Protecting America's Drinking Water from Extreme Temperatures Act of 2026
SB 4536, the “Protecting America’s Drinking Water from Extreme Temperatures Act of 2026,” would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program. The bill expands the types of climate-related threats that eligible grant projects may address by adding “extreme temperatures” alongside natural hazards and extreme weather events. It also makes conforming changes throughout the program’s eligibility and priority criteria so that drinking water systems can seek federal assistance for resilience measures tied to heat and cold extremes, not just storms, flooding, and other weather-related risks.
The bill also extends the authorization period for the program from 2022–2026 to 2027–2032, effectively continuing the grant authority for several additional years. In practical terms, this would allow midsize and large public drinking water systems to pursue federal funding for infrastructure upgrades, planning, and resilience projects intended to protect water supply reliability and system performance under increasingly severe temperature conditions.
The bill would amend Section 1459F of the Safe Drinking Water Act, broadening the statutory scope of the Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program. It would change multiple references in federal law from only natural hazards and extreme weather events to include extreme temperatures, and it would extend the program’s authorization window through 2032. The primary affected parties are drinking water utilities, local and regional water systems, and state or local entities that apply for federal resilience grants under the program.
The available context suggests generally supportive, noncontroversial treatment of the bill. It was introduced by Senators Rosen, Curtis, and Blunt Rochester and referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, with no recorded votes or committee debate provided. The bipartisan sponsorship and the bill’s focus on infrastructure resilience indicate a consensus-oriented approach to addressing climate-related risks to drinking water systems.
No specific opposition or contested provisions are reflected in the available record. The main policy choice is the expansion of eligible grant uses to include extreme temperatures and the extension of the program’s authorization period, which could raise questions about federal spending priorities, program scope, and how broadly “extreme temperatures” should be interpreted. However, no named stakeholders, amendments, or recorded objections are provided in the materials.