[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1800 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1800
To establish the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative to
monitor and reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi
River.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 10, 2001
Mr. Kind (for himself, Mr. Leach, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Evans, Mr. Nussle,
Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Kildee, Ms.
Baldwin, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Luther, Mr. Udall of
New Mexico, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Ms. McCollum, Mr. DeFazio, Mr.
Manzullo, Mr. Tanner, Mr. Petri, and Mr. Ford) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in
addition to the Committee on Resources, 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 establish the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative to
monitor and reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi
River.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Upper Mississippi
River Basin Conservation Act of 2001''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings, purposes, and reliance on sound science.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK
Sec. 101. Establishment of monitoring network.
Sec. 102. Data collection and storage responsibilities.
Sec. 103. Relationship to existing sediment and nutrient monitoring.
Sec. 104. Collaboration with other public and private monitoring
efforts.
Sec. 105. Cost share requirements.
Sec. 106. Reporting requirements.
Sec. 107. Assessment of water resource and water quality management.
TITLE II--INITIATIVE GRANT, DEMONSTRATION, AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Sec. 201. Computer modeling of sediment and nutrient sources.
Sec. 202. Research regarding best management practices and sediment and
nutrient loss.
Sec. 203. Demonstration projects regarding new best management
practices to reduce sediment and nutrient
loss.
Sec. 204. Use of electronic means to distribute information.
Sec. 205. Reporting requirements.
TITLE III--PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
Sec. 301. Privacy of personal data received by Department of
Agriculture and data gathering locations.
TITLE IV--ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER STEWARDSHIP
INITIATIVE
Sec. 401. Establishment of Advisory Council.
Sec. 402. Responsibilities of Advisory Council.
Sec. 403. Advisory nature of Council.
TITLE V--FEDERAL INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP
Sec. 501. Establishment of Interagency Working Group.
TITLE VI--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
Sec. 601. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND RELIANCE ON SOUND SCIENCE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries are an
important source of municipal and industrial water supplies for
many of the region's more than 24,000,000 residents.
(2) The Upper Mississippi River Basin supports many
economic activities of regional and national importance and is
an important element of the national transportation
infrastructure, enabling shipment of agricultural, petroleum,
coal, and many other products.
(3) Millions of tourists annually visit the Upper
Mississippi River Basin to fish, hunt, swim, boat, and camp, as
well as to visit the region's many historic towns and
archaeological sites.
(4) The sediments and nutrients that inadvertently enter
streams, and ultimately the Mississippi River, result in--
(A) a reduction in the quality and quantity of farm
crops and thereby a reduction in farm income;
(B) an increase in channel maintenance costs;
(C) a threat to drinking water supplies; and
(D) the filling of side channels used by river
wildlife.
(5) The public and private costs associated with sediment
and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin are
significant:
(A) Farmers lose more than $300,000,000 worth of
applied nitrogen annually.
(B) Dredging costs exceed $100,000,000 annually.
(C) The cost of habitat restoration efforts along
the main stem of the Upper Mississippi River will soon
reach $33,000,000 annually.
(6) Although there are more than 75 local, State, tribal,
and Federal public and private programs designed to address
sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River
Basin, there is a lack of collaboration by resource managers to
identify and address significant sources of sediment and
nutrient loss, monitor results, share information, or set
priorities. Consequently, programs often overlap, gaps are left
unfilled, and scarce resources are not used efficiently.
(7) Results of research conducted in the Mississippi River
Basin by the Mississippi River Basin/Gulf of Mexico Watershed
Nutrient Task Force call for a cooperative, interagency,
adaptive management approach to natural resource management at
the basin level.
(8) Congress and the executive branch recognize the need to
focus Federal investment in natural resources management and
stewardship in the Upper Mississippi River Basin in a manner
that is coordinated, efficient, and effective to meet local,
State, tribal, Basin-wide, and national goals for agriculture
and environmental health and sustainability.
(9) An approach to natural resource management at the basin
level, which is region-specific and coordinates existing
Federal, State and local programs, is essential to attain
common water quality goals while reducing duplication.
Involving advisory groups of local, State, and tribal
residents, in concert with Federal agencies with appropriate
natural resource authorities, is the most effective means to
ensure that Federal investments accomplish desired results at
the local, State, tribal, and Basin-wide levels. This would
ensure that conservation activities would contribute to similar
national goals.
(10) A public-private approach to natural resource
management in the Upper Mississippi River Basin would ensure
that all voices would be heard and all interested persons would
be able to contribute to a process of meeting complimentary and
overlapping resource management and environmental goals.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to adopt a coordinated public-private approach in the
Upper Mississippi River Basin to take action to control
nutrient and sediment loss, to monitor the results of such
actions, share information, and make adjustments to further
reduce nutrient and sediment loss;
(2) to identify major sources of sediment and nutrients
that wash into rivers and streams of the Upper Mississippi
River Basin;
(3) to use computer models in conjunction with monitoring
data to track, over the short- and long-term, the quantity,
transport, and fate of sediments and nutrients that enter the
Upper Mississippi River Basin;
(4) to increase and target technical and financial
assistance to reduce nutrient and sediment loss in the Upper
Mississippi River Basin;
(5) to develop innovative ways to reduce sediment and
nutrient loss;
(6) to expand efforts to share information; and
(7) to coordinate public and private programs to
collaboratively set and meet priorities.
(c) Reliance on Sound Science and Adaptive Management.--It is the
policy of Congress that Federal investments in the Upper Mississippi
River Basin must be guided by sound science and management actions
should be guided by an adaptive management framework.
(d) Department of Agriculture Use of Collected Data.--The Secretary
of Agriculture may use the scientific data collected from the
monitoring and modeling network established pursuant to section 101 to
target conservation programs, including, but not limited to, the
following:
(1) The Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
(2) The Wetland Reserve Program.
(3) The Conservation Reserve Program.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``Advisory Council'' means the Advisory
Council on the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative
established by title IV.
(2) The terms ``Upper Mississippi River Basin'' and
``Basin'' mean the watershed portion of the Upper Mississippi
River and Illinois River basins, from Cairo, Illinois to the
headwaters of the Mississippi River. The designation includes
the Kaskaskia watershed along the Illinois River, and the
Meramec watershed along the Missouri River.
(3) The terms ``Upper Mississippi River Stewardship
Initiative'' and ``Initiative'' mean the activities authorized
or required by this Act to monitor and reduce nutrient and
sediment loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
(4) The term ``sound science'' means a scientific method
that uses the best available technical and scientific
information and techniques to identify and understand natural
resource management needs and appropriate treatments, to
implement conservation measures, and to assess the results of
treatments on natural resource health and sustainability in the
Upper Mississippi River Basin.
(5) The term ``adaptive management framework'' refers to a
comprehensive management program that combines planning,
monitoring, modeling, and research to improve scientific
knowledge, make adjustments in management practices based upon
new information, and target actions within watersheds where the
actions will be most effective.
TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF MONITORING NETWORK.
(a) Establishment.--As part of the Upper Mississippi River
Stewardship Initiative, the Secretary of the Interior shall establish a
sediment and nutrient monitoring network for the Upper Mississippi
River Basin for the purpose of--
(1) monitoring sediment and nutrient loss into Upper
Mississippi River Basin;
(2) recording changes to sediment and nutrient loss over
time;
(3) providing coordinated data to be used in computer
modeling of the Basin, pursuant to section 201; and
(4) identifying major sources of sediment and nutrients
within the Basin for the purpose of targeting resources to
reduce sediment and nutrient loss.
(b) Role of United States Geological Survey.--The Secretary of the
Interior shall carry out this title acting through the office of the
Director of the United States Geological Survey.
(c) Headquarters.--Sediment and nutrient monitoring information
shall be headquartered at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences
Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
SEC. 102. DATA COLLECTION AND STORAGE RESPONSIBILITIES.
(a) Guidelines for Data Collection and Storage.--The Secretary of
the Interior shall establish guidelines for the effective design of
data collection activities regarding sediment and nutrient monitoring,
for the use of suitable and consistent methods for data collection, and
for consistent reporting, data storage, and archiving practices.
(b) Release of Data.--Data resulting from sediment and nutrient
monitoring in the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall be released to
the public using generic station identifiers and location coordinates.
In the case of a monitoring station located on private lands,
information regarding the location of the station shall not be
disseminated without the landowner's permission.
(c) Consultation.--The Secretary of the Interior shall establish
the guidelines under subsection (a) in consultation with the Secretary
of Agriculture and all entities known to be conducting sediment and
nutrient monitoring in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
SEC. 103. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING.
(a) Inventory.--To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of
the Interior shall inventory the sediment and nutrient monitoring
efforts, in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act, of
Federal, State, local, and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of
creating a baseline understanding of overlap, data gaps and
redundancies.
(b) Integration.--On the basis of the inventory, the Secretary of
the Interior shall integrate the existing sediment and nutrient
monitoring efforts, to the maximum extent practicable, into the
sediment and nutrient monitoring network required by section 101.
(c) Consultation and Use of Existing Data.--In carrying out this
section, the Secretary of the Interior shall make maximum use of data
in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act and of ongoing
programs and efforts of Federal, State, tribal, local, and
nongovernmental entities in developing the sediment and nutrient
monitoring network required by section 101.
SEC. 104. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MONITORING
EFFORTS.
To establish the sediment and nutrient monitoring network, the
Secretary of the Interior shall collaborate, to the maximum extent
practicable, with other Federal, State, tribal, local and private
sediment and nutrient monitoring programs that meet guidelines
prescribed under section 102(a), as determined by the Secretary of the
Interior.
SEC. 105. COST SHARE REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Required Cost Sharing.--The non-Federal sponsors of the
sediment and nutrient monitoring network shall be responsible for not
less than 25 percent of the costs of maintaining the network.
(b) In-Kind Contributions.--Up to 80 percent of the non-Federal
share may be provided through in-kind contributions.
(c) Treatment of Existing Efforts.--A State or local monitoring
effort, in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act, that
the Secretary of the Interior finds adheres to the guidelines
prescribed under section 102(a) shall be deemed to satisfy the cost
share requirements of this section.
SEC. 106. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
The Secretary of the Interior shall report to Congress not later
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act on the
development of the sediment and nutrient monitoring network.
SEC. 107. ASSESSMENT OF WATER RESOURCE AND WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT.
The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences
shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the water resource and
water quality management within the Upper Mississippi River Basin for
the purpose of reviewing nonpoint source water quality issues and
providing scientific and policy advice for addressing water quality and
associated watershed problems.
TITLE II--INITIATIVE GRANT, DEMONSTRATION, AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS
SEC. 201. COMPUTER MODELING OF SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT SOURCES.
(a) Modeling Program Required.--As part of the Upper Mississippi
River Stewardship Initiative, the Director of the United States
Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Chief of the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, shall establish a modeling program to
identify significant sources of sediment and nutrients in the Upper
Mississippi River Basin.
(b) Role.--Computer modeling shall be used to identify
subwatersheds which are significant sources of sediment and nutrient
loss and shall be made available for the purposes of targeting public
and private sediment and nutrient reduction efforts.
(c) Components.--Sediment and nutrient models for the Upper
Mississippi River Basin shall include the following:
(1) Models of processes affecting field sediment and
nutrient losses.
(2) Models of watersheds.
(3) Models of main river channels.
(4) Models that relate sediment and nutrient yields from
large basins to sources, land uses, and management practices.
(d) Collection of Ancillary Information.--Ancillary information
shall be collected in a GIS format to support modeling and management
use of modeling results, including the following:
(1) Land use data.
(2) Soils data.
(3) Elevation data.
(4) Information on sediment and nutrient reduction
improvement actions.
(5) Remotely sense data.
(e) Headquarters.--Information developed by computer modeling shall
be headquartered at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in
La Crosse, Wisconsin.
SEC. 202. RESEARCH REGARDING BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND SEDIMENT AND
NUTRIENT LOSS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall evaluate the
benefits and costs of best management practices designed to reduce
sediment and nutrient loss.
(b) Evaluation Practices.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall work
with other partnering agencies, whether Federal, State, tribal, and
local, and with other public and nonpublic agencies to evaluate the
benefits of best management practices designed to reduce nutrient and
sediment loss.
(c) Economic Risk Assessment.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall
assess the economic risks associated with new best management practices
designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.
SEC. 203. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS REGARDING NEW BEST MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES TO REDUCE SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT LOSS.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall administer a grant program to
supplement non-Federal funds being used by State, tribal, local, and
private projects to demonstrate new best management practices designed
to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River
Basin.
SEC. 204. USE OF ELECTRONIC MEANS TO DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION.
(a) Establishment of System.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States
Geological Survey shall establish a system that uses the
telecommunications medium known as the Internet to provide information
regarding the following:
(1) Public and private programs designed to reduce sediment
and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
(2) Information on sediment and nutrient levels in the
Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries.
(3) Successful sediment and nutrient reduction projects.
(b) Cooperation.--The Director of the United States Geological
Survey shall establish the system in cooperation with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service.
SEC. 205. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Monitoring Activities.--Commencing one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Geological
Survey shall provide to Congress and make available to the public an
annual report regarding monitoring activities conducted in the Upper
Mississippi River Basin.
(b) Modeling Activities.--Every three years, the Director of the
United States Geological Survey shall provide to Congress and make
available to the public a progress report regarding modeling
activities.
TITLE III--PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
SEC. 301. PRIVACY OF PERSONAL DATA RECEIVED BY DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE AND DATA GATHERING LOCATIONS.
The Food Security Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section
1243 (16 U.S.C. 3843) the following new section:
``SEC. 1244. PRIVACY OF PERSONAL DATA RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS.
``(a) Information and Data Received for Technical and Financial
Assistance.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except as
provided in subsection (c), information and data provided to, or
developed by, the Secretary of Agriculture (including a contractor of
the Secretary) for the purpose of providing technical or financial
assistance to a landowner or operator with respect to any natural
resources conservation program administered by the Natural Resources
Conservation Service or the Farm Service Agency shall not be released
or disclosed (including release or disclosure pursuant to section 552
of title 5, United States Code) to any agency or person outside the
Department of Agriculture.
``(b) Inventory, Monitoring, and Site Specific Data.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except as provided in
subsection (c), in order to maintain the personal privacy,
confidentiality, and cooperation of landowners and operators, and to
maintain the integrity of sample sites, the specific geographic
locations of the National Resources Inventory of the Department of
Agriculture data gathering sites and the information and data generated
by such sites are not public information and shall not be subject to
the mandatory disclosure provisions of section 552 of title 5, United
States Code, or released to any local, tribal, State, or Federal agency
outside the Department of Agriculture.
``(c) Exceptions.--
``(1) Release and disclosure for enforcement.--The
Secretary of Agriculture may release or disclose information or
data covered by subsection (a) or (b) to the extent necessary
to enforce the natural resources conservation programs referred
to in subsection (a).
``(2) Limited disclosure to cooperating persons and
agencies.--The Secretary may release or disclose information or
data covered by subsection (a) or (b) to a person or a local,
tribal, State, or Federal agency working in cooperation with
the Secretary of Agriculture in providing technical and
financial assistance described in subsection (a) or collecting
information and data from National Resources Inventory data
gathering sites. However, the person or local, tribal, State,
or Federal agency that receives the information or data may
release the information or data only for the purpose of
assisting the Secretary in providing the requested technical or
financial assistance or in collecting information and data from
National Resources Inventory data gathering sites.
``(3) Limited exception for statistical and aggregate
data.--The Secretary may release information or data covered by
subsection (b), if the information or data has been transformed
into a statistical or aggregate form that does not allow
identification of the individual landowner, operator, or
specific data gathering site.
``(d) Violations.--Section 1770(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985
(7 U.S.C. 2276) shall apply to any person who releases or causes to be
released information or data in violation of this section.''.
TITLE IV--ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER STEWARDSHIP
INITIATIVE
SEC. 401. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVISORY COUNCIL.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation
with the governors specified in subsection (c), shall establish an
advisory body, to be known as the Advisory Council on the Upper
Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative, to provide guidance regarding
the Initiative.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Voting members.--The Advisory Council shall consist of
a total of 15 voting members.
(2) Chairperson.--Voting members shall elect one member
appointed under subparagraph (c) to serve as chairperson for
the Advisory Council. The chairperson shall serve for a term
lasting no more than one year.
(c) Appointment.--The governors of the States of Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri shall each appoint two voting
members of the Advisory Council, to be selected from nongovernmental
agriculture, natural resources, recreational, and environmental groups
and other persons with interests in the sustainability and health of
the natural resources of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
(d) State Technical Committee Representation.--The five remaining
voting members of the Advisory Council shall be drawn from the State
Technical Committees established by the Secretary of Agriculture under
section 1261 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3861) for the
States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The
Secretary of Agriculture shall select one member from each of these
State Technical Committees.
(e) Nonvoting Members.--The governors referred to in subsection (c)
shall also each appoint one nonvoting member for the Advisory Council
who will serve as representatives of the governors.
(f) Per Diem.--Members of the Advisory Council, including members
appointed pursuant to subsection (e), shall receive the Federal per
diem for transportation and lodging associated with meetings and other
activities of the Advisory Council.
SEC. 402. RESPONSIBILITIES OF ADVISORY COUNCIL.
(a) Coordination and Communication.--The Advisory Council shall
serve as a means for coordination, communication, and information
sharing regarding such issues in the Upper Mississippi River Basin as
follows:
(1) Science and technology concerning conservation
practices.
(2) Monitoring and modeling needs.
(3) Strategies for implementing conservation assistance and
programs.
(4) Performance assessment.
(5) Evaluation and reporting.
(b) Annual Report on Reduction Efforts.--
(1) Preparation.--The Advisory Council shall prepare an
annual report regarding publicly-financed efforts to reduce
sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River
Basin. In the case of any such report, output data shall
conform to the standards established pursuant to section 1244
of the Food Security Act of 1985, as added by section 301.
(2) Submission.--The annual report shall be submitted--
(A) to the State legislatures of the States of
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri,
Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, and
Mississippi;
(B) to the Upper Mississippi River Basin
Association; and
(C) to the Congress.
(c) Special Task Forces.--For the purpose of maximizing and
diversifying the involvement of people in the activities of the
Advisory Council and addressing specific issues referred to in
subsection (a), the Advisory Council shall create issue specific task
forces as necessary to effectively carry out the responsibilities of
the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council shall consult with the
Interagency Working Group and appropriate State agencies in
establishing any such task force and before dissolving any such task
force when it becomes obsolete.
(d) Public Meetings.--As part of its responsibilities under this
section, the Advisory Council shall hold annual public meetings in each
of the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri to
formulate recommendations and seek public input regarding methods and
priorities to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper
Mississippi River Basin. To qualify as the annual meeting in a State,
at least two of the three members of the Advisory Council from that
State must be present at the meeting.
(e) Staff Director.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall appoint an
employee of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the
Department of Agriculture to act as staff director for the Advisory
Council. The staff director shall work in conjunction with the
chairperson of the Advisory Council to assist in coordinating the
activities of the Advisory Council.
SEC. 403. ADVISORY NATURE OF COUNCIL.
(a) In General.--The Advisory Council is purely advisory and shall
have no implementation or enforcement authority. However, the Secretary
of Agriculture and the heads of the other Federal agencies in the
Interagency Working Group established under section 501 shall give
strong consideration to the recommendations of the Advisory Council in
administering natural resources programs of the Upper Mississippi River
Basin.
(b) Public Outreach.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall work with
the Advisory Council to coordinate outreach activities in the Upper
Mississippi River Basin related to technologies and other methods to
reduce sediment and nutrient loss.
TITLE V--FEDERAL INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP
SEC. 501. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary
of the Department of the Interior shall establish an Interagency
Working Group to coordinate Federal nutrient and sediment reduction
efforts in the Upper Mississippi River Basin under the Initiative.
(b) Participation.--The Interagency Working Group shall include the
following:
(1) The Secretary of Agriculture, or the designee of the
Secretary.
(2) The Secretary of the Interior, or the designee of the
Secretary.
(c) Chairperson; Additional Input and Participation.--The Secretary
of Agriculture (or the designee of the Secretary) shall serve as
chairperson of the Interagency Working Group and may solicit input and
participation by other Federal agencies engaged in sediment and
nutrient reduction efforts in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
(d) Annual Work Plan and Budget.--The Interagency Working Group
shall annually develop a coordinated work plan and budget for the
Federal agencies participating in the Initiative--
(1) to better coordinate Federal efforts to address
sediment and nutrient reduction in the Upper Mississippi River
Basin;
(2) to encourage Federal agencies responsible for sediment
and nutrient reduction efforts to leverage local, State, and
Federal resources;
(3) to identify gaps and overlapping programs; and
(4) to better prioritize existing Federal spending to
address major sources of sediment and nutrient loss.
(e) Coordination.--The Interagency Working Group shall coordinate
its recommendations to be included in the work plan and budget with
those of individual agencies.
(f) Submission of Work Plan and Budget.--Not later than September
15 of each year, the Interagency Working Group shall submit to the
Office of Management and Budget the work plan and budget required by
subsection (d).
TITLE VI--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
SEC. 601. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated such sums
as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
(b) Water Resource and Water Quality Management Assessment.--There
is authorized to be appropriated $650,000 to allow the National
Research Council to perform the assessment of water resource and water
quality management within the Upper Mississippi River Basin required by
section 107.
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