WATER Act of 2025

Sponsor: Jon Husted (Republican-OH)December 3, 2025

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Lets states take over federal permits for highway, railroad, and public transportation projects.

This bill would create a new program letting states take over federal permits for building or improving highways, railroads, and public transportation projects. Instead of federal agencies, states would handle the environmental reviews and permits for these projects. This could make it faster to get these projects approved.

What Would Change

Today, federal agencies like the Department of the Army and the Environmental Protection Agency are primarily responsible for issuing permits and conducting environmental reviews for projects affecting navigable waters, including those for highways, railroads, and public transportation. If this bill becomes law, states could take over these federal permitting and environmental review duties for specific highway, railroad, and public transportation projects, after signing agreements with the federal government.

Key Provisions

Creates a new program letting states take over federal waterway permits for certain transportation projects.
Allows states to handle environmental reviews for highway, railroad, and public transportation projects, instead of federal agencies.
Requires states to sign a written agreement with federal agencies to assume these permitting duties.
Requires states to show they have the money and staff to handle these new responsibilities before joining the program.
Lets federal courts handle lawsuits against states that do not follow the rules for these permits.
Requires the Secretary of the Army to audit states participating in the program to ensure they follow federal laws.

View on Congress.gov

S 3316 · 119th Congress · December 3, 2025 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

WATER Act of 2025

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity