H.R. 7408

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7408 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.
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