Husted leads bills to streamline Ohio water projects and support rural communities

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) introduced two bills, the Water Authority and Timely Environmental Review (WATER Act), which aims to streamline permitting for water projects, and the Water Resources Technical Assistance Act of 2025, which would support Ohio's rural communities as they navigate available water-related funding sources.

The Water Authority and Timely Environmental Review (WATER) Act would allow state transportation departments to manage federal waterway permitting for their highway, railroad and public transportation projects, speeding up approvals while leaving enforcement under federal agencies. As a result, state transportation departments would see significant time and cost savings.

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) is co-leading the bill.

"From Lake Erie to the Ohio River and everything in between, Ohio is blessed with incredible natural resources. Currently, federal permits are wasting taxpayer dollars and slowing down the process. This bill will help states cut through bureaucratic red tape by empowering state transportation departments to manage these permits directly-saving time and money," said Husted.

"Effective permitting is the best way to ensure essential infrastructure projects are completed. Duplicative processes waste taxpayer dollars and delay necessary improvements. The WATER Act will streamline the permitting process between the States, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the EPA. At the same time, it will uphold current environmental standards. This will expedite transportation projects by eliminating duplicative reviews. It will reduce federal red tape, resulting in direct time and cost savings," said Ricketts.

"I commend Senator Husted for putting Ohio first and cutting unnecessary government red tape. This new bill will allow Ohio to deliver projects faster, save money, and eliminate redundancy," said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

The WATER Act would allow the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to assume the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) responsibilities under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This change would streamline permitting for highways, railroads and other transportation projects within Ohio.

"Eliminating these duplicative reviews will result in substantial benefits to the department with no negative impact to the environment. Savings from this streamlined process will go directly into developing more projects and improving safety for Ohioans," said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn.

The Water Resources Technical Assistance Act of 2025 would help rural communities navigate water funding resource programs available through the EPA.

The bill would require the U.S. Government Accountability Office to do a study on the EPA's Water Technical Assistance programs. These programs provide technical expertise to communities across the United States for projects such as identifying lead pipes, workforce development and resilience against cybersecurity threats.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is co-leading the bipartisan bill. Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) introduced the companion version of the Water Resources Technical Assistance Act of 2025 in the House of Representatives.

"Ohio's rural communities depend on the EPA's Water Technical Assistance programs to access funding they need to update and sustain safe and reliable water projects. This bill would deliver better information to local leaders and eliminate barriers that slow the process down. I applaud Representative Taylor's work on this issue in the House of Representatives, and I'm proud to lead the Senate version," said Husted.

"Rural and underserved communities rely on EPA's water programs to build safe drinking and wastewater systems that are resilient to all kinds of challenges - from climate-fueled natural disasters to cybersecurity attacks. This legislation will help rural and underserved communities connect with the federal expertise and financial resources they need to ensure access to safe and affordable water," said Schiff.

"Rural Ohio communities have been left on the outside looking in when it comes to accessing federal funds, including the resources and technical expertise needed for critical water and wastewater projects. I am proud to have Senator Husted join me in leading the charge to reform a Biden-era program to finally enable rural communities to access the water assistance they should have been receiving all along,"said Taylor.

The Water Resources Technical Assistance Act of 2025 passed the House of Representatives on Sept. 15, 2025.

These bills build on Husted's work on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Husted's bipartisan bill, the Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act, recently passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

Full text of the bills is available here and here.