin; 
(2) carrying out coordinated restoration and 
protection activities, and providing for technical as-
sistance throughout the Basin and Basin States— 
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(A) to sustain and enhance fish and wild-
life habitat restoration and protection activities; 
(B) to improve and maintain water quality 
to support fish and wildlife, as well as the habi-
tats of fish and wildlife, and drinking water for 
people; 
(C) to sustain and enhance water manage-
ment for volume and flood damage mitigation 
improvements to benefit fish and wildlife habi-
tat; 
(D) to improve opportunities for public ac-
cess and recreation in the Basin consistent with 
the ecological needs of fish and wildlife habitat; 
(E) to facilitate strategic planning to maxi-
mize the resilience of natural systems and habi-
tats under changing watershed conditions; 
(F) to engage the public through outreach, 
education, and citizen involvement, to increase 
capacity and support for coordinated restora-
tion and protection activities in the Basin; 
(G) to increase scientific capacity to sup-
port the planning, monitoring, and research ac-
tivities necessary to carry out coordinated res-
toration and protection activities; and 
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(H) to provide technical assistance to carry 
out restoration and protection activities in the 
Basin. 
SEC. 5. GRANTS AND ASSISTANCE. 
(a) DELAWARE RIVER BASIN RESTORATION GRANT 
PROGRAM.—To the extent that funds are available to 
carry out this section, the Secretary shall establish a vol-
untary grant and technical assistance program to be 
known as the ‘‘Delaware River Basin Restoration Grant 
Program’’ to provide competitive matching grants of vary-
ing amounts to State and local governments, nonprofit or-
ganizations, institutions of higher education, and other eli-
gible entities to carry out activities described in section 
4(d). 
(b) CRITERIA.—The Secretary, in consultation with 
the organizations described in section 4(c), shall develop 
criteria for the grant program to help ensure that activi-
ties funded under this section accomplish one or more of 
the purposes identified in section 4(d)(2) and advance the 
implementation of priority actions or needs identified in 
the Basinwide strategy adopted under section 4(b)(2). 
(c) COST SHARING.— 
(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 
the cost of a project funded under the grant pro-
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gram shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost 
of the activity, as determined by the Secretary. 
(2) NON-FEDERAL
SHARE.—The non-Federal 
share of the cost of a project funded under the grant 
program may be provided in cash or in the form of 
an in-kind contribution of services or materials. 
(d) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 
into an agreement to manage the grant program 
with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or 
a similar organization that offers grant management 
services. 
(2) FUNDING.—If the Secretary enters into an 
agreement under paragraph (1), the organization se-
lected shall— 
(A) for each fiscal year, receive amounts to 
carry out this section in an advance payment of 
the entire amount on October 1, or as soon as 
practicable thereafter, of that fiscal year; 
(B) invest and reinvest those amounts for 
the benefit of the grant program; and 
(C) otherwise administer the grant pro-
gram to support partnerships between the pub-
lic and private sectors in accordance with this 
Act. 
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(3) REQUIREMENTS.—If the Secretary enters 
into an agreement with the Foundation under para-
graph (1), any amounts received by the Foundation 
under this section shall be subject to the National 
Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 
U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding section 10(a) of that 
Act (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)). 
SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORTS. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report on the implementation of this 
Act, including a description of each project that has re-
ceived funding under this Act. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary to carry out this Act $5,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2021. 
(b) USE.—Of any amount made available under this 
section for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall use at least 
75 percent to carry out the grant program under section 
5 and to provide, or provide for, technical assistance under 
such program. 
Æ 
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