[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 403 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 403

  Expressing the sense of Congress regarding combined sewer overflow 
                           control programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2002

    Mr. Meehan (for himself and Mr. Quinn) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of Congress regarding combined sewer overflow 
                           control programs.

Whereas approximately 900 communities, concentrated in the Northeast, Great 
        Lakes region, and Pacific Northwest, have combined sewer systems;
Whereas combined sewer systems were among the earliest sewers built in the 
        United States;
Whereas these sewer systems are known as ``combined sewer systems'' because they 
        transport rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial waste 
        through a single pipe to municipal treatment plants;
Whereas combined sewer overflow occurs when the capacity of the collection and 
        treatment system is exceeded due to high volumes of rainwater or 
        snowmelt;
Whereas in the event that the capacity of a combined sewer system is exceeded, 
        untreated domestic sewage, industrial wastes, and rainwater are 
        discharged into surface waters;
Whereas combined sewer overflow can create serious public health and water 
        quality concerns;
Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency has required combined sewer overflow 
        communities to develop long-term control plans for combined sewer 
        overflow;
Whereas implementation of these long-term control plans can require 
        extraordinarily large infrastructure investments that may be beyond the 
        financial means of combined sewer overflow communities;
Whereas local government and utility ratepayers currently shoulder over 90 
        percent of all spending on drinking water and wastewater infrastructure;
Whereas the Environmental Protection Agency estimated in its 1996 Clean Water 
        Needs Survey Report to Congress that it will cost $44,700,000,000 to 
        control combined sewer overflow nationwide;
Whereas many in the wastewater treatment sector consider that estimate to be a 
        gross underestimate of required control costs;
Whereas the Federal Government has recognized that it has an obligation to 
        assist communities in complying with water pollution control mandates of 
        the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.);------
Whereas the construction grants program under such Act assisted States and 
        communities in modernizing their water and sewer distribution programs;
Whereas the construction grants program under such Act has been replaced by 
        annual Federal grants to capitalize State water pollution control 
        revolving loan funds;
Whereas federally capitalized State water pollution control revolving loan funds 
        have been increasingly used to provide below-market and zero-interest 
        loans to communities for combined sewer overflow control projects;
Whereas although federally capitalized State water pollution control revolving 
        loan funds have assisted combined sewer overflow control efforts, many 
        communities cannot afford to repay loans for 100 percent of the cost of 
        water infrastructure projects;
Whereas Congress has recognized that Federal grants are a necessary component of 
        helping communities afford combined sewer overflow control;
Whereas Congress has provided earmarked combined sewer overflow control 
        infrastructure funding for specific communities in annual appropriations 
        Acts, accompanied by a 45 percent local cost-share requirement;
Whereas recognizing that earmarked combined sewer overflow infrastructure 
        funding in annual appropriations Acts did not fully meet the enormous 
        needs of combined sewer overflow communities, Congress enacted 
        amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in 2000 
        authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency to provide $750,000,000 
        in grants in each of fiscal years 2002 and 2003 to combined sewer 
        overflow communities, either directly or through States, for planning, 
        design, and construction of combined sewer overflow treatment;
Whereas the combined sewer overflow grant program authorized in 2000 assigns 
        financially distressed communities priority for direct grants;
Whereas the new combined sewer overflow grant program was not funded in fiscal 
        year 2002;
Whereas the President's budget for fiscal year 2003 does not request funding for 
        the new combined sewer overflow grant program; and
Whereas the new combined sewer overflow grant program's authorization expires 
        after fiscal year 2003: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress should--
            (1) commit and provide substantially increased Federal 
        funding and resources for combined sewer overflow control, 
        which commitment must include a significant grant component;
            (2) increase Federal funding for combined sewer overflow 
        control to levels sufficient to cover at least 80 percent of 
        the costs of such control incurred by economically 
        disadvantaged communities, particularly those located in urban 
        areas;
            (3) provide the Environmental Protection Agency with 
        additional resources to improve nationwide tracking of progress 
        in combined sewer overflow control programs; and
            (4) expressly authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to 
        assist municipalities with assessment and design work 
        associated with combined sewer system upgrades.
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