Sponsors (4)
The bill extends and clarifies multiple federal water programs to improve restoration, monitoring, and public-health protections, while increasing federal commitments and imposing local matches, possible compliance costs, partnership restrictions, and some implementation delays—trading broader environmental and health benefits for higher near-term budgetary and administrative burdens.
Residents, local and state governments, and restoration contractors keep multi-year federal program funding and regulatory continuity for Great Lakes, coastal, and other water programs through FY2026–FY2031, supporting cleanup, habitat work, recreation, and jobs.
Beachgoers, nearby communities, and public-health agencies gain improved water-quality monitoring, clearer coverage of coastal recreation waters, and encouragement to adopt newer testing technologies, enabling faster detection and response to contamination.
Local and state governments, special districts, and nonprofits can use more flexible funding agreements and receive predictable federal support of up to 75% for eligible projects, making planning and project financing easier.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending commitments from extended program authorizations and grant activity through FY2026–FY2031, which could raise federal costs or crowd out other priorities.
Utilities, municipalities, and states may incur higher compliance and monitoring costs — and potentially costly infrastructure upgrades — if program modernization or an expanded scope tightens standards or increases monitoring obligations.
The required non‑Federal match (at least 25%) for many projects increases local and nonprofit spending needs and may force scaling back projects or prioritizing better-resourced areas.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Extends and updates multiple EPA geographic water program authorities through 2026–2031, changes grant rules and cost shares, adds the Mississippi Sound estuary, forbids certain foreign‑tied recipients from getting funds, and orders a GAO review.
Makes targeted changes to several EPA geographic water programs: extends or reauthorizes multiple program authorities through 2026–2031, expands who can receive San Francisco Bay restoration funds and sets a 75% federal cost-share cap, adds the Mississippi Sound as a designated estuary but restricts use of near-term funds to implement that designation, updates coastal recreation water monitoring grants and definitions, prohibits certain federal water program funds to entities tied to specified foreign countries of concern for FY2026–2031, and requires a GAO review of 11 EPA geographic programs within two years.
Introduced December 4, 2025 by Peter Stauber · Last progress March 25, 2026