119-HR-5661 Journalist Public Summary

Headline Summary

A bipartisan House bill pushes water and wastewater projects to use cost‑saving, resource‑preserving techniques and increases federal grant authorizations to help communities manage costs and climate stresses.

What It Does

Purpose: steer Clean Water Act funding toward projects that save water and energy, manage stormwater better, and use sustainable design—while modestly increasing federal support programs.

• Defines “resource preservation techniques” to include water efficiency and reuse, energy efficiency, stormwater mitigation, sustainable planning/design/construction, and other environmentally innovative approaches.
• Updates Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) provisions so loan recipients repairing, replacing, or expanding treatment works must evaluate—and use to the maximum extent practicable—resource‑preserving options.
• Adjusts related state/assistance language to emphasize these techniques.
• Reauthorizes and increases the Wastewater Efficiency Grant Pilot Program to $40 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2031.
• Raises authorization for the Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program to $50 million per year for fiscal years 2026–“3031” (likely intended to be 2031; see note below).

Who’s For It

• Sponsors: Rep. Emilia Sykes (D‑OH) and Rep. Robert Bresnahan (R‑PA) — framing it as a cost‑saving, affordability‑minded update to the Clean Water Act programs.
• Likely supporters: city and regional water utilities and local governments that want lower long‑term operating costs and improved resilience.
• Environmental and climate‑resilience advocates who favor water/energy efficiency and green infrastructure.
• Ratepayer and affordability groups that support investments expected to reduce bills over time.

Who’s Against It

• Some fiscal conservatives may object to higher federal authorizations or view the emphasis on specific techniques as prescriptive.
• Certain utilities or state administrators could worry that “maximum extent practicable” language adds compliance steps or raises upfront costs.
• Industry groups tied to traditional approaches may argue the bill nudges spending toward preferred technologies or strategies.

What’s Next

As of December 2, 2025, the bill is in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment after referral on December 1, 2025. Next steps would be subcommittee discussion/markup, full committee consideration, a House floor vote, then Senate action and, if passed, the President’s desk.

Numbers at a Glance

Note