109 HR 5340 IH: Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection
U.S. House of Representatives
2006-05-10
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EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.Short title; table of
contents
(a)This Act may be cited as the Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection
Act
.
(b)The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of
contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Reliance on sound
science.
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. Reporting
requirements.
Sec. 106. National Research Council
assessment.
Title II—Computer modeling and
research
Sec. 201. Computer modeling and research
of sediment and nutrient sources.
Sec. 202. Use of electronic means to
distribute information.
Sec. 203. Reporting
requirements.
Title III—Authorization of appropriations
and related matters
Sec. 301. Authorization of
appropriations.
Sec. 302. Cost-sharing
requirements.
2.In this Act:
(1)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, in the States
of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The designation includes
the Kaskaskia watershed along the Illinois River and the Meramec watershed
along the Missouri River.
(2)The terms
Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative and
Initiative mean the activities authorized or required by this Act
to monitor nutrient and sediment loss in the Upper Mississippi River
Basin.
(3)The term
sound science refers to the use of accepted and documented
scientific methods to identify and quantify the sources, transport, and fate of
nutrients and sediment and to quantify the effect of various treatment methods
or conservation measures on nutrient and sediment loss. Sound science requires
the use of documented protocols for data collection and data analysis, and peer
review of the data, results, and findings.
3.Reliance on sound
scienceIt is the policy of
Congress that Federal investments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin must be
guided by sound science.
<enum>I</enum><header>Sediment and
nutrient monitoring network</header>
<section id="H0535C2485EA3442AA355C39058903E5F"><enum>101.</enum><header>Establishment
of monitoring network</header>
<subsection id="H626A7C4B2496451500EDA7B96EFCF619"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Establishment</header><text>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 purposes of—</text>
<paragraph id="H1716AD92041B48B9893C6B070187E00"><enum>(1)</enum><text>identifying and
evaluating significant sources of sediment and nutrients in the Upper
Mississippi River Basin;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H19339C8DB45B444CBDC425189B2F448C"><enum>(2)</enum><text>quantifying the
processes affecting mobilization, transport, and fate of those sediments and
nutrients on land and in water;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HD335A2BBA6194A880025542FF2B379F2"><enum>(3)</enum><text>quantifying the
transport of those sediments and nutrients to and through the Upper Mississippi
River Basin;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HE18E6D334BDD4DE0B5F14818E052746F"><enum>(4)</enum><text>recording changes
to sediment and nutrient loss over time;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H2F75A2BB4D3D43A2ACFD3E53A84B2376"><enum>(5)</enum><text>providing
coordinated data to be used in computer modeling of the Basin, pursuant to
section 201; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HF2AB252B2FC14C79BC091844959C61E8"><enum>(6)</enum><text>identifying major
sources of sediment and nutrients within the Basin for the purpose of targeting
resources to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HCD29193DC9AE4B109CE9EF003C61C6DF"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Role of United
States Geological Survey</header><text>The Secretary of the Interior shall
carry out this title acting through the office of the Director of the United
States Geological Survey.</text>
</subsection></section><section id="H0482302CAB1F4424BAD396D76F7C26FF"><enum>102.</enum><header>Data collection
and storage responsibilities</header>
<subsection id="HF1102DB5D7114ACE833F46F3A08C6782"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Guidelines for
data collection and storage</header><text>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.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H774D3B903D8E4C55A298004F04FDFB93"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Release of
data</header><text>Data resulting from sediment and nutrient monitoring in the
Upper Mississippi River Basin shall be released to the public using generic
station identifiers and hydrologic unit codes. 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.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H842239733F274068A71D68ADBE85CA25"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Protection of
privacy</header><text>Data resulting from sediment and nutrient monitoring in
the Upper Mississippi River Basin is not subject to the mandatory disclosure
provisions of <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/552">section 552</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code, but may be released
only as provided in subsection (b).</text>
</subsection></section><section id="H9B33E228AC864814BEE4BB9C09A1A3CF"><enum>103.</enum><header>Relationship to
existing sediment and nutrient monitoring</header>
<subsection id="HDD1FE2EA0CA2491ABED26474CE87E2C3"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Inventory</header><text>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.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H627EF9BCE605435DB3954EF52B43F36F"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Integration</header><text>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.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H187AB0D7A0D3436A972D7593C5C3BBE7"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Consultation and
use of existing data</header><text>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.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H482409682AB5461A955534C93DA03D09"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Coordination
with Long-Term estuary assessment project</header><text>The Secretary of the
Interior shall carry out this section in coordination with the long-term
estuary assessment project authorized by section 902 of the Estuaries and Clean
Waters Act of 2000 (<external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/106/457">Public Law 106–457</external-xref>; <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/33/2901">33 U.S.C. 2901</external-xref> note).</text>
</subsection></section><section id="H3712A7D9E5A8452A91C8A100FE080F7"><enum>104.</enum><header>Collaboration
with other public and private monitoring efforts</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">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.</text>
</section><section id="H202F2B2AB2D44E5493B86D8CE6D1F00"><enum>105.</enum><header>Reporting
requirements</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">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.</text>
</section><section id="HA8A4DDE15B5B460680BD3CC0AA1F31CA"><enum>106.</enum><header>National
Research Council assessment</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The National Research Council of the
National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a comprehensive water resources
assessment of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.</text>
</section><enum>II</enum><header>Computer modeling
and research</header>
<section id="H6A1BEC3642974635B7E37506BE7CCF08"><enum>201.</enum><header>Computer
modeling and research of sediment and nutrient sources</header>
<subsection id="HC108FD5E81B144FE911D4B20D5D951B4"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Modeling program
required</header><text>As part of the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship
Initiative, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall establish
a modeling program to identify significant sources of sediment and nutrients in
the Upper Mississippi River Basin.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H3057246FC788485786D72DCA75BB0059"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Role</header><text>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.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H54EACE6B5ECA4971B5B00D500199B50"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Components</header><text>Sediment
and nutrient models for the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall include the
following:</text>
<paragraph id="H35DE956043A340F100439900AE3E9EF2"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Models to relate
nutrient loss to landscape, land use, and land management practices.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HD1FA383BF0A64DE69564748C647960D5"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Models to relate
sediment loss to landscape, land use, and land management practices.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H49BD59F89E0948FF93601FD5D83FDB6"><enum>(3)</enum><text>Models to define
river channel nutrient transformation processes.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HCCBBF1DBF3604BD8A11DA78D8C1B9EBF"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Collection of
ancillary information</header><text>Ancillary information shall be collected in
a GIS format to support modeling and management use of modeling results,
including the following:</text>
<paragraph id="HE36F655A34264F64B0B6328B26892C1E"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Land use
data.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HBF3462F169D14B148B01A2CC00EF0004"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Soils data.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H2B7ECC91E4404622BA3780D83005C9C"><enum>(3)</enum><text>Elevation
data.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H073C9C7A8468452900D158321EB9E124"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Information on
sediment and nutrient reduction improvement actions.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H553562997E2645309E56CCE6D4FF086"><enum>(5)</enum><text>Remotely sense
data.</text>
</paragraph></subsection></section><section id="H4F6612D31EE742CA89FD8D44D80080F2"><enum>202.</enum><header>Use of
electronic means to distribute information</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">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:</text>
<paragraph id="H7F539188AC3847C29DADF6E35D307D00"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Public and private
programs designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi
River Basin.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HC3602F7EDFCF4E939CEB60FCD095D00"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Information on
sediment and nutrient levels in the Upper Mississippi River and its
tributaries.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H94C0328ED6974F8E9D937D1ECA26D959"><enum>(3)</enum><text>Successful
sediment and nutrient reduction projects.</text>
</paragraph></section><section id="H0E8AE3B3CC734279B42B2E04E009005C"><enum>203.</enum><header>Reporting
requirements</header>
<subsection id="HF386FA68A68B41BB96EAEE8D5ED3A493"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Monitoring
activities</header><text>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.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H3FC775C7197C41F2876E7359DF91CE51"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Modeling
activities</header><text>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.</text>
</subsection></section><enum>III</enum><header>Authorization of
appropriations and related matters</header>
<section id="HB46F476AAD6E44BCA5AF076DEAF0F6FE"><enum>301.</enum><header>Authorization
of appropriations</header>
<subsection id="H8D375DD389F940A8AC2515306D8528F7"><enum>(a)</enum><header>United States
Geological Survey activities</header><text>There is authorized to be
appropriated to the United States Geological Survey $6,250,000 each fiscal year
to carry out this Act (other than section 106). Of the amounts appropriated for
a fiscal year pursuant to this authorization of appropriations, one-third shall
be made available for the United States Geological Survey Cooperative Water
Program and the remainder shall be made available for the United States
Geological Survey Hydrologic Networks and Analysis Program.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H876C56246ACB45CC8B6D0051DDD79683"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Water resource
and water quality management assessment</header><text>There is authorized to be
appropriated $650,000 to allow the National Research Council to perform the
assessment required by section 106.</text>
</subsection></section><section id="H71315C5F4EF0465A98F500A298C115FA"><enum>302.</enum><header>Cost-sharing
requirements</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Funds made
available for the United States Geological Survey Cooperative Water Program
under section 301(a) shall be subject to the same cost sharing requirements as
specified in the last proviso under the heading “<header-in-text>United States
Geological Survey–surveys, investigations, and research</header-in-text>” of
the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2006 (<external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/109/54">Public Law 109–54</external-xref>; 119 Stat. 510; 43 U.S.C.
50).</text>
</section>