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 display-inline="yes-display-inline">Sediment and nutrient monitoring
network</header>
<section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H29BB0B257D1F4CECB6DF42828D61AE8D" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>101.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Establishment of monitoring
network</header>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H86E09951B4664F6A9C5AEC2F3B65D558"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Establishment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H9BE7D011852F4F10B55F861CBEE01B3D"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">identifying and evaluating significant
sources of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River Basin;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H583748898699402594067EA681ADE7D9"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">quantifying the processes affecting
mobilization, transport, and fate of those sediments and nutrients on land and
in water;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H4ED61E3A879F461F96829305D0D7A9E0"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">quantifying the transport of those
sediments and nutrients to and through the Upper Mississippi River
Basin;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HFE9CD7A0B7B74DD59BB52552B4A3154F"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">recording changes to sediment and nutrient
loss over time;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H219AB7BA48374AD5AA0064208415FC85"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">providing coordinated data to be used in
computer modeling of the Basin, pursuant to section 201; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HACB3B2B18426491D8A538B116B78EC1E"><enum>(6)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H6090231CAD9047EEB5F4288D7161FCC1"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Role of United States Geological
Survey</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HDCDFA0D04F3E4D42A69796F65C5137F2" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>102.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Data collection and storage
responsibilities</header>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HB34397DC5CA048C5B0CC1C97FCC986C2"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Guidelines for data collection and
storage</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HB22DB02EE9E8487D9205FEE4ED42DAA6"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Release of data</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HAC3E685102F04CF49C4EDD78C4746A5F" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>103.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Relationship to existing sediment and
nutrient monitoring</header>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H2870C8CB69F949A381882B0188A113DB"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Inventory</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H57CF50AA86B7473FA48FDC2BD5DE5C04"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Integration</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H368AFAB0B5744CF283551E5B1372E3E5"><enum>(c)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Consultation and use of existing
data</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H57F82824A1CA49B6B24B99E39B758F0D"><enum>(d)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Coordination with Long-Term estuary
assessment project</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H88A2487B19FD473CBD6C97E8004E5403" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>104.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H1A63D0D3700B44AB8DFBA6484A27680E" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>105.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H79E66C12D8714CC7B7D3A34F6D97E000" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>106.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 display-inline="yes-display-inline">Computer modeling and research</header>
<section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HCA0C7ACC1251422B9F11D6F5DA76840D" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>201.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Computer modeling and research of sediment
and nutrient sources</header>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H8E3B018BD02945DC90913C5E4E930B5D"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Modeling program required</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HA703B0DD50CD4345A521BCC947420037"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Role</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H3591DC8A9E8A41CBBD3B54B69DD6210C"><enum>(c)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Components</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Sediment and nutrient models for the Upper
Mississippi River Basin shall include the following:</text>
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HE356C42DD22C4B45ABCD21A82FE0D536"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Models to relate nutrient loss to
landscape, land use, and land management practices.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H5D26BB1C64C94FD793C2E2520419BE0B"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Models to relate sediment loss to
landscape, land use, and land management practices.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H8DE9A85958CB44F6886A4C1678468204"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Models to define river channel nutrient
transformation processes.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H5E865F98FAAE47F5A73F84ABE3A8650B"><enum>(d)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Collection of ancillary
information</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Ancillary
information shall be collected in a GIS format to support modeling and
management use of modeling results, including the following:</text>
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H3655B5859C5A4EFDA605167388DC025B"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Land use data.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H800E3DD1D7D54E2197B2882516F3CC17"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Soils data.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HE092514C2FB94D30BA1E317256D6F5C6"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Elevation data.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H3242B030F84B462EB239F4136A7B5985"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Information on sediment and nutrient
reduction improvement actions.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H7B87D277BFF443C081C7AF97231A5C09"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Remotely sense data.</text>
</paragraph></subsection></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H662B37B032314613942AD3922C52EA46" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>202.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HC1C1E6DEFDF74EEFB65122431BFE5A8D"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Public and private programs designed to
reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HF493BAA08A524DCB9B35CB8C753B9700"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Information on sediment and nutrient levels
in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H08B2D3854F144B5F80EA5C534A80369E"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Successful sediment and nutrient reduction
projects.</text>
</paragraph></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H4F212AE8BB554161B3920B5336142602" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>203.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Reporting requirements</header>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HE946D5F254E842EEA1F36EEDF4461618"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Monitoring activities</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Commencing 1 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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H39289BE4A9E54F578BD7281A11E8E495"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Modeling activities</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Every 3 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 display-inline="yes-display-inline">Authorization of appropriations and related
matters</header>
<section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H09AD86CB8EB94A71B0B247B6E9A73460" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>301.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Authorization of appropriations</header>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H9BA9ABBA57ED47468EA8515FBF2D35C7"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">United States Geological Survey
activities</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H43C2A1CECFA94CE09059B28967DEBB49"><enum>(b)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Water resource and water quality management
assessment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H55382B478CE94480AB621EDA19C1F8F9" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>302.</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">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 level="section" style="OLC">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;
<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/43/50">43 U.S.C.
50</external-xref>).</text>
</section>
Passed the House of
Representatives March 19, 2010.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk.