For the past 25 years I have worked for the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC): a not-for-profit congressionally authorized interstate agency th! at represents the interests of its member states - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. I have been NEIWPCC’s Deputy Director for the past 17 years. As signatories to our interstate compact established in 1947, the New England states and New York created NEIWPCC and empowered it with the responsibility to abate existing pollution and control future pollution of interstate inland and tidal waters. NEIWPCC’s compact area includes 25 sub-basins in the New England and New York drainage basin. These sub-basins encompass over 82,059 square miles and are inclusive of the Housatonic River and Upper Hudson River; Lake Champlain; the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound; Great Bay; Narragansett Bay; Buzzards Bay; Cape Cod and Nantucket Sound; the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers; the Presumpscot River and Casco Bay; and the Androscoggin, Kennebec, Penobscot, and St. Croix rivers. In the 67 years of its existence, NEIWPCC has been a leader in the environmental industry, helping to transform badly polluted waterways in the Northeast into vibrant and productive resources. With habitats that support nesting bald eagles, piping plovers, and leatherback sea turtles, as well as numerous trophy fish, the Northeast water resources are a key component in the economies of the New England states, New York, and beyond. NEIWPCC’s mission is to serve and assist its member states by coordinating activities and forums that encourage cooperation, foster progress on water and wastewater issues, represent the region in matters of federal policy, train environmental professionals, initiate and oversee scientific research projects, educate the public, and provide overall leadership in water management and protection: including coastal ecosystems. Over the years I have worked, and will continue to work, in partnership with local, state, federal, and international agencies to advance knowledge, mitigate issues, transfer information and technology, and strengthen communication to ensure sustainable use and management of the northeast water environment. I work daily with staff in the New England and New York environmental agencies to develop strong bonds and bring diverse interest groups together; create forums for collaboration and assist in the management of interstate water conflicts by means of sound science, coordination, and adaptation. Presently, I oversee NEIWPCC’s 95 full and part time staff and manage the Commission’s $24,000,000 annual budget. Working with the NEIWPCC staff, I develop and implement programs endorsed by our Commissioners. These programs include providing staff and resources to the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, the Long Island Sound Study, the Hudson River Estuary Program and National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Peconic Estuary Program. Much of the work conducted includes fostering greater understanding of the relationships between human activity and the condition of the northeast coastal environment and its resources.