[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 455 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 455

 To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
   to make grants to the States of New York and Connecticut for the 
  purpose of demonstrating methods of improving water quality in Long 
                             Island Sound.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 21, 1997

Mr. Ackerman (for himself, Mr. Forbes, Mr. King, Mr. Lazio of New York, 
  Mr. Manton, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Shays, Mr. 
    Towns, and Ms. Norton) introduced the following bill; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
   to make grants to the States of New York and Connecticut for the 
  purpose of demonstrating methods of improving water quality in Long 
                             Island Sound.

    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 ``Long Island Sound Restoration Act''.

SEC. 2. LONG ISLAND SOUND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall carry out a demonstration 
program under which the Administrator may make grants on an annual 
basis to the States of New York and Connecticut in accordance with this 
section.
    (b) Purposes.--The Administrator shall carry out the program under 
subsection (a)--
            (1) to demonstrate methods of restoring and maintaining the 
        water quality of designated bays and harbors of Long Island 
        Sound at which water quality standards adopted pursuant to 
        section 303 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act have not 
        been achieved or at which other significant water quality 
        degradation has occurred;
            (2) to demonstrate the importance of controlling nonpoint 
        sources of pollution in restoring and maintaining water 
        quality;
            (3) to enhance opportunities for water-dependent 
        recreational activities, maintain a healthy ecosystem, protect 
        and enhance marine life, minimize health risks associated with 
        human consumption of shellfish and finfish, and ensure that 
        social and economic benefits to the general public associated 
        with Long Island Sound are advanced; and
            (4) to advance goals and recommendations contained in the 
        Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan of the Long 
        Island Sound Study developed pursuant to section 320 of the 
        Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
    (c) Designation of Bays and Harbors.--
            (1) In general.--In order to be eligible to receive grants 
        under subsection (a), the States of New York and Connecticut 
        shall each designate in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3) 
        bays and harbors of Long Island Sound at which the State plans 
        to carry out eligible activities with amounts of such grants 
        and transmit such designations to the Administrator.
            (2) Designations by state of new york.--The State of New 
        York shall designate pursuant to paragraph (1) one bay or 
        harbor in each of the following 4 political subdivisions of the 
        State of New York: Westchester County, Nassau County, Suffolk 
        County, and New York City.
            (3) Designations by state of connecticut.--The State of 
        Connecticut shall designate pursuant to paragraph (1) one bay 
        or harbor in 2 of the following 4 political subdivisions of the 
        State of Connecticut: Fairfield County, New Haven County, 
        Middlesex County, and New London County.
            (4) Participation of management committee.--The States of 
        New York and Connecticut shall each make designations pursuant 
        to paragraph (1) in cooperation with the Management Committee 
        of the Long Island Sound Study established pursuant to section 
        320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
            (5) Participation of new york city.--The State of New York 
        shall designate a bay or harbor in New York City pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) in cooperation with the Mayor of New York City 
        (or the designee of the Mayor).
    (d) Terms and Conditions.--The Administrator may make a grant to a 
State under subsection (a) only if the State enters into an agreement 
with the Administrator which contains the following terms and 
conditions for receipt of the grant:
            (1) Use of grant.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), all 
        amounts of the grant shall be used by the State--
                    (A) to carry out eligible activities and a 
                monitoring program pursuant to paragraph (4) at bays 
                and harbors designated by the State pursuant to 
                subsection (c); and
                    (B) to educate the public, in coordination with the 
                office established pursuant to section 119 of the 
                Federal Water Pollution Control Act, on the 
                implementation and results of such eligible activities.
            (2) Distribution of grants amounts.--Equal amounts of the 
        grant shall be used by the State for conducting eligible 
        activities at each bay and harbor designated pursuant to 
        subsection (c).
            (3) Administrative expenses.--Not to exceed 1.5 percent of 
        the amount of the grant may be used by the State for staff 
        salaries and other administrative expenses incurred by the 
        State in carrying out activities with the grant.
            (4) Monitoring.--The State shall design and carry out a 
        program for monitoring water quality at bays and harbors 
        designated pursuant to paragraph (c) in order to determine the 
        effectiveness of eligible activities being conducted by the 
        State using amounts of the grant. Activities under such program 
        shall be reviewed and evaluated by the Long Island Sound Study 
        Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee and by the Long 
        Island Sound Monitoring Work Group.
            (5) Reporting.--The State shall comply with reporting 
        requirements contained in subsection (f).
    (e) Distribution of Grants.--The Administrator shall use \2/3\ of 
the amounts appropriated in a fiscal year to carry out this Act for 
making grants to the State of New York under subsection (a) and \1/3\ 
of such amounts for making grants to the State of Connecticut under 
subsection (a).
    (f) Reports.--
            (1) Reports to the administrator.--A State receiving a 
        grant under subsection (a) shall transmit to the Administrator, 
        not later than 18 months after the date of receipt of the grant 
        and biennially thereafter for the term of the program under 
        subsection (a), a report on eligible activities carried out by 
        the State using amounts of the grant and on the results of the 
        monitoring program carried out by the State pursuant to 
        subsection (d)(4), including a summary of evaluations conducted 
        pursuant to subsection (d)(4). Any such report may be 
        transmitted as part of a report submitted by the State pursuant 
        to section 320(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
            (2) Report to congress.--On or before the last day of the 
        5th fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of 
        this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to Congress a report 
        on the results of the program conducted under subsection (a), 
        together with an analysis on the extent to which the purposes 
        described in subsection (b)(3) have been realized and 
        recommendations for appropriate administrative and legislative 
        actions.
    (g) Non-Federal Share.--The non-Federal share of the cost of 
activities carried out with amounts from grants under subsection (a) in 
a fiscal year shall be 30 percent. One-sixth of such non-Federal share 
shall be provided by sources in the locality in which such activities 
are carried out.
    (h) Definitions.--For the purposes of this Act, the following 
definitions apply:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) Eligible activity.--The term ``eligible activity'' 
        means an activity conducted for the purpose of addressing one 
        or more of the following problems:
                    (A) Pollutants from nonpoint sources.--Urban and 
                suburban runoff of pollutants into Long Island Sound 
                from forestry, agriculture, and other land uses. Such 
                pollutants include sediments associated with logging, 
                pesticides, fertilizers, animal waste, litter, 
                overflows from failing septic systems, leaching of 
                contaminants from landfills, and discharges from 
                coastal development and construction sites.
                    (B) Waste from recreational boats.--The discharge 
                of waste into Long Island Sound from recreational boats 
                and the leaching of antifouling paints.
                    (C) Pollutants carried by rivers.--Pollutants which 
                are carried by rivers into Long Island Sound.
                    (D) Airborne pollutants.--Airborne pollutants which 
                are emitted and attached to or absorbed by moisture and 
                particles in the environment and which enter Long 
                Island Sound.
                    (E) Wetlands degradation.--The deterioration of 
                tidal wetlands of Long Island Sound from their natural 
                state and the adverse effects of such deterioration on 
                near-shore habitat.
                    (F) Pollutants from point sources.--Pollutants 
                discharged into Long Island Sound from a discharge 
                pipe, sewage treatment plant, or industrial facility.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this Act $50,000,000 per fiscal year for each 
of the first 5 fiscal years beginning after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.

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