Environment & Conservation

Clean water. Coastal protection. Farmland preservation. Responsible land use.

Our approach: protect Delaware’s land and water without making life unaffordable for Delaware families.

A Practical Conservation Agenda for Delaware

Delaware’s natural resources are part of what make our state special. From our beaches and bays to our farms, forests, wetlands, rivers, and small-town communities, Delaware has a responsibility to protect the land and water we depend on - without making life unaffordable for the people who live here. Too often, environmental policy is framed as a choice between protecting nature and protecting working families. We reject that false choice. Delaware can have clean water, healthy farmland, protected coastlines, and responsible growth while also keeping housing, energy, food, and everyday costs affordable. The Independent Party of Delaware supports practical, common-sense environmental stewardship rooted in local needs, fiscal responsibility, and respect for the people who live, work, farm, fish, and raise families here.

Clean Water for Every Delawarean

Clean water is not a luxury. It is a basic responsibility of government. Delaware families should be able to trust that the water coming from their taps is safe, that our rivers and streams are protected, and that pollution is addressed before it becomes a crisis. We support investing in aging water pipes, drainage systems, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, and drinking-water protections. We support stronger testing and transparency so communities know what is in their water. We support holding polluters accountable when they contaminate Delaware’s water, rather than shifting the cost onto taxpayers and ratepayers. Clean water policy should prioritize wells, aquifers, wetlands, rivers, streams, bays, and coastal waters - especially in rural and underserved communities that are too often ignored.

Protecting Delaware’s Coastline

Delaware’s coastline is one of our greatest assets. Our beaches, bays, marshes, and coastal towns support tourism, small businesses, property values, fishing, recreation, and quality of life. Coastal communities face real challenges: erosion, flooding, storms, saltwater intrusion, overdevelopment, and rising insurance and infrastructure costs. Delaware needs a long-term coastal protection strategy that includes beach preservation, dune restoration, wetland protection, better drainage, and smart flood mitigation projects that protect homes, businesses, farms, roads, and public infrastructure. Coastal protection must not become an excuse for endless taxpayer-funded bailouts for irresponsible development. Delaware must plan smarter, build responsibly, preserve public access, and protect the natural systems that make our coast livable.

Farmland Preservation and Rural Conservation

Delaware’s farms are part of our economy, culture, food supply, and landscape. Once farmland is paved over, it is usually gone forever. We support expanding voluntary farmland preservation programs, helping farmers keep land in agricultural use, protecting prime farmland from unnecessary sprawl, encouraging local food production, and supporting conservation practices that improve soil health, water quality, and long-term farm productivity. Farmers are among Delaware’s most important environmental stewards. Policies should work with them, not against them. Conservation should treat farmers as partners - not political scapegoats.

Responsible Land Use and Smarter Growth

Delaware cannot continue growing without a serious conversation about land use, infrastructure, traffic, schools, flooding, farmland loss, and the cost of development. Growth should pay for itself. Too often, poorly planned development leaves taxpayers responsible for the long-term costs of roads, schools, drainage, emergency services, and environmental damage. We support growth where infrastructure already exists, stronger coordination between state, county, and local governments, redevelopment of vacant or underused properties where appropriate, and land-use decisions that account for traffic, drainage, school capacity, public safety, and environmental impact. Responsible growth does not mean stopping all development. It means building in the right places, in the right way, with the right infrastructure - so Delaware remains livable and affordable.

Balancing Stewardship With Affordability

Environmental policy must be honest about cost. Delaware families are already struggling with high housing costs, rising electric bills, expensive insurance, and everyday inflation. We support environmental stewardship that is affordable, realistic, and accountable. That means avoiding expensive mandates that raise costs without clear benefits, protecting ratepayers from unnecessary energy and utility cost increases, and making sure conservation funding is transparent and fiscally responsible. Delaware should protect the environment without punishing the people who live here. Smart conservation should lower long-term costs by preventing damage, reducing risk, and protecting the resources Delawareans depend on.

Accountability, Transparency, and Local Input

Environmental decisions should not be made behind closed doors by insiders, lobbyists, developers, or political appointees without meaningful public involvement. Delawareans deserve transparency when decisions affect their land, water, neighborhoods, farms, property values, utility bills, and quality of life. We support greater transparency in permitting and land-use decisions, meaningful public notice before major projects move forward, stronger oversight of state agencies, and clear reporting on how environmental funds are spent and what results are achieved.

Our Commitment

The Independent Party of Delaware believes conservation should be practical, local, affordable, and rooted in common sense. We believe Delaware can protect clean water, preserve farmland, defend our coastline, and manage growth responsibly without embracing extreme policies or ignoring economic reality. Environmental stewardship is not about left versus right. It is about responsibility - to our families, our communities, our farmers, our small businesses, and future generations of Delawareans.

Policy Priorities

Clean Water: Upgrade water infrastructure, improve testing, and hold polluters accountable.

Coastal Protection: Preserve beaches, dunes, wetlands, and coastal communities from avoidable risk.

Farmland Preservation: Expand voluntary preservation and keep farmers central to conservation policy.

Transparency: Require open decisions, public input, and clear reporting on conservation spending.

Responsible Growth: Build where infrastructure exists and make new development account for real costs.

Affordability: Avoid mandates that raise costs without clear, measurable environmental benefits.