House Passes LaLota Co-Sponsored Bipartisan Bill to Protect Long Island Waters

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY-01), Co-Chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus, released the following statement after the House passed the American Water Stewardship Act, a bipartisan bill he cosponsors to reauthorize and strengthen the Long Island Sound Program and the National Estuary Program, which are key federal water quality and coastal restoration programs that directly impact Long Island.

“Long Island families don’t need more talk about protecting our waters, we need results and the American Water Stewardship Act delivers exactly the results we need by locking in long-term support for the Long Island Sound and our estuaries. I made sure our local priorities were included in this national bill because clean water isn’t just an environmental issue here, it’s economic security, it’s public health, and it’s our way of life,” said Rep. Nick LaLota.

“The Long Island Sound is an ecological treasure and a powerful engine for our region’s economy,” said Rep. Joe Courtney, (CT-02), Co-Chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus. “Reauthorizing the Long Island Sound Program ensures that critical EPA work to preserve and manage the Sound for future generations continues uninterrupted. Congress’ last reauthorization for the EPA’s Long Island Sound Program expired in 2023, and it is urgent that we renew our commitment to these programs. Thank you to Congressman LaLota, fellow Co-Chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus, for his leadership. I urge the Senate to quickly take up this bill.”

“We are grateful to Representative LaLota for cosponsoring this bill and for prioritizing the reauthorization of critical funding of the Long Island Sound Partnership programs that protect and restore the health of Long Island Sound,” said Denise Stranko, executive vice president of programs for Save the Sound.

"The passing of the American Water Stewardship Act is a show of immense support in the efforts to protect our nation's water quality. Reauthorization of the National Estuary Program ensures that programs like the Peconic Estuary Partnership can continue work to protect and restore clean water, habitat, wildlife, and economic drivers in nationally significant estuaries across the United States. Thank you to Congressman LaLota for co-sponsoring this bill and showing steadfast support for the Peconic Estuary Partnership and the National Estuary Program,” said Joyce Novak, PhD, Executive Director, Peconic Estuary Partnership. 

To read the full text of the bill, click HERE.

Background:

H.R. 6422, the American Water Stewardship Act, as amended, updates and reauthorizes key H.R. 6422, the American Water Stewardship Act, updates and reauthorizes key provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to strengthen EPA oversight and improve coordination across several geographic and coastal water programs.

The legislation reauthorizes a suite of federal environmental programs through fiscal years 2026–2031, most significantly for Long Island, the Long Island Sound Program, the National Estuary Program, and coastal recreation water quality monitoring under the BEACH Act.

The Long Island Sound Program traces its roots to the Long Island Sound Study, established by Congress in 1985 to identify and address the Sound's major environmental challenges. The program brings together EPA, New York, Connecticut, nonprofits, and academic institutions to restore and protect the Sound and its watershed, which extends north into New Hampshire, Vermont, and Canada.

The National Estuary Program protects and restores 28 estuaries of national significance, supporting water quality, wildlife habitat, and local economies. Notably, two of those designated estuaries, the Long Island Sound and the Peconic Estuary, are located in Suffolk County, underscoring the region's outsized role in coastal stewardship.

The bill also modernizes BEACH Act grant authorities to strengthen public health protections, including allowing funds to identify contamination sources, expanding the definition of "coastal recreation waters" to cover river mouths and beach-adjacent areas, and directing EPA to incorporate advances in detection and testing technology into its guidance.

Finally, the legislation includes national security provisions barring funds from going to non-federal entities domiciled in, or with agreements with, a foreign country of concern.

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