1.This Act may be cited as
the California Perchlorate
Contamination Remediation Act
.
2.
(a)Congress
finds that—
(1)because finite
water sources in the United States are stretched by regional drought conditions
and increasing demand for water supplies, there is increased need for safe and
dependable supplies of fresh water for drinking and agricultural
purposes;
(2)perchlorate, a
naturally occurring and manmade compound with commercial and national defense
applications, is used primarily in military munitions and rocket fuels, and
also in fireworks, road flares, blasting agents, and automobile airbags;
(3)perchlorate has
been detected in fresh water sources intended for drinking water and
agricultural use in 35 States and the District of Columbia;
(4)(A)perchlorate has been
detected in the food supply of the United States; and
(B)many fruits and vegetables, including
lettuce, wheat, tomato, cucumber, and cantaloupe, contain at least trace levels
of perchlorate, as do wine, whiskey, soy milk, dairy milk, and human breast
milk; and
(5)if ingested in
sufficient concentration and for adequate duration, perchlorate may interfere
with thyroid metabolism, the effects of which may impair normal development of
the brain in fetuses, newborns, and children.
(b)The
purposes of this Act are—
(1)to provide grants
for remediation of perchlorate contamination of water sources and supplies
(including wellheads) in the State;
(2)to provide grants
for research and development of perchlorate remediation technologies;
and
(3)to express the
sense of Congress that the Administrator should establish a national drinking
water standard for perchlorate.
3.In this Act:
(1)The
term Administrator
means the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency.
(2)California
water authorityThe term California water
authority
means a public water district, public water utility, public
water planning agency, municipality, or Indian tribe that is—
(A)located in a
region identified under section 4(b)(3)(B); and
(B)in operation as
of the date of enactment of this Act.
(3)The
term Fund
means the California Perchlorate Cleanup Fund
established by section 4(a)(1).
(4)The
term State
means the State of California.
4.California
perchlorate remediation grants
(a)
(1)There
is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund, to be known as the
California Perchlorate Cleanup Fund
, consisting of—
(A)any amount
appropriated to the Fund under section 7; and
(B)any interest
earned on investment of amounts in the Fund under paragraph (3).
(2)
(A)Subject to subparagraph (B), on receipt of a request by
the Administrator, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the
Administrator such amounts as the Administrator determines to be necessary to
provide grants under subsections (b) and (c).
(B)An amount not to exceed 0.4 percent of the amounts in
the Fund may be used to pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry out
this subsection.
(3)
(A)The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest such portion
of the Fund as is not, in the judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury,
required to meet current withdrawals.
(B)Interest-bearing
obligationsInvestments may be made only in interest-bearing
obligations of the United States.
(C)Acquisition of
obligationsFor the purpose of investments under subparagraph
(A), obligations may be acquired—
(i)on
original issue at the issue price; or
(ii)by
purchase of outstanding obligations at the market price.
(D)Any obligation acquired by the Fund may be sold by
the Secretary of the Treasury at the market price.
(E)The interest on, and the proceeds from the sale or
redemption of, any obligations held in the Fund shall be credited to and form a
part of the Fund.
(b)
(1)Subject to paragraph (3), the Administrator shall provide
grants to California water authorities, the total amount of which shall not
exceed $50,000,000, to pay the Federal share of the cost of activities relating
to cleanup of water sources and supplies (including wellheads) in the State
that are contaminated by perchlorate.
(2)The Federal share of the cost of an activity described in
paragraph (1) shall not exceed 50 percent.
(3)
(A)A
California water authority that the Administrator determines to be responsible
for perchlorate contamination shall not be eligible to receive a grant under
this subsection.
(B)
(i)In
providing grants under this subsection, the Administrator shall give priority
to an activity for the remediation of—
(I)drinking water
contaminated with perchlorate;
(II)a water source
with a high concentration of perchlorate; or
(III)a water source
that serves a large population that is directly affected by perchlorate
contamination.
(ii)In
providing grants under this subsection, the Administrator shall give priority
to an activity described in clause (i) that is carried out in 1 or more of the
following regions in the State:
(I)The Santa Clara
Valley.
(II)Regions within
the natural watershed of the Santa Ana River, including areas in Riverside and
San Bernardino Counties.
(III)The San Gabriel
Valley.
(IV)Sacramento
County.
(V)Any other region
that has a damaged water source as a result of perchlorate contamination, as
determined by the Administrator.
(c)Research and
development grants
(1)The Administrator shall provide grants, the total amount
of which shall not exceed $8,000,000, to qualified non-Federal entities (as
determined by the Administrator) for use in carrying out research and
development of perchlorate remediation technologies.
(2)The amount of a grant provided under paragraph (1) shall
not exceed $1,000,000.
5.Nothing in this Act
affects any authority or program of a Federal or State agency in existence on
the date of enactment of this Act.
6.It is the sense of
Congress that the Administrator should establish a national drinking water
standard for perchlorate that reflects all routes of exposure to perchlorate as
soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act.
7.Authorization of
appropriationsThere is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $58,000,000, to remain
available until expended.