Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act
The Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act would create a new, nonregulatory national effort to restore and protect the five-state Connecticut River watershed (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont). It establishes a Secretary-led program to coordinate restoration and protection activities across federal, state, local, tribal, and nonprofit partners, and to adopt a watershed-wide strategy. At the same time, it creates a voluntary grant program to fund restoration projects through competitive grants to eligible entities (states, Tribes, local governments, nonprofits, and colleges). The bill emphasizes environmental justice, Tribal knowledge, public access and recreation, climate resilience, and nature-based approaches, and would require regular reporting to Congress and ongoing funding through 2026–2030. In short, the bill aims to cement cross-border coordination for watershed restoration, provide targeted grants with favorable federal cost sharing (especially for environmental justice communities), and ensure ongoing oversight and capacity building across the Watershed.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a nonregulatory Connecticut River Watershed Partnership program led by the Secretary of the Interior (via the Fish and Wildlife Service) to coordinate restoration and protection across the 5-state watershed through a watershed-wide strategy.
- 2Creates a voluntary Connecticut River Watershed Partnership grant program to fund restoration and protection projects. Eligible entities include state/Tribal/local governments, nonprofits, and colleges; grants require matching funds and must align with the program’s purposes.
- 3Federal cost-sharing rules give higher support to environmental justice communities (90% federal, with a possible 100% waiver if the recipient faces hardship; otherwise, 75% federal share). Non-federal share can be cash or in-kind contributions.
- 4The program emphasizes a broad set of purposes: habitat restoration and management, water quality, public access and recreation, nature-based climate resilience, farmland conservation, Tribal cultural practices and knowledge, open space and trail improvements, flood risk management, monitoring, planning, scientific capacity, and technical assistance.
- 5Administration and oversight: The Secretary may partner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or a similar entity to manage the grant program, including federal funding advances, investment of funds, and program administration. Amounts received by the Foundation would be governed by the NFWF Establishment Act’s rules.
- 6Consultation and coordination: The Secretary must consult with a wide range of federal agencies, watershed Governors, Tribes, watershed partnerships and commissions, public agencies, and environmental justice stakeholders.
- 7Reporting and funding: The Secretary must report to Congress on implementation within 180 days of enactment and annually thereafter. The Act authorizes appropriations for 2026–2030, with at least 75% of annual funds dedicated to the grant program and related technical assistance; funding must supplement, not replace, existing Watershed programs.