This bill creates the "Southeast New England Program" inside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It defines the program area as the coastal watersheds of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts that drain into coastal waters between Long Island Sound and the Gulf of Maine. The program's stated purpose is to protect, enhance, and restore those coastal watersheds by developing, funding, and helping carry out projects with regional partners.
The EPA Administrator may award grants for projects that reduce pollution, restore contaminated sites, protect or restore ecosystems and habitat, improve water quality, monitor watershed trends, reduce stormwater runoff, promote coastal resilience, support workforce development or education related to watershed health, and provide technical assistance. Eligible grant recipients include States, counties and local governments (and their subdivisions), federally recognized Indian tribes, regional planning organizations, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education. The federal share of grant-funded activities may not exceed 75 percent.
The Administrator is directed to coordinate federal agency actions that affect water quality and living resources in the program area, may enter interagency agreements, set up interagency working groups, and contract for services. The Administrator must provide adequate staff to carry out the program.
If you are a local government, tribe, nonprofit, regional planner, state agency, or college in the defined coastal area, you would be eligible to apply for EPA grants to fund projects listed above. Projects could include things like stormwater controls, contaminated-site cleanup, habitat restoration, water-quality monitoring, resilience planning, and workforce training. Grants can cover up to 75 percent of project costs, so recipients would generally need to provide the remaining funding or in-kind match.
The EPA would coordinate with other federal agencies and could offer technical assistance grants and contracts to help carry out projects.
The bill authorizes $30,000,000 to be appropriated to the EPA for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031, to remain available until expended. Of amounts made available to award grants in a fiscal year, not more than 10 percent may be used for grants whose primary purpose is providing technical assistance. Of the annual amount authorized, not more than 5 percent may be used for administrative expenses.
The bill's stated purpose is to protect, enhance, and restore the coastal watersheds of southeast New England by developing, funding, and advancing implementation of protection and restoration projects in collaboration with partners across the region. The listed grant activities and coordination authorities are intended to support that goal.
No publicly available information.