[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1286 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1286

   To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants to 
  improve wastewater treatment for certain communities in the United 
   States located close to the border between the United States and 
                    Mexico, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 26 (legislative day, June 30), 1993

 Mr. Bingaman introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
        referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants to 
  improve wastewater treatment for certain communities in the United 
   States located close to the border between the United States and 
                    Mexico, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Colonias Wastewater Treatment Act of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) as of the date of enactment of this Act, there is a 
        severe lack of wastewater treatment facilities in the area of 
        the border between the United States and Mexico;
            (2) the lack of facilities is leading to the pollution of 
        rivers and ground water in the area and to environmental 
        degradation; and
            (3) the pollution presents a grave threat to public health 
        through the proliferation of gastrointestinal and infectious 
        diseases.

SEC. 3. GRANTS TO CERTAIN COMMUNITIES.

    Title V of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 521. GRANTS TO CERTAIN COMMUNITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Administrator is authorized to award a grant for wastewater treatment 
to--
            ``(1) a community that meets the requirements of subsection 
        (b); or
            ``(2) a county, municipality, or other political 
        subdivision of a State acting on behalf of a community that 
        meets the requirements of subsection (b).
    ``(b) Eligible Communities.--A community that meets the 
requirements of this subsection is a community that--
            ``(1) is designated by the State or county in which the 
        community is located as a colonia;
            ``(2) is located in the region along the border between the 
        United States and Mexico;
            ``(3) the Administrator determines is eligible to receive a 
        grant under this subsection on the basis of objective criteria 
        (including the lack of a potable water supply, an adequate 
        sewage system, or decent, safe, and sanitary housing); and
            ``(4) before November 28, 1990, existed as a colonia (as 
        determined by the Administrator).
    ``(c) Use of Grant.--A grant awarded under this section may be used 
for 1 or more of the following:
            ``(1)(A) The construction (including planning, design, 
        repair, extension, improvement, alteration, or reconstruction) 
        of a publicly owned treatment works (including collection lines 
        or interceptor sewers, notwithstanding any limitation otherwise 
        imposed with respect to the provision of assistance for 
        collection lines or interceptor sewers).
            ``(B) The acquisition of land, or any easement or other 
        right-of-way, to which the recipient of assistance is not the 
        owner (at the time of receipt assistance), that is necessary to 
        carry out the construction or operation of the publicly owned 
        treatment works, or the final disposal of residues resulting 
        from the treatment of water or waste.
            ``(2) The disposal of wastewater by surface or underground 
        methods, (or both).
    ``(d) Grant Amount.--A grant awarded under this section may be for 
an amount not to exceed 100 percent of the cost of the project that is 
the subject of the grant.
    ``(e) Definition; Border Area.--The term `border area' means the 
area situated within 100 kilometers on either side of the United 
States-Mexican international boundary.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency, to carry out this 
section, such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 1994 
through 2000.''.

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