[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4029 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4029

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance 
   for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget 
                     Sound, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 5, 2009

Mr. Dicks (for himself, Mr. Baird, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Larsen 
of Washington, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Inslee, and Mr. Reichert) introduced 
      the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance 
   for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget 
                     Sound, 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 ``Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. PUGET SOUND.

    Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 123. PUGET SOUND.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
apply:
            ``(1) Comprehensive plan.--The term `comprehensive plan' 
        means the Puget Sound Action Agenda (the comprehensive 
        conservation and management plan for Puget Sound under section 
        320), including any amendments thereto.
            ``(2) Council.--The term `Council' means the Puget Sound 
        Program Advisory Council established under subsection (d).
            ``(3) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of 
        the Office.
            ``(4) Office.--The term `Office' means the Puget Sound 
        Program Office established by subsection (b).
            ``(5) Puget sound partnership.--The term `Puget Sound 
        Partnership' means the agency of the State of Washington 
        (together with its associated councils, boards, and panels) 
        that was formed under authority of State law for the purpose of 
        protecting and restoring Puget Sound and is designated as the 
        management conference for Puget Sound under section 320.
    ``(b) Program Office.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish in 
        the Environmental Protection Agency a Puget Sound Program 
        Office. The Office shall be co-located with the Puget Sound 
        Partnership in the State of Washington.
            ``(2) Appointment of director.--The Administrator shall 
        appoint a Director of the Office, who, by reason of management 
        experience and technical expertise relating to Puget Sound, 
        shall be highly qualified to support the development and 
        implementation of projects, programs, and studies necessary to 
        implement the comprehensive plan.
            ``(3) Delegation of authority; staffing.--The Administrator 
        shall delegate to the Director such authority and provide such 
        additional staff as may be necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(c) Duties.--
            ``(1) In general.--In carrying out this section, the 
        Administrator, acting through the Director, shall--
                    ``(A) assist and support the implementation of the 
                comprehensive plan;
                    ``(B) provide funding and make grants for 
                implementation of the comprehensive plan and projects, 
                programs, and studies consistent with the priorities of 
                the comprehensive plan;
                    ``(C) promote innovative methodologies and 
                technologies that are cost-effective and consistent 
                with the identified goals and objectives of the 
                comprehensive plan and Environmental Protection Agency 
                permitting processes;
                    ``(D) coordinate the major functions of the Federal 
                Government related to the implementation of the 
                comprehensive plan, including projects, programs, and 
                studies for--
                            ``(i) water quality improvements;
                            ``(ii) wetland, riverine, and estuary 
                        restoration and protection; and
                            ``(iii) nearshore and endangered species 
                        recovery;
                    ``(E) coordinate the research and planning projects 
                authorized under this section with Federal agencies, 
                State agencies, tribes, universities, and the Puget 
                Sound Partnership's Science Panel, including conducting 
                or commissioning studies considered necessary by the 
                Science Panel for strengthened implementation of the 
                comprehensive plan;
                    ``(F) track progress towards meeting the identified 
                goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan by--
                            ``(i) implementing and supporting a 
                        project, program, and study monitoring system 
                        consistent with the performance management 
                        system used by the Puget Sound Partnership; and
                            ``(ii) coordinating, managing, and 
                        reporting environmental data related to Puget 
                        Sound in a manner consistent with methodologies 
                        utilized by the Puget Sound Partnership, 
                        including, to the extent practicable, making 
                        such data and reports on such data available to 
                        the public, including on the Internet, in a 
                        timely fashion;
                    ``(G) coordinate projects, programs, and studies 
                for the protection of Puget Sound, the Strait of 
                Georgia, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Canadian 
                authorities; and
                    ``(H) collect and make available to the public, 
                including on the Internet, publications and other forms 
                of information relating to the environmental quality of 
                Puget Sound.
            ``(2) Implementation methods.--The Administrator, acting 
        through the Director, may enter into interagency agreements, 
        make intergovernmental personnel appointments, provide funding, 
        make grants, and utilize other available methods in carrying 
        out the duties under this subsection.
    ``(d) Puget Sound Program Advisory Council.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        Puget Sound Program Advisory Council to provide advice to the 
        Administrator on the implementation of the identified goals and 
        objectives of the comprehensive plan.
            ``(2) Composition.--The Council shall consist of the 
        following 2 boards:
                    ``(A) A Federal agency board consisting of 
                representatives of appropriate Federal agencies that 
                may affect or implement projects or programs identified 
                in the comprehensive plan and the Executive Director of 
                the Puget Sound Partnership. The chairperson of the 
                Federal agency board shall be the Director.
                    ``(B) An intergovernmental board consisting of the 
                members of the Leadership Council and the Ecosystem 
                Coordination Board of the Puget Sound Partnership.
            ``(3) Meetings.--The Council shall meet at least twice per 
        year--
                    ``(A) to assess the progress of the Office in 
                meeting the identified goals and objectives of the 
                comprehensive plan;
                    ``(B) to identify improvements for meeting the 
                identified goals and objectives of the comprehensive 
                plan; and
                    ``(C) to assess Federal agency budget needs to 
                implement the comprehensive plan.
            ``(4) Compensation of members.--A member of the Council 
        shall serve without compensation.
            ``(5) Travel expenses.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, the Administrator shall reimburse a member of 
        the Council for travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for an employee of a Federal 
        agency under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 
        States Code, while away from home or the regular place of 
        business of the member in performance of services for the 
        Council.
    ``(e) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of enactment 
of this section, and biennially thereafter, the Administrator and the 
Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership, acting jointly, 
shall submit to Congress a report that--
            ``(1) summarizes the progress made in implementing the 
        comprehensive plan and progress towards achieving the 
        identified goals and objectives described in the comprehensive 
        plan;
            ``(2) summarizes any modifications to the comprehensive 
        plan made in the period immediately preceding such report;
            ``(3) incorporates specific recommendations concerning the 
        implementation of the comprehensive plan; and
            ``(4) summarizes the roles and progress of each Federal 
        agency that has jurisdiction in the Puget Sound watershed 
        towards meeting the identified goals and objectives of the 
        comprehensive plan.
    ``(f) Implementation of Comprehensive Plan.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator, acting through the 
        Director and in consultation with the Puget Sound Partnership, 
        shall carry out projects, programs, and studies to implement 
        the comprehensive plan.
            ``(2) Priority projects, programs, and studies.--The 
        Administrator shall give special emphasis to projects, 
        programs, and studies that are identified as priorities by the 
        Puget Sound Partnership in the comprehensive plan.
            ``(3) Grants.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Administrator, acting 
                through the Director, is authorized to make grants for 
                projects, programs, and studies to implement the 
                comprehensive plan.
                    ``(B) Allocations.--In making grants under this 
                paragraph, the Administrator shall use--
                            ``(i) 50 percent of the funds appropriated 
                        for making grants under this paragraph for a 
                        fiscal year to make a comprehensive grant to 
                        the Puget Sound Partnership to manage 
                        implementation of the comprehensive plan and 
                        for allocation by the Puget Sound Partnership 
                        to projects, programs, and studies prioritized 
                        in the comprehensive plan; and
                            ``(ii) 50 percent of funds appropriated for 
                        making grants under this paragraph for a fiscal 
                        year to make grants to State and regional water 
                        pollution control agencies and entities, 
                        federally recognized Indian tribes, State 
                        coastal zone management agencies, local 
                        governments, and other public or nonprofit 
                        private agencies, institutions, or 
                        organizations to implement specific projects, 
                        programs, and studies identified in the 
                        comprehensive plan.
            ``(4) Federal share.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Federal share of the cost of 
                a project, program, or study carried out under this 
                subsection shall be--
                            ``(i) not more than 50 percent of the cost 
                        of a project, program or study; or
                            ``(ii) up to 100 percent of the cost of a 
                        project, program, or study if the project, 
                        program, or study is located in or specifically 
                        affects a distressed community.
                    ``(B) Contributions from non-federal sources.--The 
                non-Federal share of costs required under subparagraph 
                (A) shall be provided from non-Federal sources.
            ``(5) Distressed community defined.--In this subsection, 
        the term `distressed community' means a community that meets 
        the affordability criteria established by the State in which 
        the community is located, if such criteria is established after 
        public review and comment.
    ``(g) Annual Budget Plan.--The President, as part of the annual 
budget of the United States Government, shall submit information 
regarding each Federal agency involved in Puget Sound protection and 
restoration, including--
            ``(1) an interagency crosscut budget that displays for each 
        Federal agency--
                    ``(A) the amounts obligated in the preceding fiscal 
                year for protection and restoration projects, programs, 
                and studies relating to Puget Sound;
                    ``(B) the estimated budget for the current fiscal 
                year for protection and restoration projects, programs, 
                and studies relating to Puget Sound; and
                    ``(C) the proposed budget for protection and 
                restoration projects, programs, and studies relating to 
                Puget Sound; and
            ``(2) a description and assessment of the Federal role in 
        the implementation of the comprehensive plan and the specific 
        role of each Federal agency involved in Puget Sound protection 
        and restoration, including specific projects, programs, and 
        studies conducted or planned to achieve the identified goals 
        and objectives of the comprehensive plan.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this section 
$125,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2016. Such sums 
shall remain available until expended.''.
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