[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3373 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3373

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to monitor the health of the 
Missouri River and measure biological, chemical, and physical responses 
    to changes in river management and other significant variables.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 24, 2003

 Mr. Bereuter introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to monitor the health of the 
Missouri River and measure biological, chemical, and physical responses 
    to changes in river management and other significant variables.

    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 ``Missouri River Enhancement and 
Monitoring Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the River Studies 
        Center of the Biological Resources Division of the United 
        States Geological Survey, located in Columbia, Missouri.
            (2) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the 
        meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
        Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
            (3) River.--The term ``River'' means the Missouri River.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Biological Resources 
        Division of the United States Geological Survey.
            (5) State.--The term ``State'' means--
                    (A) the State of Iowa;
                    (B) the State of Kansas;
                    (C) the State of Missouri;
                    (D) the State of Montana;
                    (E) the State of Nebraska;
                    (F) the State of North Dakota;
                    (G) the State of South Dakota; and
                    (H) the State of Wyoming.

SEC. 3. LONG-TERM MONITORING PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation 
with the Director of the United States Geological Survey, shall 
establish a program at the Center--
            (1) to determine and monitor the biological and chemical 
        characteristics of the River;
            (2) to determine and monitor the interrelationship of those 
        characteristics with the hydrology and geomorphology of the 
        river; and
            (3) to monitor and assess the biota, including threatened 
        or endangered species, habitats, and water quality of the 
        River.
    (b) Development.--To develop the program, the Secretary of the 
Interior and the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall 
consult with--
            (1) the Governors of affected States, acting through--
                    (A) the Missouri River Natural Resources Committee; 
                and
                    (B) the Missouri River Basin Association; and
            (2) the Secretary of Agriculture;
            (3) the Secretary of the Army;
            (4) the Western Area Power Administration;
            (5) the Fish and Wildlife Service;
            (6) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency; and
            (7) the Missouri River Basin Indian Tribes.
    (c) Activities.--The program described in subsection (a) shall 
provide scientific information to--
            (1) guide the operation and management of the River;
            (2) measure and model the impact of management alternatives 
        through--
                    (A) monitoring of biota, including threatened or 
                endangered species, habitats, and water quality;
                    (B) focused investigations of cause and effect 
                relationships; and
                    (C) identification and evaluation of methods to 
                conserve fish and wildlife, including threatened and 
                endangered species; and
            (3) make recommendations on means to restore or enhance the 
        ecosystem of the River.
    (d) Baseline.--The program described in subsection (a) shall 
establish a baseline of conditions against which future activities can 
be measured.
    (e) Database.--The Secretary of the Interior shall--
            (1) establish a database on River biota, including 
        threatened or endangered species, habitats, and water quality; 
        and
            (2) make the database readily available to the entities 
        listed in subsection (b) and the public.
    (f) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of establishment 
of the program described in subsection (a), and not less frequently 
than every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Director of the United States Geological Survey, shall--
            (1) review the program;
            (2) as necessary, establish and revise the objectives of 
        the program; and
            (3) submit to Congress a report on the environmental health 
        of the River.
    (g) Indian Tribes.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary of the Interior may enter into contracts, pursuant to the 
Indian Self Determination Act (title I of the Indian Self Determination 
and Education Assistance Act; 25 U.S.C. chapter 14, subchapter II, part 
A (25 U.S.C. 450f et seq.)) with Tribes whose Reservations are located 
along the River and have an interest in environmental restoration. The 
tasks to be contracted shall assist in the implementation of the 
research and monitoring program elements set forth in this section and 
shall complement the activities undertaken by the Secretary of the 
Interior and the affected State Governments.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this section--
                    (A) $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2005;
                    (B) $8,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
                    (C) $15,100,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 
                through 2020.
            (2) Allocation of funds.--Funding of the program shall be 
        implemented in the following manner:
                    (A) Not more than the following percentage of the 
                funds available shall be directed to the Center:
                            (i) 25 percent in fiscal year 2005.
                            (ii) 40 percent in fiscal year 2006.
                            (iii) 65 percent in fiscal years after 
                        2007.
                At least 50 percent of such funds shall be directed to 
                the Center in fiscal years after 2007.
                    (B) The remaining funds shall be made available by 
                the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the 
                Center, to State hydrology, environmental quality, 
                natural resource, and fish and wildlife agencies in the 
                River basin in order to collect field data, provide 
                field operational support for monitoring, and conduct 
                monitoring activities that are designed to enhance and 
                supplement existing scientific knowledge of the River 
                system.
            (3) Threatened and endangered species.--Of the amounts made 
        available under paragraph (1) for each fiscal year, $1,500,000 
        shall be made available to the Secretary of the Interior and 
        the State agencies with jurisdiction for River fish and 
        wildlife to monitor and conduct focused investigations of 
        endangered fish, including the response of the pallid sturgeon 
        to main stem reservoir operations.
            (4) Funding of focused investigations.--The focused 
        investigations component of the program established under 
        paragraph (3) shall be funded using a competitive process. Each 
        year, the directors of the State fish and game agencies with 
        jurisdiction for River fish and wildlife, in consultation with 
        the Secretary of the Interior, and the entities listed under 
        subsection (b)(1), shall prioritize information needs and issue 
        a request for proposals to State, Federal, for-profit, and not-
        for-profit organizations with River interest and expertise. The 
        directors and the Secretary shall review and select those 
        proposals to be funded.
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