Sponsor
Brian Jeffrey Mast
Representative · R-FL
Representative · R-FL
The bill directs federal grant money toward restoring impaired waters and prioritizes natural-hydrology projects to boost water quality and resilience while lowering matching barriers for states, at the cost of higher federal spending, new administrative requirements for governments, and no reimbursement for already-completed projects.
State and local governments can access new federal grants to restore waters impaired under the Clean Water Act, enabling more local water-quality and restoration projects.
State funds spent on eligible restoration projects can count toward the non‑Federal match, lowering local fiscal barriers to securing federal grant dollars.
Funding focused on restoring natural hydrological systems (wetlands, living shorelines, estuarine waters) improves ecosystem services and community resilience to flooding and erosion.
Taxpayers may face increased federal spending to support these grants, with budgetary impacts depending on appropriation decisions.
State and local governments must plan, track, and document 303(d)-listed waters and proposed projects to qualify, creating administrative burden and extra costs.
Entities that already completed or fully funded eligible projects are ineligible for reimbursement, leaving early actors (local governments, nonprofits) without retroactive federal support.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds water-quality project planning and grant authority to Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plans, allowing LWCF assistance for qualifying natural hydrology restoration projects.
Official title: To amend title 54, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make financial assistance to States under the Land and Water Conservation Fund available for water quality projects, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 12, 2025 by Brian Jeffrey Mast · Last progress February 12, 2025
Adds water-quality planning and grant authority to state outdoor recreation plans under the Land and Water Conservation Fund framework. States must identify waters on their EPA 303(d) impaired-waters lists and propose qualifying water-quality projects; the Department of the Interior may provide grants for eligible restoration projects that restore or improve natural hydrological systems, with EPA consultation and limits on reimbursing already completed or fully funded projects. The change defines “water quality project,” allows state funding to count toward required non-Federal shares, and clarifies the Secretary’s assistance does not expand Federal regulatory authority over nonnavigable waters.