As the lead co-sponsor, I’m proud to announce the introduction of the Local Water Protection Act—a bipartisan piece of legislation that provides more resources in our fight for clean water. 

This bill reauthorizes $200 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to help local and state governments make necessary conservation improvements. Importantly, these funds are  voluntary grants, which empower communities with the flexibility to tackle their own water challenges.

The Local Water Protection Act specifically targets “nonpoint source pollution (NPS);” pollution that doesn’t just come from a single pipe but through runoff. This kind of pollution  travels indirectly to our waterways, like how rainfall deposits human-made waste into estuaries.

In Florida, nonpoint source pollution is a major contributor to toxic algal blooms and declining water quality. These impacts don’t only harm the environment, they threaten public health, tourism, small businesses, and our way of life.