[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3625 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3625

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt agricultural 
 stormwater discharges and silviculture operations from permits under 
  the national pollutant discharge elimination system, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 10, 2000

  Mr. Dickey introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt agricultural 
 stormwater discharges and silviculture operations from permits under 
  the national pollutant discharge elimination system, 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 ``Timber and Agriculture Environmental 
Fairness Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM.

    Section 402(l) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1342(l)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Agricultural stormwater discharges.--The 
        Administrator shall not require a permit under this section for 
        discharges composed entirely of agricultural stormwater 
        discharges (including stormwater runoff from cultivated crops, 
        pastures, rangelands, orchards, aquaculture facilities, and 
        forest lands), nor shall the Administrator, directly or 
        indirectly, require any State to require such a permit.
            ``(4) Silviculture operations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Administrator shall not 
                require a permit under this section for discharges from 
                silviculture operations, nor shall the Administrator, 
                directly or indirectly, require any State to require 
                such a permit.
                    ``(B) Silviculture operations defined.--In this 
                section the term `silviculture operation' means the 
                theory and practice of controlling the establishment, 
                composition, constitution, and growth of forests. Such 
                term includes nursery operations, reforestation, 
                cultural treatment, thinning, prescribed burning, 
                harvest operations, site preparation, road construction 
                and maintenance, surface drainage, and pest and fire 
                control.''.

SEC. 3. POINT SOURCE DEFINED.

    Section 502 (14) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1362(14)) is amended by striking the second sentence and 
inserting the following: ``This term does not include agricultural 
stormwater discharges, return flows from irrigated agriculture, and 
discharges of stormwater runoff from silvicultural operations described 
in section 402(l).''.
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