[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2537 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2537

  To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act relating to beach 
                  monitoring, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2007

  Mr. Pallone (for himself and Mr. Bishop of New York) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act relating to beach 
                  monitoring, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Beach Protection Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. BEACH WATER POLLUTION SOURCE IDENTIFICATION AND PREVENTION.

    (a) In General.--Section 406 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act (33 U.S.C. 1346) is amended in each of subsections (b), (c), (d), 
(g), and (h) by striking ``monitoring and notification'' each place it 
appears and inserting ``monitoring, public notification, source 
tracking, sanitary surveys, and prevention efforts to address the 
identified sources of beachwater pollution''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 406(i) of such Act 
(33 U.S.C. 1346(i)) is amended by striking ``$30,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2001 through 2005'' and inserting ``$60,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2007 through 2012''.

SEC. 3. FUNDING FOR BEACHES ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND COASTAL HEALTH 
              ACT.

    Section 8 of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal 
Health Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 877) is amended by striking ``2005'' and 
inserting ``2012''.

SEC. 4. STATE REPORTS.

    Section 406(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
(33 U.S.C. 1346(b)(3)(A)(ii)) is amended by inserting ``and all 
environmental agencies of the State with authority to prevent or treat 
sources of beachwater pollution'' after ``public''.

SEC. 5. USE OF RAPID TESTING METHODS.

    (a) Contents of State and Local Government Programs.--Section 
406(c)(4)(A) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
1346(c)(4)(A)) is amended by inserting ``, including the use of a rapid 
testing method after the last day of the one-year period following the 
date of approval of the rapid testing method by the Administrator'' 
before the semicolon at the end.
    (b) Revised Criteria.--Section 304(a)(9) of such Act (33 U.S.C. 
1314(a)(9)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``rapid'' before ``testing''; and
            (2) by striking ``, as appropriate''.
    (c) Definition.--Section 502 of such Act (33 U.S.C. 1362) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(25) Rapid testing method.--The term `rapid testing 
        method' means a method of testing for which results are 
        available within 2 hours.''.

SEC. 6. PROMPT COMMUNICATION WITH STATE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES.

    Section 406(c)(5) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1346(c)(5)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``prompt communication'' and inserting 
        ``communication within 24 hours of the receipt of the results 
        of a water quality sample'';
            (2) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (A);
            (3) by inserting ``and'' after the semicolon at the end of 
        subparagraph (B); and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) all agencies of the State government with 
                authority to require the prevention or treatment of the 
                sources of beachwater pollution;''.

SEC. 7. CONTENT OF STATE AND LOCAL PROGRAMS.

    Section 406(c) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1346(c)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (6);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (7) and 
        inserting a semicolon;
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(8) measures to develop and implement a beachwater 
        pollution source identification and tracking program for the 
        coastal recreation waters that are not meeting applicable water 
        quality standards for pathogens;
            ``(9) a publicly accessible and searchable global 
        information system database with information updated within 24 
        hours of its availability, organized by beach and with defined 
        standards, sampling plan, monitoring protocols, sampling 
        results, and number and cause of beach closing and advisory 
        days; and
            ``(10) measures to ensure that closures or advisories are 
        made or issued within 24 hours after the State government 
        determines that any coastal recreation waters in the State are 
        not meeting or are not expected to meet applicable water 
        quality standards for pathogens.''.

SEC. 8. COMPLIANCE REVIEW.

    Section 406(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1346(h)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
        subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;
            (2) by moving such subparagraphs 2 ems to the right;
            (3) by striking ``In the'' and inserting the following: 
        ``(1) In general.--In the''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Compliance review.--On or before July 31 of each 
        calendar year beginning after the date of enactment of this 
        paragraph, the Administrator shall--
                    ``(A) prepare a written assessment of compliance 
                with all statutory and regulatory requirements of this 
                section for each State and local government and of 
                compliance with conditions of each grant made under 
                this section to a State or local government;
                    ``(B) notify the State or local government of such 
                assessment; and
                    ``(C) make each of the assessments available to the 
                public in a searchable database on or before December 
                31 of such calendar year.
            ``(3) Corrective action.--Any State or local government 
        that the Administrator notifies under paragraph (2) that it is 
        not in compliance with any requirement or grant condition 
        described in paragraph (2) shall take such action as may be 
        necessary to comply with such requirement or condition within 
        one year of the date of the notification. If the State or local 
        government is not in compliance with such requirement or 
        condition within one year of such date, any grants made under 
        subsection (b) to the State or local government, after the last 
        day of such one-year period and while the State or local 
        government is not in compliance with all requirements and grant 
        conditions described in paragraph (2), shall have a Federal 
        share of not to exceed 50 percent.
            ``(4) GAO review.--Not later than December 31 of the third 
        calendar year beginning after the date of enactment of this 
        paragraph, the Comptroller General shall conduct a review of 
        the activities of the Administrator under paragraphs (2) and 
        (3) during the first and second calendar years beginning after 
        such date of enactment and submit to Congress a report on the 
        results of such review.''.
                                 <all>