U.S. Rep. Paul D. Tonko, D-Capital Region, has introduced a bill to establish a Hudson-Mohawk Commission whose responsibilities would encompass the Raritan and Passaic estuaries and the New York Harbor.

The goal is to improve coordination among the five states and 2,000 government organizations that oversee the river basins.The goal, Tonko said, is to unify the five states and sub-basins that comprise the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin to manage water resources in an integrated, holistic manner. Collectively, the Hudson and Mohawk River Basin is the most densely populated river basin in the country.

Tonko's proposed Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Act  would authorize the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to conduct research on water resources in the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin. The commission established under the bill would be comprised of the governors of each of the five basin states, along with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

The legislation also would appropriate $25 million annually to fund improvement projects thorughout the region.