No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends provisions for the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program, which supports implementation of the Lake Champlain Management Conference's comprehensive pollution prevention, control, and restoration plan, as follows: (1) replaces the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission with a fiscal agent in the EPA Administrator's implementation support authorities; (2) requires the Administrator and Steering Committee to jointly select a qualified fiscal agent, assess its effectiveness beginning as soon as practicable after enactment of the LCBP Enhancements Act of 2026 and at least every five years thereafter with stakeholder input, select a new one competitively if appropriate (with funding de-obligation and re-obligation, program continuity, headquarters preferences in the Lake Champlain basin or New York/Vermont, and a report to Congress within 90 days), and award noncompetitive funding until a change; (3) authorizes the U.S. Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to conduct fisheries and ecosystem research, sea lamprey control, invasive species prevention, public engagement, and other work to implement the management plan; (4) defines "fiscal agent" (an entity providing fiscal/administrative support) and "Steering Committee" (established in 1996 to implement the plan); and (5) extends program authorization through 2032 (from 2027).