LCBP Enhancements Act of 2026

Summary#

This bill amends section 120 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to change how the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) selects and oversees a fiscal agent. The Steering Committee and the EPA Administrator must jointly select a qualified fiscal agent. They must assess the agent’s effectiveness as soon as practicable after enactment and at least once every 5 years, and consult impacted stakeholders during assessments. Once selected, the fiscal agent receives awards without competition until a new agent is chosen. If a new agent is chosen, the Administrator may de-obligate unobligated or unexpended funds from prior awards and re-obligate them to the new agent. The bill directs the Steering Committee and Administrator to try to keep staff, programs, funding awards, and administration continuous, and prefers a new fiscal agent headquartered in the Lake Champlain drainage basin (or New York or Vermont if no suitable basin-based entity exists). The bill lists typical fiscal agent duties (for example, payroll, paying bills, funding agreements, acting as a fiduciary). It adds a new provision allowing the United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to work on Lake Champlain and nearby areas on fisheries research, sea lamprey control, aquatic invasive species prevention and mitigation, public engagement, and other work to implement the Lake Champlain Management Plan. The bill also defines “fiscal agent” and “Steering Committee” terms and extends a date in the statute from 2027 to 2032. It requires a report to Congress within 90 days after each assessment describing the assessment findings.

What it means for you#

• The LCBP will be run with a fiscal agent selected jointly by the Steering Committee and the EPA Administrator.
• The fiscal agent may carry out payroll, pay bills, make and manage funding agreements, and act as a fiduciary for the program.
• The program will assess the fiscal agent at least every 5 years and must get feedback from impacted stakeholders.
• The bill favors a fiscal agent based in the Lake Champlain drainage basin, which could keep program staff and activities local.
• The Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s U.S. Section can now do fisheries and invasive-species work in the Lake Champlain area and coordinate with the LCBP and other partners.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on total costs or funding levels is included in the bill text. The bill does allow the EPA Administrator to de-obligate unobligated or unexpended funds from prior awards and re-obligate those funds to a newly selected fiscal agent.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents' statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata.