Nine short months ago, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and Delaware and Potomac river basin commissions celebrated the restoration of our federal funds following a hard-fought, 11-year struggle.

Pennsylvania Congressman Tim Holden was our key champion in this effort for federal fiscal year 2009.

The mid-Atlantic river basin commissions were optimistic that federal funding for the commissions would come easier in the future now that we were back in the budget cycle. How wrong we were.

The FY-2010 Energy and Water Development Appropriations (EWDA) bill unfortunately does not include a line-item for the river basin commissions. So now our hopes ride on one of two strategies, for President Obama to include the funding in his FY-2011 budget request or for Congress to provide funding in the FY-2011 EWDA bill.

We thank the 10 U.S. senators and 29 congressmen from the mid-Atlantic region who have already written to President Obama urging him to include the funds in FY-2011 and subsequent years.

Those representing the Susquehanna basin are: Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania; Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin from Maryland; and Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand from New York; and Congressmen Tim Holden, Paul Kanjorski, Todd Platts, Bill Shuster, Joseph Pitts, Jim Gerlach, Christopher Carney and Glenn Thompson from Pennsylvania; Frank Kratovil, Jr. from Maryland; and Maurice Hinchey, Michael Arcuri, Eric Massa and Scott Murphy from New York.

Why do federal legislators from the Susquehanna basin want to see our funding restored? Because they know the work we do to protect and manage water resources is, without question, in the national interest.

Our regulation of natural gas development and other large energy producers is vital as this country strives for greater energy independence. Our low flow management program is designed to provide adequate quantities of water for basin communities and for flows to reach the Chesapeake Bay – a national treasure.

Our ongoing leadership on the Susquehanna River Basin Flood Forecast and Warning System goes directly to protecting public heath and safety, as does the work we do on another early warning system that helps protect public water supplies.

Those are just some of the many activities the Commission undertakes on a daily basis to manage, conserve and develop the basin’s water resources for drinking, energy production, food production, industry, agriculture, recreation, and a host of other needs.

By virtue of our charter compact, the federal government committed itself to provide its equitable share to the Commission. We are grateful to the federal legislators who are working to make whole the federal government’s commitment in the next and future fiscal years.