The "American Water Stewardship Act" amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to extend funding for various water restoration initiatives, including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Long Island Sound, Columbia River Basin restoration, and San Francisco Bay restoration program, through 2031. It also expands the National Estuary Program to include Mississippi Sound, extends funding for Coastal Recreation Water Quality Monitoring and Notification grants, and restricts the use of funds for foreign entities. Additionally, it requires a report on the effectiveness and management of EPA geographic programs, providing recommendations for improvement.
American Water Stewardship Act
This bill reauthorizes several water quality protection and restoration programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and makes related requirements.
Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2031 the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Long Island Sound Partnership program, the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program, the National Estuary Program, and the BEACH Act program.
The bill also modifies some of those programs. For example, the bill modifies the National Estuary Program, including by establishing the Mississippi Sound as an estuary of national significance that may receive support under the program. It also modifies the BEACH Act program, including by allowing states or local governments to use grants provided under the program to identify specific sources of contamination for coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public.
Additionally, the bill modifies the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, including by making federal agencies eligible for grants provided under the program.
The bill also prohibits funding made available for FY2026-FY2031 to carry out specified Clean Water Act programs from being provided to nonfederal entities that are domiciled in, located in, organized under, have a principal place of business in, or have agreements with foreign countries of concern.
Finally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report on specified geographic programs of the EPA.
