The National Estuary Program, which funds partnerships to protect and restore 28 coastal estuaries across the country, would see its funding reauthorized through 2030. Annual funding would be set at $50 million per year from 2026 through 2030. The program brings together federal, state, and local stakeholders to address pollution, habitat loss, and water quality in places like Puget Sound, Tampa Bay, and the Chesapeake Bay.
Congressional Summary
Enhancing Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America’s Resilient and Important Estuarine Systems Act of 2025 or the ESTUARIES Act of 2025This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 grants provided under the National Estuary Program to protect and restore estuaries of national significance. Estuaries are coastal waterbodies where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with the ocean’s saltwater. Under the existing program, the Environmental Protection Agency provides grants for (1) developing and implementing comprehensive conservation and management plans for estuaries of national significance, and (2) addressing issues that threaten the ecological and economic well-being of such estuaries. The existing program provides grants to states, regional water pollution control agencies and entities, state coastal zone management agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-06-12
- Date Added
- 2026-04-06