H.R. 6422
American Water Stewardship Act
Sponsor: Pete Stauber
3 cosponsors
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
American Water Stewardship Act
This bill reauthorizes several water quality protection and restoration programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and makes related requirements.
Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2031 the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Long Island Sound Partnership program, the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program, the National Estuary Program, and the BEACH Act program.
The bill also modifies some of those programs. For example, the bill modifies the National Estuary Program, including by establishing the Mississippi Sound as an estuary of national significance that may receive support under the program. It also modifies the BEACH Act program, including by allowing states or local governments to use grants provided under the program to identify specific sources of contamination for coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public.
Additionally, the bill modifies the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, including by making federal agencies eligible for grants provided under the program.
The bill also prohibits funding made available for FY2026-FY2031 to carry out specified Clean Water Act programs from being provided to nonfederal entities that are domiciled in, located in, organized under, have a principal place of business in, or have agreements with foreign countries of concern.
Finally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report on specified geographic programs of the EPA.
Text of the bill
Section 125 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1276a) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking grant; and
(2) in subsection (e)—
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking Grant program and inserting Program implementation;
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking or other means to State and local agencies, special districts, and public or nonprofit agencies and inserting interagency agreements, contracts, or other funding mechanisms to Federal, State, and local agencies, special districts, public or nonprofit agencies, and other public or private entities; and
(C) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
(2) Maximum amount. Amounts provided for a project, activity, or study under this section shall not exceed an amount that is equal to 75 percent of the total cost of such project, activity, or study.
(3) Assistance to non-Federal entities. Not less than 25 percent of the cost of any project, activity, or study carried out using amounts provided to a non-Federal entity under this section shall be provided from non-Federal sources.