Sponsors (2)
The bill expands who can apply and provides multi‑year predictable funding to advance watershed and land planning readiness, but it requires roughly $200M over five years and raises risks of uneven access and administrative strain.
Local governments, tribal nations, and other applicants gain predictable federal funding — $40 million per year authorized for FY2027–FY2031 — to carry out watershed and land planning programs.
Indian tribes are explicitly eligible for planning grants, increasing their direct access to federal planning funds for watershed and land projects.
Communities hit by drought, wildfire, or other disasters (including rural areas and local governments) can apply for grants to address urgent needs, broadening who can receive assistance.
Taxpayers will face increased federal spending totaling about $200 million over five years to fund the program.
Discretion for the Secretary to extend continuation grants could produce uneven funding continuity across applicants, leaving some projects with uncertain follow‑on support.
Larger initial-phase and continuation grants may favor applicants with stronger grant-writing capacity, risking unequal access for smaller governments or organizations despite provisions to fund grant-writing.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Reauthorizes and expands a cooperative watershed grants program: broadens eligibility (including tribes and disaster‑impacted applicants), increases allowable uses and early‑phase support, establishes continuous enrollment, and authorizes $40M/year FY2027–2031.
Introduced March 10, 2026 by Steve Daines · Last progress March 10, 2026
Expands and reauthorizes a federal cooperative watershed grants program by broadening who can apply, increasing and lengthening early‑phase grant support, allowing more uses of grant funds (including grant writing, project management, and technical studies), and requiring continuous enrollment so applications can be submitted and reviewed multiple times per year. It authorizes $40 million per year for fiscal years 2027–2031 to carry out the program, with first‑phase grants set at $50,000 annually for at least three years and the Secretary able to extend first‑phase support up to two additional years at higher amounts based on performance.