Association of Clean Water Administrators

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Legislation, Regulation and Litigation

FY27 Interior, Environment Appropriations Written Testimony

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ACWA submitted written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies urging Congress to maintain FY 2026 funding levels for key Clean Water Act programs in FY 2027. The testimony pushes back on the President’s proposed EPA budget, which would cut the agency’s discretionary funding by roughly 52% including eliminating categorical grants that states rely on to run water quality programs and slashing more than $2.5 billion from the State Revolving Funds.

ACWA argues that eliminating these grants wouldn’t free states to manage their own programs — it would effectively convert a cooperative federal-state structure into an unfunded mandate, reducing permit writers, monitoring capacity, and enforcement presence. The letter also calls on Congress to preserve funding for geographic restoration programs like the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. ACWA notes that Congress rejected similar cuts in FY 2026 and urges it to do the same again.

House FY 2026 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

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Title II of the FY 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill includes significant changes to funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), particularly within State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG). The proposed bill substantially reduces core CWA funding, directly impacting state and tribal implementation capacity.

Impacts of President’s FY 26 Budget Proposal on State Water Quality Programs

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The proposed elimination of STAG funding in the FY 2026 federal budget proposal would dramatically impact the nation’s waters, public health and economic growth. These funds are the lifeblood of state programs and without them, states may be forced to slash essential services, lay off expert staff, halt restoration projects, and delay or even forgo clean water protections.

ACWA Memo on EPA Oversight

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A memo addressing state concerns over agency oversight of state actions, including waterbody over-listings and the need for clarity between EPA mandates, guidance, and reviewer opinions.

Executive Order: ENSURING LAWFUL GOVERNANCE AND IMPLEMENTING THE PRESIDENT’S “DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY” DEREGULATORY INITIATIVE

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Agency heads shall, in coordination with their DOGE Team Leads and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, initiate a process to review all regulations subject to their sole or joint jurisdiction for consistency with law and Administration policy. Within 60 days of the date of this order, agency heads shall, in consultation with the Attorney General as appropriate, identify the following classes of regulations: (i) unconstitutional regulations and regulations that raise serious constitutional difficulties, such as exceeding the scope of the power vested in the Federal Government by the Constitution; (ii) regulations that are based on unlawful delegations of legislative power; (iii) regulations that are based on anything other than the best reading of the underlying statutory authority or prohibition; (iv) regulations that implicate matters of social, political, or economic significance that are not authorized by clear statutory authority; (v) regulations that impose significant costs upon private parties that are not outweighed by public benefits; (vi) regulations that harm the national interest by significantly and unjustifiably impeding technological innovation, infrastructure development, disaster response, inflation reduction, research and development, economic development, energy production, land use, and foreign policy objectives; and (vii) regulations that impose undue burdens on small business and impede private enterprise and entrepreneurship.

ACWA Letter to Trump Transition Team

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The Association of Clean Water Administrators (hereinafter “ACWA” or the “states”) is the independent, nonpartisan, national organization of state, interstate, and territorial water program managers, who on a daily basis implement the water quality programs of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). ACWA is a nationally recognized organization whose agenda and mission are set by a Board of Directors and leadership which are composed entirely of state/interstate water quality program administrators and managers. ACWA is uniquely positioned as a critical resource to EPA as ACWA can quickly and efficiently facilitate feedback from its members, the nation’s experts on implementing the CWA. Because the states, largely, implement CWA regulations and policies, proposed changes to applicable EPA regulations and policies should be developed in collaboration with the states. The complexity of today’s water quality issues requires effective collaboration to ensure reasonable, balanced, and effective strategies for water quality improvement.