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March 24, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6422) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize certain EPA geographic programs, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6422
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “American Water Stewardship
Act”.
SEC. 2. GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE.
Section 118(c)(7)(J)(i)(VI) of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1268(c)(7)(J)(i)(VI)) is amended by
striking “fiscal year 2026” and inserting “each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2031”.
SEC. 3. LONG ISLAND SOUND.
Section 119(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(33 U.S.C. 1269(h)) is amended by striking “2023” and
inserting “2031”.
SEC. 4. COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN RESTORATION.
Section 123(d)(6) of the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act (33 U.S.C. 1275(d)(6)) is amended by striking “and
2021” and inserting “through 2031”.
SEC. 5. SAN FRANCISCO BAY RESTORATION PROGRAM.
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.”.
SEC. 6. NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM.
(a) In General.—Section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1330) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking “and Pensacola
and Perdido Bays, Florida” and inserting “Pensacola and
Perdido Bays, Florida; and Mississippi Sound, Mississippi”;
and
(2) in subsection (i)(1), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A), by striking “2026” and inserting
“2031”.
(b) Ineligibility With Respect to Fiscal Years 2026 and
2027.—With respect to the amendment made by subsection
(a)(1), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency may not use for the implementation of that amendment,
including, with respect to Mississippi Sound, Mississippi,
convening a management conference, developing or carrying out
a comprehensive conservation and management plan, or
providing grants under section 320 of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1330)—
(1) any amounts appropriated to carry out the national
estuary program under that section for fiscal year 2026; or
(2) unless the total amount appropriated to carry out that
program for fiscal year 2027 is at least $850,000 more than
the total amount appropriated to carry out that program for
fiscal year 2024, any amounts appropriated to carry out that
program for fiscal year 2027.
SEC. 7. COASTAL RECREATION WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND
NOTIFICATION.
(a) In General.—
(1) Program development and implementation grants.—Section
406 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
1346) is amended—
(A) in subsection (b)—
(i) in paragraph (3)(A)—
(I) in clause (i), by striking “and” at the end;
(II) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); and
(III) by inserting after clause (i) the following:
“(ii) in the case of a State that uses such grant to
identify specific sources of contamination pursuant to
paragraph (5), any data relating to such identified sources
of contamination; and”; and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
“(5) Identification of specific sources of
contamination.—A State or local government receiving a grant
under this subsection may use such grant to identify specific
sources of contamination for coastal recreation waters
adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used
by the public.”; and
(B) in subsection (i), by striking “2001 through 2005”
and inserting “2026 through 2031”.
(2) Authorization of appropriations.—Section 8 of the
Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of
2000 (Public Law 106-284; 114 Stat. 877) is amended by
striking “2001 through 2005” and inserting “2026 through
2031”.
(b) Coastal Recreation Waters Defined.—Section
502(21)(A)(ii) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1362(21)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking “(including
coastal estuaries)” and inserting “(including coastal
estuaries, the mouths of rivers and streams, nearby shallow
waters, and waters present on beaches)”.
(c) Guidance.—In providing guidance to States and local
governments receiving grants under section 406 of the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1346), the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall
ensure that such guidance reflects innovations in testing
technologies for water contamination.
SEC. 8. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.
No Federal funds made available for any of fiscal years
2026 through 2031 to carry out section 118, 119, 123, 125,
320, or 406 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act may be
provided to any non-Federal entity—
(1) that is domiciled in, headquartered in, or organized
under the laws of, or the principal place of business of
which is located in, a foreign country of concern (as defined
in section 10638 of the Research and Development,
Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19237)); or
(2) for projects conducted with a foreign country of
concern.
SEC. 9. GEOGRAPHIC PROGRAM REPORT.
(a) In General.—Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a
report on EPA geographic programs.
(b) Required Evaluation.—In preparing the report required
under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall include
an evaluation, with respect to each EPA geographic program,
of—
(1) the management of funds, including the efficiency and
effectiveness of program operations and the use of Federal
funds;
(2) the progress towards achieving program purposes, goals,
and objectives, including the status of program goals and
objectives and the extent to which the program has
demonstrated measurable outcomes;
(3) obstacles to program success or progress;
(4) the efficacy of coordination with other Federal, State,
Tribal, and local programs and actions, including whether
there is any duplication of efforts among such programs and
actions; and
(5) the ethics policies and practices of the office of the
Environmental Protection Agency responsible for implementing
the program.
(c) Recommendations.—The Comptroller General shall include
in the report required under subsection (a) recommendations,
as appropriate, to improve EPA geographic program efficiency,
accountability, and effectiveness in achieving program
purposes, goals, and objectives.
(d) EPA Geographic Program Defined.—In this section, the
term “EPA geographic program” means—
(1) the Chesapeake Bay Program under section 117 of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1267);
(2) the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under section
118 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
1268);
(3) the Long Island Sound program under section 119 of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1269);
(4) the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program under
section 120 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1270);
(5) the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program under
section 121 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1273);
(6) the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program under
section 123 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1275);
(7) the San Francisco Bay Restoration Program under section
125 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
1276a);
(8) the Puget Sound program under section 126 of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1276b);
(9) the Gulf of America Program carried out by the
Administrator;
(10) the South Florida Program carried out by the
Administrator; or
(11) the Southeast New England Program carried out by the
Administrator.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
General Leave
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 6422, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 6422, as amended, reauthorizes several longstanding EPA programs through fiscal year 2031, including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Long Island Sound Program, the Colombia River Basin Restoration Program, the National Estuary Program, and the BEACH Act Program, among others.
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study the management, effectiveness, and ethical practices of these and additional EPA geographic programs and report back to Congress.
Additionally, the programs included in H.R. 6422 have bipartisan support. This legislation includes the ESTUARIES Act, which would reauthorize the National Estuary Program that helps local communities protect important estuaries and improve water quality, and the BEACH Act, which would reauthorize a program that helps local communities keep Americans recreating in coastal waters, safe from diseases and pollution.
the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with strong bipartisan support and that H.R. 6422 was approved by voice vote.
best for their communities. Reauthorizing these programs will continue to empower them to address water quality and pollution issues where they live,
yielding better results for all Americans.
Madam Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 6422, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6422, the American Water Stewardship Act, as amended, a bipartisan bill that combines several standalone bills that all have broad support.
the National Estuary Program and is included in section 6 of this bill. The National Estuary Program is an important resource supporting locally led efforts to restore and protect the environmental health of estuaries of national significance, one of which is in my district and my hometown, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.
H.R. 6422, as amended, reauthorizes several other EPA programs that have strong bipartisan support due to their proven success. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative covers a wide geographic area and works to protect and restore the country's largest source of freshwater.
as well as the BEACH Act, which Representative Pallone has championed for years.
Representatives McDonald Rivet, Scholten, Sykes, Gillen, Hoyle, Brownley, Pappas, Huffman, Moulton, Pou, and Norton—there are a lot of us—for their leadership on this comprehensive package, and my Republican colleagues, as well.
support that they need to continue the comprehensive, complex work that they do locally to restore and protect local aquatic ecosystems.
communities by providing flood protection, storing clean water, and supporting our water-based economies.
amended, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).
Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, my legislation, the American Water Stewardship Act, is a comprehensive package that brings together six standalone bills to reauthorize and strengthen key EPA water quality and ecosystem restoration programs.
David Joyce, Frank Pallone, David Rouzer, and Emilia Sykes, which supports coastal water monitoring and helps local communities to protect public health.
Representatives Figures and Mast, that protects and restores the water quality of estuaries of national significance.
track records, including the Long Island Sound program, led by Representative LaLota, and the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program, led by Representative Hoyle.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has long been championed by Representative David Joyce of Ohio, as well as many other Members of the Great Lakes region.
of Members to ensure that this important program is recognized, reauthorized, and well funded.
largest Federal investment in the Great Lakes, which are vitally important to my home State of Minnesota.
geographic program. Its work focuses on cleaning up the Great Lakes, reducing pollution, addressing invasive species, and restoring critical habitat for local species.
GLRI, generating over $3 in economic activity for every $1 in Federal investment. This is an incredible rate of return for a Federal program, and it is just one of the reasons why I have strongly advocated for the GLRI during my time here in Congress.
David Joyce and all the other Great Lakes champions for their work on this effort. I am happy we have found a legislative vehicle to move this important program forward.
stewardship, supporting community-led efforts, encouraging collaboration, and demonstrating that responsible environmental protection goes hand in hand with economic growth and fiscal responsibility.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this package.
Mr. FIGURES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
habitats nationwide, and with passage of this, it would add another one. The Columbia River Basin is one of our largest watersheds. The Great Lakes are the largest system of fresh surface water in the world. The Long Island Sound provides benefits to millions of residents in New York and Connecticut, and it is habitat to more than 1,200 invertebrates, 170 species of fish, and dozens of species of migratory birds.
economic, recreational, and human health benefits to restoring them all.
to visiting our favorite beaches and coastal areas, which means that we need to know that our coastal waters are safe from contaminants. This bill pulls together reauthorizations of five critical programs, all of which are broadly supported by Members on both sides of the aisle.
funding and also ensures the GAO evaluates the continued success of each of EPA's geographic programs. The American Water Stewardship Act is just that: thoughtful stewardship of our most critical water resources.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 6422, the American Water Stewardship Act, is an important bipartisan bill that will empower local communities to continue to take the lead on improving water quality in coastal areas, as well as to ensure strong oversight of these EPA programs by Congress.
I thank Mr. Stauber and Ms. McDonald Rivet for their leadership on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as Representatives Joyce, Larsen, Figures, Rouzer, Sykes, Huffman, Bonamici, LaLota, Pallone, Ezell, Scholten, Mast, Haridopolos, and Hoyle for their leadership on specific initiatives contained within H.R. 6422.
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of legislation before the House today reauthorizing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative or GLRI.
The Great Lakes form the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. More than 30 million people live in the Great Lakes basin and their daily activities directly affect these bodies of water.
remains, ensuring that we protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes face numerous challenges, including the growing threat from invasive species, ongoing development, and pollution of the waters by toxic chemicals.
which address some of the most pressing issues facing the Great Lakes. Created by President Obama, the GLRI has helped focus federal efforts and funds on the threats facing the Great Lakes. Just in my home state of Wisconsin, more than $962 million through the GLRI, has made over 1,300 projects possible throughout the Great Lakes basin.
economy. Businesses are opening up again along or near waterways
that have long been neglected. The reduction of beneficial use impairments are allowing fisherman and others to return to areas that for a long time have been off limits.
bipartisan support. Members of the region from both sides of the aisle have rallied to this program. And it has been effective. For example, since its creation, work around the U.S. Areas of Concerns—or AOC's— has accelerated. These areas are the focus of comprehensive cleanup and restoration efforts because they have been seriously degraded by pollution and contaminants.
nine AOCs have completed all management actions necessary for delisting. I know that work is happening at the AOC in my district, the Milwaukee Estuary, which I hope will soon join that list. Industrial activities have caused toxic pollution to accumulate in the sediments at the bottom of over 12 miles of Milwaukee's rivers and the Lake Michigan harbor. The GLRI supported cleanup will improve public health and safety, provide clean water, bring back healthy fish and wildlife, and enhance economic and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.
that we can't afford to lose the progress or stop the momentum it has unleashed across the Great Lakes region.
I support the reauthorization of this program through FY 2031.
increase in the authorized funding level to $500 million. Failing to make the necessary investments in restoring and protecting the Great Lakes will cost us much more in the long run. Trust me.
part to keep fighting for the highest possible funding for this program each year.
I urge support of this legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6422, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.