Conservation Groups Press Congress to Fund Critical EPA Clean Water Program

After the President’s budget and House lawmakers proposed cuts, more than half a dozen environmental and conservation groups from across the country are joining arms to press Congress to fully invest in a vital federal program that funds restoration and preservation work across watersheds covering more than two-thirds of the land of the contiguous United States.

House lawmakers moved forward this month with a funding proposal that includes about $31 million in overall cuts for the EPA’s Geographic Programs, which provide critical funding for efforts like ecosystem and habitat restoration across a dozen regions, including the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, the Columbia River Basin, Long Island Sound, Puget Sound, and San Francisco.

These major watersheds span multiple state—and even international—lines, and so federal investments are vital to make sure efforts across regions can keep moving forward.

The programs have gone a long way toward cutting nutrient pollution, improving water quality, and accelerating the restoration of critical habitats and fisheries. Additionally, these programs fund efforts in communities that have led to healthier waterways and local economies, investments in cleaning up toxic hot spots, supporting tree plantings and oyster restoration, and other community projects. For instance:

• The EPA has committed federal funding for efforts like improving water quality in Milwaukee area rivers and Lake Michigan in the Midwest and money to cut nutrient pollution in the southern U.S.

• In the Chesapeake Bay region, nearly two-thirds of all funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program is directed to state and local governments and non-governmental groups for on-the-ground and community-based restoration work.

• In the Great Lakes, work is underway or completed on more than 8,871 restoration projects throughout the region. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is enabling a local-state-federal partnership that is cleaning up toxic hot spots, controlling invasive species, restoring habitat, and reducing toxic algal blooms.

• In Puget Sound, every dollar of Geographic Program investment is leveraged with $12 of state and local funding to help solve stormwater, shellfish, flooding, water quality and quantity, and endangered species challenges, including recovering Chinook salmon and Southern Resident orcas.

• In San Francisco, the EPA’s Geographic Program is helping tackle the problem of nutrient pollution, supporting tidal marsh restoration, and improving stormwater management.

The groups calling for increased funding for these critical programs span the country and include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, Restore America’s Estuaries, Save the Sound in New York and Connecticut, Save The Bay in California, and the Puget Sound Partnership and Puget Soundkeeper in Washington state.

Instead of the president’s proposed cut of about 15 percent overall for these programs, the groups are pushing for Congress to include about $861 million in funding for the 2027 budget year—a bump up from the current level of about $690 million.

The House appropriations committee rolled out its own 2027 budget proposal last week that includes $659 million for these programs, or about a 4 percent cut. The full committee is expected to take up the measure on Wednesday, June 3.

It is vital that lawmakers sustain or increase Geographic Programs funding across all regions to ensure that the significant progress on clean water and conservation efforts can continue among federal, state, Tribal, and local partners.

Partner organizations pushing for continued Geographic Programs investments issued the following statements:

“Without strong federal support, our nation’s waters and the communities that depend on them—including those in the Chesapeake Bay region—are at risk. EPA’s Geographic Programs across the country help ensure that locally led projects to restore fish and wildlife habitat are funded – and that public access to these waterways exist. They also help boost local economies and spotlight our nation’s natural and historical treasures. It is vital that leaders in Congress fully fund these programs.” —Keisha Sedlacek, Senior Policy Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

“Cutting funding to the federal government’s largest investment in the health of our coasts would have disastrous consequences for the nearly 40% of Americans who call these regions home. Significant progress has been made thanks to the steady, bipartisan support that these programs enjoy. Cuts to any of these programs would interrupt the long-term strategic restoration efforts of organizations like Restore America’s Estuaries—leading to more polluted water for our fishermen, boaters, outdoor enthusiasts, and communities.” —Brad Williamson, Senior Government Affairs Manager for Restore America’s Estuaries

“Much like our fellow Geographic Programs across the country, EPA’s Puget Sound program funds local implementation of projects that directly support the economic vitality and ecological health of this international estuary. We’re grateful for Congress’s bipartisan investments in Puget Sound over the years, which provide foundational support for clean water, local jobs, the seafood economy, flood readiness, and dozens of other local priorities. Now, Congress must act again to fully fund Geographic Programs nationwide so that this important work can continue.” —Mindy Roberts, Executive Director, Puget Sound Partnership

“Puget Sound faces serious challenges, but with funding from EPA’s Geographic Programs, agencies like the Puget Sound Partnership are able to join environmental advocates in driving meaningful progress. Across all our nation’s most iconic watersheds, protecting clean water demands stable science, stable governance, and stable funding. We urge Congress to lock in their support by reauthorizing and fully funding all of EPA’s Geographic Programs.” —Sean Dixon, Executive Director of Puget Soundkeeper

“The EPA’s San Francisco Bay Program is an irreplaceable part of our efforts to improve water quality, restore and enhance the Bay’s natural shoreline, and provide flood protection for hundreds of thousands of Bay Area residents. These are long-term efforts that rely on stable federal investment alongside state and regional funding. We need Congress to fully fund the EPA’s Geographic Programs to keep this work moving forward and building a healthy San Francisco Bay for the more than 7 million people who live here.” —David Lewis, Executive Director of Save The Bay

“The EPA’s Geographic Programs represent one of the best examples of what can happen when the federal government, state governments, and local governments work in coordination with each other and with stakeholders to improve watershed health across the country. We encourage bipartisan support in Congress for our Geographic Programs and full funding to ensure the vital restoration work by one of the most successful Clean Water Act programs can continue.” —Denise Stranko, Executive Vice President of Programs, Save the Sound

“EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has provided critical funding towards massive clean water improvements across the Great Lakes region, from cleaning up toxic hotspots and restoring wetlands to combating invasive species and reducing harmful algal blooms. However, there is still much work to be done in the Great Lakes and nationwide. We encourage the committee to fully fund the EPA’s Geographic Programs portfolio so we can continue to make progress towards the health of the Great Lakes and the over 30 million people who depend on them.” —Laura Rubin, Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition