H.R. 5762 — New York-New Jersey Watershed Protection Act of 2025

This section defines eight terms used in the Act: (1) "approved plan," meaning certain watershed management plans approved by governmental entities or determined by the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director) to achieve the Act's purposes, including specified plans such as the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program Action Agenda; (2) "environmental justice," meaning fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to environmental laws; (3) "Foundation," meaning the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; (4) "grant program," meaning the voluntary New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Grant Program established under section 4(a); (5) "program," meaning the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Program established under section 3(a); (6) "restoration and protection," meaning conservation, stewardship, and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, including water quality improvements, to preserve ecosystems and support public use; (7) "Secretary," meaning the Secretary of the Interior acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director; and (8) "Watershed," meaning the New York-New Jersey Watershed, comprising land draining into the New York-New Jersey Harbor, those waters, and associated estuaries.

This section establishes the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Program as a nonregulatory program, to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act. The program coordinates restoration and protection activities among federal, state, tribal, local, and regional entities throughout the watershed (i.e., New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary, Hudson River Estuary, Mohawk River Basin, and Raritan River areas) to, among other purposes, enhance fish and wildlife habitat; improve water quality and public access; advance natural climate solutions and green infrastructure; engage environmental justice communities; build scientific capacity; support land conservation; and monitor environmental quality. In implementing the program, the Secretary must draw on existing plans, consult with specified federal agencies (e.g., EPA, NOAA), state officials, and organizations such as the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program, prioritize activities through a watershed-wide strategy that emphasizes cost-effective, science-based projects and environmental justice needs, and carry out related restoration activities.

This section establishes the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Grant Program to provide competitive matching grants and technical assistance, not later than 180 days after enactment, to state, tribal, and local governments, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities for coordinated restoration and protection activities in the watershed. The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with specified stakeholders, must develop grant criteria to ensure funded activities accomplish statutory purposes and advance priority actions identified in the watershed-wide strategy; the program must also address organizational capacity needs to enhance restoration effectiveness. The federal share of project costs is not more than 50 percent generally, or 90 percent (waivable to 100 percent upon a financial hardship determination) for activities serving small, rural, or disadvantaged communities; the non-federal share, not more than 50 percent, may be cash or in-kind contributions. The Secretary may enter an agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) or a similar organization to manage the program, including receiving annual advance payments on October 1 (or soon thereafter), investing and reinvesting funds, and administering public-private partnerships; amounts to NFWF are subject to the NFWF Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding the appropriations provision (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)) (i.e., no 1-to-1 matching requirement or prohibition on administrative use).

This section requires the Secretary to submit to Congress, not later than 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter, a report on the implementation of this Act that includes a description of each activity funded under the Act in the preceding fiscal year.

This section authorizes appropriations of $20 million for each of FY2026 through 2031 to the Secretary to carry out the Act, of which not more than 5% may be used for administrative costs. Of the amounts appropriated each fiscal year, the Secretary must use at least 75% to carry out the grant program, including related technical assistance. The appropriated amounts supplement, and do not supplant, other funding for the Secretary's activities in the Watershed.