House Transportation Committee Reauthorizes EPA Section 319 Grants in Local Waters Protection Act

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted to favorably report HR 73 76, the Local Waters Protection Act, a five-year reauthorization of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Section 319 nonpoint source management grants program.

The committee chair described the program as enabling states, territories and tribes to receive Clean Water Act grant funding to develop and implement nonpoint source pollution programs. The chair said the program has helped restore “over 6,000 miles of stream and over 164,000 acres of lakes since 2005,” and urged bipartisan support for the bill.

A committee member identified only as Rick also spoke in favor, saying Section 319 grants help states address pollution from runoff — including fertilizers, sediment, abandoned-mine toxins and road-derived oils and heavy metals — by providing technical and financial assistance, education and technology transfer.

Representative Scolton highlighted local outcomes in West Michigan, citing Muskegon Lake’s removal from the EPA’s area-of-concern list and the cleanup of the Plaster Creek watershed, a 58-square-mile system. He said stakeholders have restored more than 1,100 linear feet of stream bank and planted nearly 60,000 native plants as part of restoration efforts.

Mister Barrett objected to the federal role, arguing the program amounts to buying state compliance and characterizing it as excessive regulation of runoff from rain and snowmelt. He urged regulatory relief rather than continued federal spending.

With no amendments offered, the committee proceeded to final passage by voice vote; the chair announced that "the ayes have it," and HR 73 76 was ordered favorably reported to the House. The motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

The committee action sends the bill to the full House with a favorable report; no recorded roll-call votes or numerical tally were provided in the markup record.