Sec. 3. Water project navigators program

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Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation) (referred to in this Act as the Secretary ) shall establish a program to support the development and implementation of multi-benefit water projects within eligible States, to be known as the Water Project Navigators Program . In carrying out the Program, the Secretary may award grants or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to support the creation or continuation of multi-benefit water project navigator positions.

The Secretary shall develop criteria and guidelines for awarding grants and cooperative agreements under the Program that consider— the potential of the eligible entity to accelerate development and implementation of multi-benefit water projects within— the jurisdiction or service area of the eligible entity; or in the case of an eligible entity that is a nongovernmental applicant, an area in which the eligible entity has a demonstrated history of productive engagement with the community and stakeholders; any history of development of multi-benefit water projects by the eligible entity; and any potential multi-benefit water projects the eligible entity has not yet implemented due to lack of capacity.

The criteria and guidelines developed under paragraph

(1)shall include prioritization criteria for awarding grants or cooperative agreements, which shall include prioritizing applications from eligible entities— that would provide benefits for Indian Tribes, disadvantaged communities, and other eligible entities with limited project development resources and capacity; that would provide support for local job creation and retention; with a demonstrated intent and ability to incorporate improvements to the condition of a natural feature or nature-based feature in multi-benefit water projects designed under the Program; with demonstrated support from multiple stakeholders, including Indian Tribes, representatives of irrigated agricultural production, hydroelectric production, municipal and industrial water users, local governments, community-based organizations, and nonprofit conservation organizations; that would provide benefits for areas experiencing severe long-term drought; and with the capability to work in coordination with other projects that have been funded under, or help advance the objectives of, other Department of Interior programs, including a program authorized under— section 9504 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( 42 U.S.C. 10364 ); section 6002 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( 16 U.S.C. 1015a ); section 1109 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 ( 33 U.S.C. 2330c ); title IX of division D of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( 43 U.S.C. 3201 et seq. ); or section 50233 of Public Law 117–169 (commonly known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ) (136 Stat. 2053). Before finalizing the criteria and guidelines developed under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall make the criteria and guidelines available for public comment. The Secretary may not award a grant or cooperative agreement under the Program that would fund activities to meet existing environmental mitigation or compliance obligations under Federal or State law. A multi-benefit water project navigator funded under the Program shall assist the eligible entity in planning, developing, and implementing multi-benefit water projects, including— grant writing; project management; technical assistance, such as feasibility, design, preliminary environmental review, and engineering; and any other necessary activities. Subject to paragraph (2), a grant or cooperative agreement under the Program shall be limited to a period of not more than 3 years. At the discretion of the Secretary, the Secretary may issue a continuation grant or extend a cooperative agreement awarded under the Program for not more than 2 additional years, with additional funding to be awarded, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, if the recipient of the grant or cooperative agreement has demonstrated satisfactory performance with implementation of the proposal under the initial grant or cooperative agreement, as determined by the Secretary. The Secretary shall— make funding opportunities for the Program available on a regular basis; and allow applications for grants or cooperative agreements under the Program to be submitted and evaluated multiple times per year. Except as provided in paragraph (3), the Federal share of the cost of any activity awarded a grant or cooperative agreement under the Program shall not exceed 75 percent of the cost of the activity carried out under the grant or cooperative agreement. The non-Federal share of the cost of an activity awarded a grant or cooperative agreement under the Program may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. With respect to a grant or cooperative agreement awarded to an Indian Tribe, acequia, land grant-merced, disadvantaged community, or any other eligible entity working in partnership with or on behalf of those entities, the Secretary may reduce or waive the non-Federal share of the cost of any activity that is the subject of the grant or cooperative agreement if the reduction or waiver would further a compelling Federal interest, as determined by the Secretary. In administering the Program, the Secretary shall coordinate with other Federal, Tribal, State, and local government technical assistance programs to enhance multi-benefit water project development. A multi-benefit water project navigator funded under the Program shall comply with all applicable Federal and State laws in carrying out the duties of the multi-benefit water project navigator under the Program. Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report that describes— the ways in which the Program assists the Secretary in— reducing basin-wide water supply-demand imbalances; and enhancing drought and ecosystem resilience; and the benefits that the Program provides, including, to the maximum extent practicable, a quantitative analysis of the multiple benefits advanced under the Program.

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