AFS Calls for Funding for Vital EPA Water Quality Programs

A similar letter was sent to Lisa Murkowski, Chair, and Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member, of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.

March 20, 2026

Dear Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Pingree,

On behalf of our millions of members and supporters nationwide, the undersigned hunting, fishing, and conservation organizations respectfully ask that you consider providing robust funding for programs that invest in America’s waters and wildlife in the Fiscal Year 2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations. We thank the Subcommittee for your long standing support for critical conservation programs. We urge you to build on these investments once again by prioritizing funding for federal clean water programs that are critical to help states, Tribes, and communities meet local water quality needs, restore and protect wetlands habitat vital to fish and wildlife across the country, and ensure continued access to outdoor traditions.

Wetlands offer numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation, ranging from hunting and fishing to observing wildlife. Wetlands also provide broad public benefits, including erosion control, flood control, groundwater recharge, water quality enhancement, and minimization of certain wildfire impacts. They absorb vast quantities of water during heavy rains or storms – one acre of wetlands can store up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater which can reduce downstream impacts to critical infrastructure and promote resilience to drought. Wetlands conservation supports economic development via hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation opportunities and significantly reduces socio-economic burdens on taxpayers and communities associated with natural disasters.

As such, our organizations respectfully request that the subcommittee support increases to several essential programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency that provide important support for states, Tribes, and localities to protect our nation’s waters, including:

Wetland Program Development Grants Program. We recommend that Congress provide at least $20 million for the EPA’s Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDG) Program. This program provides critical funding to state, Tribal, local, and interstate agencies to develop and refine comprehensive wetland programs, including voluntary wetland conservation and restoration efforts. WPDGs provide

critical resources to enhance the capacity of states, Tribes, and local governments to manage wetlands and streams within in their jurisdiction, while also providing financial support for activities such as wetland mapping and monitoring, which can aid in guiding the siting and development of critical infrastructure and other construction projects to avoid costs associated with natural disasters such as flooding. The program provides a necessary complement to other federal wetland conservation and restoration grants, such as the North America Wetland Conservation Act, which invests in wetland protection and restoration for species habitat. WPDGs work in tandem with these programs by offering funding to develop comprehensive wetland management programs for a broad suite of wetland types and benefits, not just for those that focus on species and habitat protection.

EPA Section 319 Grants. We recommend that Congress provide $200 million for EPA’s Section 319 grant program. The Section 319 program is the primary federal program with a nationwide reach and a

mission of cleaning up water supplies impaired by nonpoint source pollution. Through the program, the EPA provides financial and technical resources to state and local agencies, which in turn direct these resources to improve water bodies listed as impaired through a suite of voluntary practices. The nonpoint source program has successfully restored thousands of miles of formerly impaired streams and over a hundred thousand acres of formerly impaired lakes.

EPA Section 106 Grants Program. We also urge Congress to increase funding for state water quality management programs by increasing funding to $500 million for EPA’s Section 106 program. Strong

funding for this program will help ensure that states can develop and operate their water quality standards, conduct water quality monitoring, implement National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting and enforcement, and protect source water and groundwater, thereby safeguarding the health of our nation’s waters.

Given that recent federal policy changes have placed a greater responsibility for wetland and aquatic resource protection on states and Tribes, we anticipate a significant increase in need for federal funding for programs that support state and Tribal wetlands and water quality programs. Your support for these programs is critical for safeguarding our nation’s wetlands and quality outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations of hunters, anglers, and conservationists, all while supporting thousands of federally-funded jobs in state agencies that enforce the Clean Water Act. Thank you for considering the above recommendations and we look forward to working with you as the appropriations process moves forward.

Sincerely,

American Fisheries Society
Izaak Walton League of America
National Wildlife Federation