On December 6, the Northeast-Midwest Institute, in coordination with Senator Carper and the House Delaware River Basin Task, sponsored a bicameral briefing on the economic importance of the ecological goods and services of the Delaware River Basin ecosystem.  The briefing was designed to provide more information about the economic benefits of conservation as it relates to proposed legislation, the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act (H.R. 2325 and S. 1266). Topics included: the legislative background and the grass-roots support for the bill; the economic value and role of ecosystems in providing benefits (for example, wetlands reduce flooding impacts); and a focus on why this conservation program is valuable from a business perspective. Speakers included: Dr. Gerald Kauffman, Project Director, University of Delaware; Rachel Dawson, Legislative Representative, The National Wildlife Federation; and Michael Parr, Senior Government Affairs Manager, DuPont. A summary of the briefing and the presentations can be found here.  

For more information, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.