Sponsors (6)
The bill provides multi-year authorization and regional focus that give communities and researchers planning stability for stormwater innovation, but it fixes program structure and designates regional priorities while leaving funding levels unspecified, trading flexibility and nationwide balance for predictability and a Great Lakes emphasis.
Municipalities and utilities will get continued federal authorization for stormwater innovation programs through FY2027–2031, enabling longer-term projects, planning, and sustained technical support.
Researchers and eligible institutions will have a stable, predictable program structure because the bill fixes exactly five regional centers, simplifying planning and competition for grants.
Great Lakes communities will get a dedicated regional center focused on local stormwater issues, supporting tailored solutions and regional stewardship.
Taxpayers and local governments may still face uncertainty because the bill extends authorization without specifying funding levels, so projects could remain underfunded or require additional local spending.
The EPA Administrator and eligible institutions will have reduced flexibility to adjust the number of centers over time because the program is fixed at five centers instead of a 3–5 range.
Other regions and state governments could lose out on competitive funding because dedicating one center to the Great Lakes concentrates resources regionally.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires exactly five stormwater centers of excellence, reserves one for the Great Lakes region, and extends authorization to FY2027–2031.
Changes the existing stormwater centers of excellence program to require exactly five centers (rather than a range of 3–5), reserve one center for the Great Lakes region, and extend the program's authorization period through fiscal years 2027–2031. These edits amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provision that governs EPA grants to eligible institutions for new and emerging stormwater control technologies. The bill adjusts the program's numeric requirement, creates a geographic allocation for one center, and lengthens the authorization timeframe for funding and program operation without changing eligibility rules or creating new program components.
Official title: To extend the authorization for the centers of excellence for stormwater control infrastructure technologies and related matters, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 27, 2026 by Timothy M. Kennedy · Last progress August 27, 2026