This bill would create a nonregulatory Connecticut River Watershed Partnership program and a matching grant program to support restoration and protection of the Connecticut River watershed (the river, its tributaries, and the land that drains into it across five states). The Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, must set up the program and grant program within 180 days of enactment. The Secretary must consult federal agencies, governors of the five watershed states, Tribal governments and organizations, regional watershed groups, and stakeholders from environmental justice communities. The program’s purposes include coordinating restoration and protection work, restoring fish and wildlife habitat, improving water quality, advancing nature-based resilience, supporting farmland conservation, increasing public access and recreation, recognizing Tribal cultural practices, improving trails and active transportation, monitoring environmental quality, and providing technical assistance. The grant program would provide competitive matching grants to eligible entities (state, Tribal, or local governments; nonprofits; and institutions of higher education). The federal share of grant costs generally may not exceed 75 percent, but projects serving environmental justice communities may receive a 90 percent federal share, and the Secretary may waive the non-federal share up to 100 percent if the recipient cannot pay. The Secretary may contract with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or a similar organization to manage the grant program. The Secretary must report to Congress annually on implementation and on projects funded in the prior fiscal year. The bill authorizes appropriations of "such sums as are necessary" for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 and requires that at least 75 percent of funds made available each year be used for the grant program and related technical assistance.
The bill’s text frames the program and grants as a way to coordinate restoration and protection across the watershed, restore and manage fish and wildlife populations and habitat, improve water quality and public access, advance nature-based solutions for resilience, support farmland conservation and carbon sequestration on working lands, engage environmental justice communities, recognize Tribal river practices and traditional ecological knowledge, improve trails and active transportation, expand scientific monitoring and capacity, and provide technical assistance to carry out these activities.
No publicly available information.