American Water Stewardship Act

Summary#

This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize and update several EPA regional water programs. It extends authorization periods for programs such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Long Island Sound, and the Columbia River Basin through fiscal year 2031. It changes the San Francisco Bay Restoration Program to allow interagency agreements, contracts, and funding to a wider set of recipients (including some public or private entities), and sets a federal maximum of 75 percent of project costs with a requirement that non-Federal entities supply at least 25 percent of project costs.

The bill adds Mississippi Sound, Mississippi, to the National Estuary Program and extends that program’s authorization to 2031, but places limits on using fiscal year 2026 and 2027 funds for implementing that addition unless certain funding conditions are met. For coastal recreation water quality, the bill lets States and local governments use grants to identify specific sources of contamination, broadens the definition of "coastal recreation waters" to include mouths of rivers, nearby shallow waters, and waters present on beaches, and directs EPA guidance to reflect newer testing technologies. It also bars federal funds for fiscal years 2026–2031 from being given to non-Federal entities that are domiciled in or have partnerships with a "foreign country of concern."

The bill requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress within two years on EPA geographic programs. The report must evaluate fund management, program progress and measurable outcomes, obstacles, coordination with other programs, and ethics policies, and provide recommendations to improve program efficiency and accountability.

What it means for you#

• If you live, work, or recreate near the Great Lakes, Long Island Sound, Columbia River Basin, San Francisco Bay, Mississippi Sound, or other named regional water programs, those programs are authorized to continue and receive federal support through 2031.
• Local and State agencies can receive grants to find specific sources of contamination at beaches and similar public access points.
• San Francisco Bay projects may get federal support through a wider set of funding mechanisms and recipients, but federal funding for a project generally would not exceed 75 percent of project costs, and non-Federal recipients must provide at least 25 percent of project costs.
• Some entities that are domiciled in or have partnerships with a listed "foreign country of concern" would be ineligible to receive federal funds under the covered program sections for fiscal years 2026–2031.
• Congress will receive a GAO report assessing how well EPA geographic programs are run and whether they achieve their goals.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on total program costs or new appropriations is included in the bill text. The bill does:

• Set a federal funding cap of 75 percent of a project’s total cost for projects under the San Francisco Bay program, and require at least 25 percent non-Federal cost share for non-Federal recipients.
• Include a condition that funds for implementing the addition of Mississippi Sound cannot be used in fiscal year 2026, and in fiscal year 2027 cannot be used unless total appropriations for that program in 2027 are at least $850,000 more than the total appropriations for that program in 2024.
• Require a GAO report to Congress within two years, which may involve administrative costs not specified in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents’ stated reasons or arguments is included in the bill text or provided metadata.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents’ stated reasons or arguments is included in the bill text or provided metadata.