[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4480 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4480

  To streamline and integrate the requirements for pollution related 
           reporting to the Environmental Protection Agency.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2000

 Ms. DeGette introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
      Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To streamline and integrate the requirements for pollution related 
           reporting to the Environmental Protection Agency.

    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 ``Streamlined Pollution Reporting and 
Technical Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING.

    (a) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish procedures 
for the streamlining and integration of requirements under Federal law 
for routine and emergency pollution related reporting to the 
Environmental Protection Agency.
    (b) Procedures.--The procedures established under subsection (a) 
shall, to the extent possible and consistent with other Federal law--
            (1) designate or establish an office to serve as a single 
        point of contact for all pollution related reporting to the 
        Environmental Protection Agency, including reporting by State, 
        tribal, and local agencies required to submit pollution related 
        information to the Environmental Protection Agency;
            (2) permit pollution related reporting in paper form or 
        through electronic media, at the option of the reporting 
        person, for the first 5 years after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, and thereafter require pollution related reporting 
        through electronic media;
            (3) ensure the security of electronic reporting procedures 
        and associated databases;
            (4) require the use of consistent and easily understood 
        methods of description, units of measurement, and terminology 
        under all environmental laws and regulations, developed in 
        consultation with State, tribal, and local governments, 
        reporting persons, including industry, scientists, engineers, 
        environmental groups, information technology experts, and other 
        relevant stakeholders;
            (5) minimize duplicative reporting requirements; and
            (6) include appropriate procedure variations for different 
        classes of reporting persons.
    (c) Preservation of Reporting Requirements.--Nothing in this Act 
shall be construed to eliminate, or to authorize the Administrator to 
eliminate, any reporting requirement under Federal law.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND OUTREACH.

    The office designated or established under section 2(b)(1) shall--
            (1) provide education, training, and technical assistance, 
        including through electronic means, to persons who may be 
        required to report pollution related information to the 
        Environmental Protection Agency;
            (2) inform potential reporting persons of related reporting 
        requirements administered by other Federal agencies;
            (3) provide information useful for identifying potential 
        pollution;
            (4) provide scientifically sound, publicly available 
        information on pollution prevention technologies and practices;
            (5) develop and disseminate software, to the maximum extent 
        practicable, to assist reporting persons in assembling required 
        data, preparing and submitting reports, and receiving 
        information provided under this section;
            (6) develop a strategy to provide timely assistance to 
        small businesses;
            (7) provide information on models and best practices for 
        life cycle analysis of manufacturing processes and products, 
        including technical assistance on economics, environmental, new 
        market, and product development issues for businesses 
        interested in developing new processes that reduce the use of 
        resources, or in manufacturing products in a way that maximized 
        their potential to be converted into new products when their 
        primary use expires; and
            (8) provide both technical and financial assistance to 
        State, tribal, and local governments to assist them in 
        developing reporting requirements consistent with the 
        procedures established under section 2.

SEC. 4. OFFICE.

    (a) Director.--The office designated or established under section 
2(b)(1) shall be headed by a Director, who shall report to the 
Administrator and shall have the authority to ensure the compliance and 
coordination of all offices of the Environmental Protection Agency with 
the program established under this Act. The Director shall be an 
individual with experience and expertise in environmental management, 
information technology, and organizational management and leadership.
    (b) Authority To Contract.--The Administrator may arrange for 
qualified public or private organizations to perform functions 
described in section 3.

SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.

    (a) Integration.--The Administrator shall encourage integration 
between the office designated or established under section 2(b)(1) and 
State, tribal, and local agencies on pollution related reporting 
procedures.
    (b) Other Federal Programs.--The Administrator may request from 
other Federal agencies information on their pollution related reporting 
procedures. Such other agencies shall promptly comply with the 
Administrator's request.

SEC. 6. ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director 
of the National Science Foundation, and the Secretary of Energy, shall 
establish an advisory committee comprised of appropriate 
representatives from industry, academia, government, and any other 
organizations deemed appropriate.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the advisory committee shall be to 
advise the Congress on--
            (1) the status of industrial ecology or life cycle analysis 
        for reducing pollution and increasing resource use efficiency;
            (2) the elimination of barriers to, and the increase in 
        utilization of, industrial ecology or life cycle analysis by 
        the public and private sectors;
            (3) the technical capacity and expertise in the United 
        States for conducting industrial ecology or life cycle 
        analyses; and
            (4) the need for basic and applied research and development 
        to improve the capacity of industrial ecology or life cycle 
        analysis.
    (c) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the advisory committee shall transmit an interim report to 
the Congress. Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the advisory committee shall transmit a final report to the 
Congress.

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Administrator and the Comptroller General, in consultation with 
representatives of all appropriate stakeholders, shall jointly prepare 
and transmit to the Congress a report that--
            (1) identifies provisions of law that prohibit or hinder 
        the implementation of this Act; and
            (2) makes recommendations for improvements to the program 
        established by this Act.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        Environmental Protection Agency; and
            (2) the term ``person'' has the meaning given that term in 
        section 1 of title 1, United States Code, and includes 
        government agencies and organizations.
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