This bill creates the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) and adds a new section to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. It directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Mississippi River National Program Office in a Mississippi River State. The Program Office will be led by an MRRRI Director who must coordinate with Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners; develop measurable goals, an action plan, and public reporting; and run grant and funding programs for projects along the Mississippi River Corridor.
The bill defines focus areas for projects: improving water quality and drinking water protection; improving community resilience by restoring floodplains, wetlands, and backwaters; protecting and restoring fish and wildlife habitat; preventing spread of aquatic invasive species; improving communication and partnerships; and carrying out monitoring and scientific work. Eligible actions include restoring natural hydrology and wetlands, removing or modifying structures (like levees, culverts, or dams), protecting land permanently, using clean dredged sediment for habitat restoration, relocating or elevating flood-prone structures, improving soil and water retention, reducing nonpoint pollution and stormwater flows, cleaning some legacy contaminants, controlling invasive species, and supporting community capacity and workforce training.
The bill requires monitored, measurable success criteria for funded projects. It creates a network of three Mississippi River Corridor Research Centers in the U.S. Geological Survey (one national and two regional centers hosted at universities) and requires a Mississippi River science forum and a science plan to inform the Initiative.
The MRRRI Director may transfer funds to other Federal agencies, make grants to non-Federal entities (States, Tribes, local governments, nonprofits, universities, or individuals), and enter into interagency agreements. The bill requires a Tribal Liaison, and at least 5 percent of funds must be transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Tribal grants. It also requires the EPA to include a separate line item for MRRRI in its annual budget submission. The bill states it does not waive other environmental laws or replace the Hypoxia Task Force.
If the program is funded, communities, States, Tribal governments, universities, nonprofits, and local governments along the Mississippi River Corridor could apply for grants or receive Federal funds for projects that match the listed focus areas. Projects could work on cleaner water, restored wetlands and floodplains, habitat restoration, invasive species control, flood-risk reduction, and scientific monitoring. Tribal governments are eligible for funding and have a Tribal Liaison and a required minimum funding transfer.
No publicly available information on total authorized funding amounts or specific appropriations is provided in the bill text. The bill does describe how funding would be used and distributed:
The bill's stated purpose is to establish a nonregulatory initiative to protect and restore the ecological health and resilience of the Mississippi River for current and future generations and for fish and wildlife. It aims to build on existing efforts by creating a Program Office, setting goals and action plans, funding large-scale restoration projects, supporting scientific research through USGS research centers, and improving coordination among Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners.
No publicly available information.