Ask Congress, Obama to pull the funding
Conservation and taxpayer organizations Thursday decried a U.S. Senate decision to earmark $332 million for the dredging of the Delaware River in the 2010-11 budget.
Opponents of the project pointed out that the project has been questioned three times by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, called economically wasteful and environmentally dangerous in numerous studies and has been legally by two states and five advocacy groups.
"At the same time New Jersey and Delaware and several conservation organizations have sued the (Army) Corps of Engineers for violating a host of state and federal environmental laws in planning this project, some senators are trying to force feed funding of this project by classic log-rolling," David Conrad, a water resource specialist of the National Wildlife Federation, said.
The New Jersey government and environmental groups oppose the project, which calls for dredging the Delaware from the bay to above Camden to enable larger cargo ships to reach Philadelphia.
The full Senate is expected to voted on the budget by the end of the month.
"We call on Congress and President Obama to reject these tactics and the blatant use of earmarks to propel this poorly conceived and enormously costly project forward," Jane Nogaki of the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said. "Here's a budget savings, cut this $300 million project and help the environment at the same time."
"Democrats and Republicans promised fiscal responsibility," Delaware River Keeper Maya van Rossum said. ‘Their Government Accountability Office has three times questioned the deepening. Multiple state and federal environmental agencies and experts have identified a wealth of risks to drinking water supplies for millions. Hundreds of millions of dollars provided to the economy by Delaware River resources are at risk with deepening. This project has pitted the federal government against the states. Responsible leadership would not fund this project."
"Clearly some lawmakers didn't get the message voters sent Election Day," Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said. "Instead of tackling the record deficits and restraining from parochial project spending, powerful senators are stuffing hundreds of water project earmarks into the end of year spending bill, piling more onto the billions of dollars in earmarked spending."
"The Delaware Deepening project threatens endangered species, municipal water supplies, and the health of the river ecosystem including the Delaware Bay wetlands that provide vital habitat and flood protection benefits," Dalal Aboulhosn of the Sierra Club, said. "The project will also have wide-ranging risks to human health, including potential introduction of toxic materials into the river and aquifer."
Environmentalists protest U.S. Senate decision to earmark $332M for dredging of Delaware River (New Jersey Newsroom)
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