[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 211 (Monday, December 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H5872-H5873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ENHANCING SCIENCE, TREATMENT, AND UPKEEP OF AMERICA'S RESILIENT AND
IMPORTANT ESTUARINE SYSTEMS ACT
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 3962) to amend the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act to reauthorize the National Estuary Program, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3962
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 ``Enhancing Science,
Treatment, and Upkeep of America's Resilient and Important
Estuarine Systems Act'' or the ``ESTUARIES Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM.
Section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1330) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking ``and Pensacola
and Perdido Bays, Florida'' and inserting ``Pensacola and
Perdido Bays, Florida; and Mississippi Sound, Mississippi'';
and
(2) in subsection (i)(1), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A), by striking ``2026'' and inserting
``2031''.
SEC. 3. INELIGIBILITY WITH RESPECT TO FISCAL YEARS 2025 AND
2026.
With respect to the amendment made by section 2(1), the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency may not
use for the implementation of that amendment, including, with
respect to Mississippi Sound, Mississippi, convening a
management conference, developing or carrying out a
comprehensive conservation and management plan, or providing
grants under section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1330)--
(1) any amounts appropriated to carry out the national
estuary program under that section for fiscal year 2025; or
(2) unless the total amount appropriated to carry out that
program for fiscal year 2026 is at least $850,000 more than
the total amount appropriated to carry out that program for
fiscal year 2024, any amounts appropriated to carry out that
program for fiscal year 2026.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Figures)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Dakota.
General Leave
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and
extend their remarks and insert other extraneous material in the Record
on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from South Dakota?
There was no objection.
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3962, as amended, reauthorizes EPA's National
Estuary Program until 2031. The NEP was created by Congress in 1987 as
a nonregulatory program to deliver cost-shared grant money to local
communities to improve water quality in coastal areas.
The NEP is a clear success story demonstrating that when Washington
empowers local experts to lead in the areas they know best, the
outcomes are stronger.
For every Federal dollar invested, the NEP's estuaries leverage an
additional $17 from other sources. This approach has improved water
quality in estuaries nationwide without imposing new regulations.
This program was last reauthorized by President Trump. I commend my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle, particularly the diligent and
hardworking Mr. Figures, as lead sponsor, for their work on this bill,
and I urge support.
H.R. 3962, as amended, also adds the Mississippi Sound to the list
for priority consideration of selection by the EPA for inclusion in the
NEP.
This bill, as amended, was reported favorably out of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a vote of 57 yeas to 2
nays on September 17, 2025.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3962, as amended, the
Enhancing Science, Treatment, and Upkeep of America's Resilient and
Important Estuarine Systems Act, more simply known as the ESTUARIES
Act.
I am proud to be the lead on this bipartisan bill. I thank the co-
chairs of the Estuary Caucus, Ranking Member Rick Larsen, as well as
Representatives Bonamici, Haridopolos, and Mast, all of whom are
original cosponsors of this bill.
The National Estuary Program, or NEP, is an important resource for
supporting locally led efforts to restore and protect the health of our
coastal estuaries nationwide. This bill reauthorizes the NEP for 5
years and adds the Mississippi Sound to the list of estuaries for
priority consideration.
Reauthorization ensures continued Federal support for this critical
program, which has protected vital habitats, improved water quality,
and fostered regional resilience since its creation in 1987.
Protecting and restoring Mobile Bay, which is in the heart of my
district, is essential to Alabama's environment, flood protection, and
seafaring economy as well. Mobile Bay is now home to the deepest port
in the Gulf, so protecting its surrounding estuaries is critical not
just to our local economy but to our regional and national economy as
well.
I will take a moment to recognize Roberta Swann, who has led the
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program since 2009 and is calling it a
career at the end of this year. Ranking Member Larsen and I had the
privilege of meeting with her in Mobile this past August, and her
dedication to building partnerships and advancing science-based
solutions is a big reason the program has been so successful in Mobile.
It could not be more fitting that, in the same year in which she
celebrates 16 years of leadership and her retirement, that her
Congressman has the honor of leading this reauthorization and advancing
it through the House of Representatives here today.
This year, the Association of National Estuary Programs' fall meeting
was held in Mobile, which is my hometown, a powerful reminder of Mobile
Bay's national significance and how this program brings people together
to share solutions across the country.
This program funds partnerships between the EPA, States, local
governments, and community stakeholders. It is very successful in
leveraging not just Federal dollars, but on average the local NEPs
raise an additional $17 for every $1 in Federal funding, as my
colleague Representative Johnson also noted.
[[Page H5873]]
These non-Federal dollars come through in kind, local, State, and
private sources, which are utilized by the local program leaders in
accordance with their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans.
The NEP allows the locals to lead and address the water quality issues
because they know best.
Projects carried out using NEP funds cover a wide range of
possibilities but always keep the locals in the driver's seat. They may
include protecting shoreline habitats, increasing the ecological
integrity of estuaries, or building coastal resilience. Projects may
also aim to improve water quality or encourage community access to
coastal ecosystems.
In other instances, funds may support estuaries in a broader scope,
such as supporting adjacent land acquisitions or upgrading nearby
wastewater or stormwater infrastructure.
Regardless, these decisions are made locally and based on the
specific NEP program and its unique location and specific needs.
Currently, there are 28 active NEP initiatives nationwide. This
includes all corners of the country, from the Puget Sound in Washington
to Santa Monica Bay in California, my home in Mobile, Alabama, all the
way up to Casco Bay in Maine.
I will always champion efforts like the National Estuary Program,
which protect and restore our critical natural resources while
utilizing local knowledge and ensuring the efficient use of Federal
funds.
This is a program that is working. It is popular, and it deserves our
support. I urge passage of the ESTUARIES Act, as amended, and ask all
my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Figures for
yielding.
I rise today in support of H.R. 3962, the Enhancing, Science,
Treatment, and Upkeep of America's Resilient and Important Estuarine
Systems Act, or ESTUARIES Act.
Estuaries rank among the most productive ecosystems in the country,
where freshwater meets saltwater, and entire communities benefit from
that key meeting point.
Families depend on estuaries for clean water. Fishers depend on them
for healthy stocks. Small businesses depend on them for tourism,
recreation, and the natural beauty that draws people to our coasts.
When estuaries thrive, local communities thrive. The National Estuary
Program makes that possible.
For more than three decades, NEP partnerships have restored wetlands,
improved water quality, reduced toxic pollutants, strengthened fish
habitat, and built natural buffers that protect homes and businesses
from flooding and storm surge.
These partnerships unite scientists, local governments, Tribal
nations, fishers and anglers, farmers, and community leaders around a
shared plan, and those plans deliver results.
In Tillamook Bay in Oregon, in the district I am honored to
represent, the NEP helped restore hundreds of acres of tidal wetland
which improved salmon runs, protected dairy farms from flooding, and
created new recreational corridors.
{time} 1550
On the Gulf Coast, NEP projects rebuilt marshes that shield front-
line communities from hurricanes. In New England, estuary programs
helped revive the shellfish beds that sustain entire working
waterfronts.
This bill continues the NEP's successful legacy. The ESTUARIES Act
reauthorizes competitive grants from 2031 so every estuary of national
significance can implement science-driven conservation, respond to
emerging threats, and support long-term economic resilience.
This bill upholds a simple principle: When we give local experts the
tools they need, they protect the ecosystems that protect us.
This legislation reflects a strong bipartisan, bicameral commitment
to support these critical ecosystems and recognize their significance.
I thank Representative Figures for leading this effort. I thank, as
well, Representative Johnson for his support. Also, I thank my fellow
co-chairs of the Bipartisan Estuary Caucus for their partnership:
Representatives Haridopolos, Mast, and Ranking Member Larsen. Together
we can continue decades of success in estuary restoration and
resilience.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the ESTUARIES
Act.
Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, to date, the National Estuary Program has restored more
than 2\1/2\ million acres of coastal habitat nationwide. The 28
programs, soon to be 29 with the addition of the Mississippi Sound, and
partnerships will work hard to address challenges we are all familiar
with, like harmful algal blooms, coastal erosion, and runoff pollution.
Keeping our estuaries healthy means keeping our coastal communities
strong. Estuaries protect these communities from flooding, store clean
water, support commercial fish habitats, and provide recreational
opportunities. Let's keep working together to restore and protect these
essential ecosystems. Reauthorizing the national estuary program will
allow us to do just that.
Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3962, as amended, the ESTUARIES Act, and
I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance
of my time.
I think, Mr. Speaker, the American people can be forgiven if they are
watching cable news and assume the only thing we do around here is
fight, but I think the last three bills on the floor are a good example
that, indeed, is not the case.
Now, let's be honest. None of these bills have been silver bullets
slaying the biggest policy challenges facing our Nation, but they are
real attempts at governing. The Save Our Seas Act, FMC reauthorization,
and this, the ESTUARIES Act, are attempts by serious legislators,
people like Mr. Mast, Mr. Haridopolos, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Larsen, and
Mr. Figures, to address real problems facing our country.
Indeed, this bill is a bipartisan attempt to reauthorize the
longstanding, nonregulatory EPA grant program that does empower locals
to solve these problems far more powerfully than if we just had the
experts in D.C. do it.
This is a good bill. It is a continuation of a theme on the floor
today of serious legislators doing serious work.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3962, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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