American Water Stewardship Act

The American Water Stewardship Act would reauthorize five major EPA water quality and restoration programs through fiscal year 2031: the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Long Island Sound Partnership, Columbia River Basin Restoration Program, National Estuary Program, and BEACH Act program. These programs work to protect and restore water quality in important waterways and coastal areas across the country.

The bill would make several modifications to these programs. It would designate the Mississippi Sound as an estuary eligible for national significance funding. For the BEACH Act program, which helps protect coastal recreation areas, the bill would allow states and local governments to use grant money to identify sources of water contamination near public beaches. The bill would also expand the San Francisco Estuary Partnership to allow federal agencies to receive grants under that program.

Additionally, the bill would prohibit EPA funding for these water programs from going to nonfederal organizations that are based in, operate in, or have agreements with foreign countries of concern. The bill would also direct the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report on how these geographic water programs are performing.

The bill passed the House and is currently in committee in the Senate, where it would need to be approved before potentially becoming law. If enacted, these changes would affect how water quality protection funding is distributed and used across the country through 2031.