LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION recognizing and honoring the Susquehanna River
Basin Commission upon the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of its forma-
tion

WHEREAS, The Susquehanna River, its tributaries and its underground
waters in the State of New York rank as one of the State's most valuable
natural resources; and
WHEREAS, On January 23, 1971, the States of New York and Maryland, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States of America joined
together under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact (the "Compact") to
form the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (the "Commission"); and
WHEREAS, Mr. Frederick Zimmermann, a New Yorker, a past member of the
New York Assembly (of the New York Legislature), and a pioneer in the
field of intergovernmental relations, was highly instrumental in draft-
ing the Compact and bringing these four jurisdictions together under the
Compact; and
WHEREAS, Elisha Barrett, a New York State Senator and chair of the New
York Joint Legislative Committee on Interstate Cooperation, agreed to
host and set up the tri-state meeting in Binghamton, New York, to estab-
lish the Interstate Advisory Committee on the Susquehanna River Basin,
which led to the drafting of the Compact and its eventual adoption by
the member jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, The Commission is a federal-interstate compact agency that
exercises the joint sovereign powers of its member jurisdictions to
wisely manage the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin under
comprehensive planning principles; and
WHEREAS, The Commission, through its programs and activities, and also
through the dedication of its commissioners and staff, has faithfully
advanced the purposes of the Compact, including the promotion of inter-
state comity and cooperative and coordinated planning and action by the
member jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, The Susquehanna River Basin, including the 6,260 square miles
of the basin within the State of New York, is one of the most flood
prone river basins in the nation; and
WHEREAS, The Commission has made significant contributions to the
cause of flood loss reduction by such efforts as the support of a stream
gaging network, the production of flood plain mapping, assistance to
local flood warning systems, and the establishment of the Susquehanna
Flood Forecast and Warning System; and
WHEREAS, The Commission, through its monitoring and assessment
programs, provides valuable water quality data to the State of New York
and the other member jurisdictions, allowing the members to efficiently
target their water quality management and enforcement efforts; and
WHEREAS, The Commission utilizes storage and release of water from
federally owned reservoirs to augment river flows, thereby mitigating
the adverse impacts of drought and low flows; and
WHEREAS, The Commission also manages large scale withdrawals and
consumptive uses to avoid conflicts among users and protect the environ-
ment; and
WHEREAS, Through its participation in the federal relicensing
proceedings for major hydroelectric projects in the lower Susquehanna
River, the Commission spearheads an ongoing 30 year effort to restore
and maintain migratory fish runs in the Susquehanna River, including the
American Shad, whose migratory runs once extended as far upstream as
Binghamton, New York; and
WHEREAS, The Commission provides an administrative forum where its
member jurisdictions can amicably discuss and develop mutually benefi-

cial policies for the management of the basin's water resources and
avoid costly, protracted legal conflicts over those waters; and
WHEREAS, The Commission is now a recognized leader in the development
of management tools for the oversight of water use by natural gas well
developers in the Marcellus and similar shale gas formations; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize and honor the Susquehanna River Basin Commission for its 40
years of dedicated service to the people, business organizations, and
governments of the Susquehanna River Basin; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause further to extend its best
wishes for a continuing close and cooperative relationship between the
Commission and the State of New York, and reiterates its support for the
mission of the Commission under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.