The watersheds feeding New York and New Jersey harbors are home to millions of people but face serious environmental challenges. This bill would create a New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Program through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with a competitive grant program for state, local, Tribal, and nonprofit organizations to carry out habitat restoration, water quality improvement, and climate resilience projects. It authorizes $20 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031, with at least 75% going to grants. Small, rural, and disadvantaged communities could receive up to 90–100% federal cost-sharing.
Congressional Summary
New York-New Jersey Watershed Protection Act of 2025This bill establishes programs to restore and protect the New York-New Jersey Watershed. The watershed is composed of all land area the surface water of which drains into the New York-New Jersey Harbor, the waters contained within that land area, and associated estuaries.Specifically, the bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Program, a nonregulatory program, to coordinate restoration and protection activities among government entities and conservation partners throughout the watershed.The bill also establishes the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Grant Program, a voluntary grant and technical assistance program, to provide competitive matching grants to certain entities to implement restoration and protection activities for the watershed. The federal government may not maintain ownership of any land acquired under the bill except for the purpose of promptly transferring ownership to grant recipients.The bill ceases to have force or effect on October 1, 2031.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-10-14
- Date Added
- 2026-04-09