[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7408 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7408
To provide for the establishment of a Water Project Navigators Program,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 5, 2026
Ms. Pettersen (for herself and Mr. Ciscomani) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a Water Project Navigators Program,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Water Project Navigators Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Disadvantaged community.--Except as otherwise defined
by the Secretary of the Interior based on current
methodologies, the term ``disadvantaged community'' means a
community (including a city, town, county, or reasonably
isolated and divisible segment of a larger municipality) with
an annual median income that is less than the statewide annual
median income for the State in which the community is located,
according to the most recent decennial census.
(2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a State;
(B) an Indian Tribe;
(C) any acequia, land grant-merced, local
government, water supplier, special district,
conservation district, or municipal water district
located in an eligible State;
(D) any State, regional, or local authority located
in an eligible State, the members of which include 1 or
more organizations with water or power delivery
authority;
(E) a nonprofit conservation organization with a
demonstrated history of working in partnership with 1
or more entities described in any of subparagraphs (A)
through (D); or
(F) a combination of entities described in
subparagraphs (A) through (E).
(3) Eligible state.--The term ``eligible State'' means--
(A) a State or territory described in the first
section of the Act of June 17, 1902 (43 U.S.C. 391; 32
Stat. 388, chapter 1093);
(B) the State of Alaska;
(C) the State of Hawaii; and
(D) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(5) Multi-benefit water project.--The term ``multi-benefit
water project'' means any project in an eligible State that--
(A) enhances the overall resilience of a community
or region to climate-related impacts on water supplies,
including through activities--
(i) to increase water use efficiency;
(ii) to reduce consumptive use of water;
(iii) to promote system conservation;
(iv) to reduce water supply-demand
imbalances;
(v) to promote water recycling and other
advanced water treatments to augment water
supplies;
(vi) to improve management or delivery of
water resources;
(vii) to address risks to water
infrastructure from weather-related events and
climate change;
(viii) to provide or improve access to safe
drinking water in communities that lack
reliable access to adequate clean water
supplies;
(ix) to promote investment in the economies
of rural communities, Tribal communities, or
disadvantaged communities through water
projects;
(x) to enhance water-based recreational
opportunities for the benefit of community
members and the local recreational economy; or
(xi) to encourage sustainable surface water
or groundwater management; and
(B) provides benefits to ecosystems and watersheds,
including through activities--
(i) to conserve or enhance fish and
wildlife habitat;
(ii) to protect or improve water quality;
(iii) to improve watershed health and
function;
(iv) to protect against invasive species;
(v) to restore aspects of the natural
ecosystem; or
(vi) to maintain sustainable groundwater
supplies for multiple uses, including for
riparian or wetland ecosystems.
(6) Natural feature.--The term ``natural feature'' means a
feature that is created through the action of physical,
geological, biological, and chemical processes over time.
(7) Nature-based feature.--The term ``nature-based
feature'' means a feature that is created by human design,
engineering, and construction to provide a means to reduce
water supply and demand imbalances or drought or flood risk by
acting in concert with natural processes.
(8) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Water Project
Navigators Program established under section 3(a).
(9) Rural community.--The term ``rural community'' means a
community or group of communities, each of which has a
population of not more than 50,000 inhabitants, which may
include Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, dispersed
homesites, and rural areas.
(10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner of
Reclamation).
SEC. 3. WATER PROJECT NAVIGATORS PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program to
support the development and implementation of multi-benefit water
projects within eligible States, to be known as the ``Water Project
Navigators Program''.
(b) Authority.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary may
award grants or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to support
the creation or continuation of multi-benefit water project navigator
positions.
(c) Criteria and Guidelines; Priority.--
(1) Criteria and guidelines.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall develop
criteria and guidelines for awarding grants and
cooperative agreements under the Program that
consider--
(i) the potential of the eligible entity to
accelerate development and implementation of
multi-benefit water projects within--
(I) the jurisdiction or service
area of the eligible entity; or
(II) in the case of an eligible
entity that is a nongovernmental
applicant, an area in which the
eligible entity has a demonstrated
history of productive engagement with
the community and stakeholders;
(ii) any history of development of multi-
benefit water projects by the eligible entity;
and
(iii) any potential multi-benefit water
projects identified to meet needs in the area
to be served by the multi-benefit water project
navigator that the eligible entity has not yet
implemented due to lack of capacity.
(B) Public comment.--Before finalizing the criteria
and guidelines developed under subparagraph (A), the
Secretary shall make the criteria and guidelines
available for public comment.
(2) Priority.--In awarding grants or cooperative agreements
under the Program, the Secretary shall prioritize applications
from eligible entities that would directly serve Indian Tribes,
disadvantaged communities, rural communities, and other
eligible entities with limited resources and capacity to
develop multi-benefit water projects, including--
(A) applications from eligible entities--
(i) with a demonstrated intent and ability
to incorporate improvements to the condition of
a natural feature or nature-based feature in
multi-benefit water projects designed under the
Program;
(ii) with demonstrated support from
multiple stakeholders, including Indian Tribes,
representatives of irrigated agricultural
production, hydroelectric production, municipal
and industrial water users, local governments,
community-based organizations, and nonprofit
conservation organizations;
(iii) that may promote job creation and
retention in Tribal communities, disadvantaged
communities, and rural communities; and
(iv) with the capability to work in
coordination with other projects that have been
funded under, or help advance the objectives
of, other Department of the Interior programs,
including programs focused on drought
resilience and watershed health; and
(B) applications that address any other priorities
that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
(3) Prohibition.--The Secretary may not award a grant or
cooperative agreement under the Program that would fund
activities to meet existing environmental mitigation or
compliance obligations under Federal or State law.
(d) Duties of Navigators.--A multi-benefit water project navigator
funded under the Program shall assist the eligible entity in planning,
developing, and implementing multi-benefit water projects, including--
(1) grant writing;
(2) project management;
(3) technical assistance, such as feasibility, design,
preliminary environmental review, and engineering; and
(4) any other necessary activities.
(e) Duration of Grants and Cooperative Agreements.--
(1) Limitation.--Subject to paragraph (2), a grant or
cooperative agreement under the Program shall be limited to a
period of not more than 3 years.
(2) Continuation and extension.--At the discretion of the
Secretary, the Secretary may issue a continuation grant or
extend a cooperative agreement awarded under the Program for
not more than 2 additional years, with additional funding to be
awarded, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, if
the recipient of the grant or cooperative agreement has
demonstrated satisfactory performance with implementation of
the proposal under the initial grant or cooperative agreement,
as determined by the Secretary.
(f) Continuous Enrollment.--The Secretary shall make funding
opportunities for the Program available on a regular basis.
(g) Cost Share.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), the
Federal share of the cost of any activity awarded a grant or
cooperative agreement under the Program shall not exceed 75
percent of the cost of the activity carried out under the grant
or cooperative agreement.
(2) Form of non-federal cost share.--The non-Federal share
of the cost of an activity awarded a grant or cooperative
agreement under the Program may be in the form of cash or in-
kind contributions.
(3) Reduction; waiver.--With respect to a grant or
cooperative agreement awarded to an Indian Tribe, acequia, land
grant-merced, disadvantaged community, or any other eligible
entity working in partnership with or on behalf of those
entities, the Secretary may reduce or waive the non-Federal
share of the cost of any activity that is the subject of the
grant or cooperative agreement if the Secretary determines that
contribution of the non-Federal share would result in a
financial hardship for the entity.
(h) Coordination.--In administering the Program, the Secretary
shall coordinate, to the maximum extent practicable, with other
Federal, Tribal, State, and local government technical assistance
programs to enhance multi-benefit water project development.
(i) Compliance.--A multi-benefit water project navigator funded
under the Program shall comply with all applicable Federal and State
laws in carrying out the duties of the multi-benefit water project
navigator under the Program.
(j) Report to Congress.--Not later than 5 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes--
(1) the ways in which the Program assists the Secretary
in--
(A) reducing basin-wide water supply-demand
imbalances;
(B) enhancing drought and ecosystem resilience; and
(C) supporting multi-benefit water project
development and capacity building by disadvantaged
communities, Indian Tribes, rural communities, and
other eligible entities; and
(2) the benefits that the Program provides, including, to
the maximum extent practicable, a quantitative analysis of the
multiple benefits advanced under the Program.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032, to remain
available until expended.
<all>