[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H2562-H2566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H2562]]
                 ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCES ACT OF 2000

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 485 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 1106.

                              {time}  1124


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 1106) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency to make grants to State agencies with responsibility 
for water source development for the purpose of maximizing available 
water supply and protecting the environment through the development of 
alternative water sources, with Mr. Barrett of Nebraska in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as having 
been read the first time.
  Under the rule, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, this legislation was introduced by the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Fowler) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman) 
and authorizes EPA grants for alternative water source projects to meet 
critical water supply needs.
  Water supply needs in many parts of our country are under increasing 
pressure. We simply do not have a nationwide program that is focusing 
on reclaiming and reusing water. This legislation addresses that gap by 
authorizing EPA grants for alternative water source projects.
  This bill has broad bipartisan support. It passed the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure by unanimous voice vote. It is a very 
sound environmental bill, and I urge its support.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, let me first congratulate the chairman of the committee 
for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. I also want to 
thank our distinguished subcommittee chairman for his great leadership 
and, of course, acknowledge our ranking member, the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) once again for providing great leadership. As 
our subcommittee chairman noted on the previous bill, this is a 
committee that works and it works in a bipartisan fashion and we are 
very pleased with that.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1106, the Alternative 
Water Sources Act of 2000. This legislation would establish a new 
program within EPA to provide financial assistance for alternative 
water source projects under the Clean Water Act. These projects would 
enhance water supplies by conserving, managing, reclaiming or reusing 
water or wastewater, or by treating wastewater in areas where there is 
a critical water supply need.
  As stated in the committee report, all the problems eligible for 
funding under this program are within the Clean Water Act definition of 
treatment works, and subject to the requirements of Section 513 of the 
Act relating to grants.
  H.R. 1106, as amended by the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, has a number of safeguards to ensure that water source 
projects supported by this program will receive appropriate scrutiny.
  First, entities are eligible for financial assistance only if they 
are authorized by State law to develop or provide water for municipal, 
industrial, or agricultural use in areas with critical water supply 
needs.
  Second, the entities are required to contribute at least 50 percent 
of the project cost. Finally, projects greater than $3 million in 
Federal costs must be approved by resolutions adopted by either the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or the Senate Committee 
on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. Chairman, eligibility for this new program would be open to all 
50 States. However, language is included in this legislation to 
prohibit projects that have received funding under existing programs of 
the Bureau of Reclamation from also being funded under this program.
  In addition, this legislation would require the administrator of EPA 
to take into account the eligibility of a project for funding under the 
existing bureau programs when selecting projects for funding under this 
new program. This will assist in achieving regional fairness in funding 
these critical needs.
  Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate the gentlewoman from Florida 
(Mrs. Thurman) for her great leadership on this bill and the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Fowler) for her hard work in assisting 
the committee in bringing this measure to the floor. I support this 
legislation and urge an aye vote.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), the distinguished chairman of 
the Subcommittee on Water Resources of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure.
  (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Chairman, traditionally our Clean Water Act 
programs have appropriately focused on how to keep water from getting 
polluted, and that makes a lot of sense. That is a matter of the 
highest priority.

                              {time}  1130

  It is still a national objective to have all of our Nation's waters 
fishable and swimmable. However, less attention has been paid to 
opportunities to reclaim or reuse water. However, to meet critical 
water supply needs in some parts of the country, existing sources of 
water will not be sufficient. That is a sad commentary, but it is true. 
We are going to have to reclaim and reuse water.
  Water shortages are nothing new in the arid West. The Bureau of 
Reclamation has a water reclamation and reuse program for the 17 
Western States and 4 U.S. territories pursuant to the Reclamation 
Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992, and that is very 
appropriate.
  Some areas of the eastern half of the United States are now beginning 
to have water shortages as well. But due to the limited assistance 
available to water reclamation or reuse projects in the East, we are 
failing to preserve existing supplies of fresh water through water 
conservation and reuse.
  To address this issue, our distinguished colleagues, the gentlewoman 
from Florida (Mrs. Thurman) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. 
Fowler), introduced H.R. 1106 to authorize EPA grants for alternative 
water source projects to meet critical water supply needs. For all of 
those people who say, they never work together in Congress, they are 
too partisan, I say baloney. This is a good example of a Democrat and a 
Republican working together with a very productive committee, the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to address a legitimate 
problem in a responsible way.
  As amended by the committee, this new program will help all States 
meet these needs. However, projects that have received funding from the 
Bureau of Reclamation are not eligible for assistance under the new 
authorization, and that makes sense. We do not want double-dipping 
around here.
  The bill also instructs the EPA administrator to take into account 
the eligibility of a project for funding under the Bureau of 
Reclamation program when selecting projects for funding under the EPA 
program. Given the existence of this other program, we expect the 
administrator to recognize the importance of selecting and funding 
projects that are not eligible for the Bureau of Reclamation program. 
Once again, we do not want to duplicate something.
  I want to commend the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman) and the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Fowler) for their fine work on this 
legislation. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), the 
chairman of the committee; and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar), the ranking member; and the

[[Page H2563]]

gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski), the ranking member of our 
Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment. I am so pleased to 
see the chairman give emphasis to that ``environment'' section of the 
title of our subcommittee. We not only are environmentally responsible 
on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, we also are 
responsible for the majority of legislation considered in this, the 
people's House.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the prime sponsor of 
the bill, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman), who has spent 
years of her life dedicating herself to this particular issue.
  Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
this time. I too need to make some thank-yous here, and as the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski) said, we have been working on 
this piece of legislation for quite a long time. But had it not been 
for the work of the chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Shuster); the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar); and the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) who have been so helpful on this 
measure; I have not left out the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Borski), because I want to tell my colleagues that not only has he been 
the kind of person that has helped me on the floor to figure out where 
we were having pitfalls, he actually came to the district and looked at 
the problems that we were facing in Florida, and I thought that that 
was just an extra touch for him to do that. I just want to say how much 
I appreciate his leadership on these issues, and certainly to everybody 
else that has helped me.
  I also need to finally salute my colleague and the gentlewoman also 
from Florida (Mrs. Fowler) for her leadership, and for the member on 
the committee who has taken a lead on this issue as well.
  Mr. Chairman, we need to recognize that in H.R. 1106, there have been 
a total of 33 sponsors, from Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, 
Arkansas, New York, Illinois, and Ohio. I am just pleased that Members 
from other States who also recognize the problem that this bill 
addresses, and that problem is increased pressure on water supply, both 
at home and, quite frankly, abroad as well.
  In fact, some experts believe that the major international conflict, 
the next one, will not be about oil, but will be about water. Former 
Senator Paul Simon has written a book entitled, Tapped Out, and its 
subtitle, The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We Can Do About It.
  Population and economic growth are straining water resources. 
Florida, for instance, adds about 600 people per day. In many areas, 
the high demand for water has led to over-pumping the aquifers, giving 
us salt water intrusion, the drying up of wetlands, and again pointing 
out other environmental crises. Just yesterday, as many of my 
colleagues saw, a television network noted the drought in the Midwest. 
The time is really now to act.
  Florida's water management districts are working to preserve water 
supply. In the Tampa Bay area, water-conserving devices have saved 8.8 
million gallons a day. Similar initiatives have been undertaken in 
other parts of the State. In 1998, EPA Administrator Carol Browner 
noted the extraordinary and innovative efforts that Floridians have 
undertaken to meet the water conservation challenge.
  I believe that this bill will help many States meet water supply 
needs and start a discussion on how to meet water supply needs for the 
next 100 years. Without alternative water sources, many States may find 
themselves hurting for water for drinking, agriculture, industry, and 
commercial uses.
  No single solution works everywhere. That is why I believe H.R. 1106 
offers a flexible approach. It is not a one-size-fits-all attempt to 
impose a Federal solution on State or local agencies. Therefore, a 
long-term, sustained effort is needed to meet our future water needs. 
Over the years, Congress has adopted many water programs, some to deal 
with quality and others to deal with quantity. But since entering 
Congress, I have worked to close a gap in these programs of water 
reuse. H.R. 1106 closes that gap.
  The Alternative Water Sources Act will help States meet ever-
expanding demands for water. The bill establishes a 5-year, $75 million 
a year program to fund the engineering, design, and construction of 
water projects to conserve, reclaim and reuse precious water resources 
in an environmentally sustainable manner.
  Under the program, water agencies in eligible States would submit 
grant proposals to the EPA. Fifty percent of the total project cost 
would come from local funding sources. Perspective grantees must 
demonstrate that proposed projects meet a State's detailed water plan.
  This is what I envision in the future. Farmers or businesses will 
make better use of runoff or storm water. We are already doing some of 
that in Florida. And for every gallon they reuse, one less gallon of 
drinking water will be used. In the winter of 1998, to give my 
colleagues an example, the greater Tampa area received 23 inches of 
rain that washed into the Gulf of Mexico. A few months later, the area 
suffered a drought. If even some of that rainfall had been channeled 
and saved for future use, people's lives would have been much easier.
  As a result of innovative technologies such as deep well injection, 
new methods of reusing and enhancing area water supplies can be applied 
today. If we use or improve this technology in one part of the country, 
it will help other parts of the country, because it will reduce 
pressure to move water from one region to another.
  In commenting on a global study by the World Water Commission, which 
is supported by the U.N. and World Bank, the Christian Science Monitor 
in an April 14 editorial concluded, ``Aquifers in Florida, and in 
numerous other parts of the globe, cannot sustain unlimited pumping. 
Whether it is desalinization, capturing rain water, water-saving 
farming methods, or water pricing structures that impel greater 
conservation, humanity should use every tool available to safeguard 
this most basic natural recourse.''
  Water reuse projects provide an important tool to safeguard this 
basic research.
  Mr. Chairman, I realize that water reuse alone will not solve coming 
water problems. Today, many parts of Florida have water restrictions. 
Tomorrow, your State may have similar. A real national water policy 
also must include conservation programs. The efficient use of water 
must go hand in hand with energy efficiency. These are just some of the 
reasons why I feel the House should pass H.R. 1106, and I ask the 
cooperation of my colleagues.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Brown).
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, this is an important piece of 
legislation that is long overdue. We must address the critical water 
resource needs of our expanding communities. I want to especially thank 
the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Thurman), the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Goss), and 32 cosponsors for taking the lead in getting the 
measure to the floor for consideration today.
  Mr. Chairman, the Water Infrastructure Network released a 
comprehensive report at the Conference of Mayors' press conference here 
on Capitol Hill last month on the crisis facing the Nation's wastewater 
and drinking water system. The report concluded that there is an 
``increasing gap in our Nation's water infrastructure needs and the 
Federal Government's financial commitment to safety and clean water.'' 
This is unfortunate.
  In my home State of Florida, Orlando, Jacksonville and other 
metropolitan areas are faced with a fast-growing population and are 
very concerned, and rightly so, about their ability to adequately 
finance the programs needed to meet projected water demands. Water 
supply is one of the most important issues facing Florida and our 
Nation, and it is critical to our future. I urge support for H.R. 1106.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the distinguished and great 
leader of the Democrats on the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member for yielding 
me this time.
  Over 35 years ago this very year, a book with a very thought-
provoking

[[Page H2564]]

title prodded Congress and the then administration into thinking anew 
about our precious resources of fresh water. The title of that book, 
The Coming Water Famine, was written by a then junior member of the 
Committee on Public Works, the predecessor name of this committee. That 
junior member went on to become Speaker of the House, none other than 
Jim Wright, who, after considerable research into available and 
predictable uses of ground water, and population growth, and the 
availability of water in the Nation's major aquifers and other ground 
water resources, drew a curve in that book. It showed that here is this 
constant supply of water and use is climbing at an accelerating rate. 
He predicted that some time in the mid-1980s, not a specific date, the 
two would intersect. We passed that point well before the time Jim 
Wright predicted. He was on track. Congress and the administration, 
several administrations, have not been. We have not done enough to 
provide for the water resource needs of our country.
  All the water there ever was, and all the water there ever will be, 
is available today on the earth. We cannot create new water. We can 
only conserve that which we have and manage it well. On any given day, 
there are 160 trillion gallons of moisture in the atmosphere over the 
Earth. After it comes in the form of snow or rain, and after runoff, 
there is only about 160 billion gallons that actually penetrate into 
the Nation's aquifers. We are using it at a faster rate than it is 
coming down, or that is being conserved by the earth. The Ogalala 
aquifer has been depleted to a dangerous point, such that if we stopped 
all use, all withdrawals from the Ogalala today, it would take the next 
3 decades to replenish the water to where it should have been 30 years 
ago. So, too, for many other basins throughout the United States.
  This legislation is not going to cure or correct that problem.

                              {time}  1145

  It is going to take a much broader, thoughtful consideration by the 
Congress, by future administrations, by the public on wise use and 
conservation of our resources. As we paved over America, our streets, 
cities, housing shopping centers, that water runs off. We are not 
giving it an opportunity to penetrate into and restore the aquifers 
from which we are drawing this precious source of life.
  I commend the authors of the legislation, the two gentlewomen from 
Florida, who have advocated and brought it thus far; and I pay my great 
respect to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), our chairman, 
who has long been an advocate of wise use and conservation of our water 
resources, as well as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski), who 
has been a student of the subject and who has applied himself 
diligently.
  Mr. Chairman, it is going to take more, much more than what we are 
doing in this legislation. We are going to provide financing to 
conserve, manage, reclaim, reuse water, wastewater, and treat it. We 
have provided language in this legislation to assure that we are not 
duplicating in this bill what is already available through the Bureau 
of Reclamation.
  But the water needs go far beyond this halting step that we take 
here, a good step and an important one and very targeted, one that we 
must do; but we have to consider far greater concerns. The loss of the 
prairie pothole region. The loss of wetlands in America. We have half 
of what we had at the turn of the century and less than a third of what 
we had when America was formed as a nation.
  If we continue to allow the destruction of the water-conserving 
forces that nature created and continue to draw water from basins that 
cannot be restored. We will indeed have shortchanged future 
generations.
  So let us move with this legislation, but keep in mind that the 
coming water famine is with us and that it is up to us to address it 
for future generations.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Fowler), one of the prime sponsors of this legislation.
  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Chairman, I do rise in strong support of H.R. 1106, 
the Alternative Water Sources Act. The gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. 
Thurman) and I introduced this legislation in the last Congress, and we 
are extremely pleased to see this important legislation being debated 
today on the floor and acted on.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster), 
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Boehlert), and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski) 
for working so closely with us on this important legislation.
  Mr. Chairman, H.R. 1106 will establish a Federal matching-grants 
program under the Clean Water Act to assist eligible and qualified 
States with the development of alternative water sources projects to 
meet the projected water supply demand for urban development, 
industrial, agriculture, and environmental needs.
  Many will say that our existing water supply is sufficient. Well, for 
now that is true in some areas. But as our population grows, our water 
supply dwindles. We need to encourage States to be forward thinking 
when it comes to water supply and alternative sources.
  There are many States, including Florida and New York, where the 
increase in population growth has already put a significant strain on 
their water supply. There is no dedicated source of funding to provide 
for partnerships between States not eligible for funding through the 
Bureau of Reclamation. This bill will provide for that.
  We need this legislation to avoid a potential water supply crisis. A 
new Federal partnership is needed, one which will ensure that water 
supply will keep pace with population growth and protect our precious 
natural resources. Let us make sure that future generations do not have 
to grab an expensive bottle of water in order to quench their thirst.
  Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to support this important 
legislation.
  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong 
support for H.R. 1106, the Alternative Water Sources Act of 2000.
  This bill will provide federal matching funds for the design and 
construction of water reclamation, reuse, and conservation projects for 
states, local government agencies, private utilities, and nonprofit 
entities to develop alternative water sources to meet critical water 
supply needs to the 33 states--including my State of Hawaii--currently 
not covered under the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment 
Act of 1992.
  I am delighted to support this bill, which will help provide much-
needed assistance to the State of Hawaii. The rural sectors of my 
state, especially the Big Island of Hawaii, have suffered from serious 
droughts over the past few years. Sugarcane, which was previously the 
most important crop on the island of Hawaii, is no longer cultivated 
there. The sugar plantations that used to take much of the 
responsibility for developing and maintaining irrigation systems are 
gone and much of the agricultural land is vacant. The recovery of 
agriculture and the livelihood of farmers in rural Hawaii will depend 
on improved water resource development.
  I welcome this valuable new program, which will support development 
of projects designed to provide municipal, industrial, and agricultural 
water supplies in an environmentally sustainable manner by conserving, 
managing, reclaiming, or reusing water or wastewater or by treating 
wastewater.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Alternative 
Water Sources Act, H.R. 1106, Water supply has become a primary concern 
for many of my colleagues. State and local governments are trying to 
resolve the issue of a growing demand for water with a limited water 
supply.
  Water supply is an essential resource for all states, but it is 
particularly important to my home state of Florida. Water is the 
essence of Florida--it is part of our identity and the cornerstone of 
many individuals' livelihoods. But, as with many states, water supply 
has become a critical issue for my state. Between 1995 and 1996, the 
population of Florida increased by 260,000 residents. Year after year, 
this population growth pattern continues. Groundwater pumping from 
Florida's aquifers provides most of its public and agricultural water 
supply, but this strain on the aquifers is of critical concern.
  A water supply shortage is projected in the coming years due to this 
population growth. Not only does the shortage affect Florida, but there 
are already 17 western states which are receiving federal assistance in 
creating and implementing alternative water supply sources. Intense 
planning has been in effect in many states to determine alternative 
ways to supplement the natural water supply. With so many

[[Page H2565]]

uses of water--drinking, agriculture, environmental restoration, 
recreation, just to name a few--the strain on the current water supply 
will soon surpass the ability of the state to provide adequate drinking 
water along with providing enough water for agricultural and other 
uses. This shortage has become more apparent in Florida in the last few 
years. Degradation of water quality, dehydration of wetlands, saltwater 
intrusion and many other symptoms have resulted from extensive 
groundwater pumping.
  Water management districts in Florida and the Army Corps of Engineers 
are working on plans involving an infrastructure to capture, store, and 
timely use river water. This will require a state/federal partnership 
to build and Florida will need other innovative ways to assure long-
term water availability.
  Recycling and reusing wastewater is one way to help address water 
shortage. Treating wastewater allows states to increase their water 
supply for agricultural, environmental, industrial, and recreational 
purposes and leave the potable water for human consumption. The 
Alternative Water Sources Act would authorize the Environmental 
Protection Agency to provide $75 million in grants to states who have 
scientifically and environmentally sound alternative water source 
plans. The grants would be provided at a non-federal cost share of 50 
percent. Additionally, the bill would require the approval by the House 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or the Senate Committee 
on Environment and Public Works for any project where the federal cost 
share would exceed $3 million.
  I enthusiastically support H.R. 1106, the alternative Water Source 
Act, and encourage my colleagues to vote in support of it. I thank 
Congresswomen Fowler and Thurman for their efforts to being this to the 
floor.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the committee amendment in the nature of a 
substitute printed in the bill is considered as an original bill for 
purpose of amendment and is considered read.
  The text of the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute is 
as follows:

                               H.R. 1106

       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 ``Alternative Water Sources 
     Act of 2000''.

     SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCE PROJECTS.

       Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
     U.S.C. 1281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 220. GRANTS FOR ALTERNATIVE WATER SOURCE PROJECTS.

       ``(a) In General.--The Administrator may make grants to 
     State, interstate, and intrastate water resource development 
     agencies (including water management districts and water 
     supply authorities), local government agencies, private 
     utilities, and nonprofit entities for alternative water 
     source projects to meet critical water supply needs.
       ``(b) Eligible Entity.--The Administrator may make grants 
     under this section to an entity only if the entity has 
     authority under State law to develop or provide water for 
     municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses in an area of 
     the State that is experiencing critical water supply needs.
       ``(c) Selection of Projects.--
       ``(1) Limitation.--A project that has received funds under 
     the reclamation and reuse program conducted under the 
     Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 
     (43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) shall not be eligible for grant 
     assistance under this section.
       ``(2) Additional consideration.--In making grants under 
     this section, the Administrator shall consider whether the 
     project is located within the boundaries of a State or area 
     referred to in section 1 of the Reclamation Act of June 17, 
     1902 (32 Stat. 385), and within the geographic scope of the 
     reclamation and reuse program conducted under the Reclamation 
     Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 (43 U.S.C. 
     390h et seq.).
       ``(d) Committee Resolution Procedure.--
       ``(1) In general.--No appropriation shall be made for any 
     alternative water source project under this section, the 
     total Federal cost of which exceeds $3,000,000, if such 
     project has not been approved by a resolution adopted by the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
     of Representatives or the Committee on Environment and Public 
     Works of the Senate.
       ``(2) Requirements for securing consideration.--For 
     purposes of securing consideration of approval under 
     paragraph (1), the Administrator shall provide to a committee 
     referred to in paragraph (1) such information as the 
     committee requests and the non-Federal sponsor shall provide 
     to the committee information on the costs and relative needs 
     for the alternative water source project.
       ``(e) Uses of Grants.--Amounts from grants received under 
     this section may be used for engineering, design, 
     construction, and final testing of alternative water source 
     projects designed to meet critical water supply needs. Such 
     amounts may not be used for planning, feasibility studies or 
     for operation, maintenance, replacement, repair, or 
     rehabilitation.
       ``(f) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the eligible 
     costs of an alternative water source project carried out 
     using assistance made available under this section shall not 
     exceed 50 percent.
       ``(g) Reports.--
       ``(1) Reports to administrator.--Each recipient of a grant 
     under this section shall submit to the Administrator, not 
     later than 18 months after the date of receipt of the grant 
     and biennially thereafter until completion of the alternative 
     water source project funded by the grant, a report on 
     eligible activities carried out by the grant recipient using 
     amounts from the grant.
       ``(2) Report to congress.--On or before September 30, 2005, 
     the Administrator shall transmit to Congress a report on the 
     progress made toward meeting the critical water supply needs 
     of the grant recipients under this section.
       ``(h) Definitions.--In this section, the following 
     definitions apply:
       ``(1) Alternative water source project.--The term 
     `alternative water source project' means a project designed 
     to provide municipal, industrial, and agricultural water 
     supplies in an environmentally sustainable manner by 
     conserving, managing, reclaiming, or reusing water or 
     wastewater or by treating wastewater.
       ``(2) Critical water supply needs.--The term `critical 
     water supply needs' means existing or reasonably anticipated 
     future water supply needs that cannot be met by existing 
     water supplies, as identified in a comprehensive statewide or 
     regional water supply plan or assessment projected over a 
     planning period of at least 20 years.
       ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $75,000,000 for 
     each of fiscal years 2000 through 2004. Such sums shall 
     remain available until expended.''.

  The CHAIRMAN. During consideration of the bill for amendment, the 
Chair may accord priority in recognition to a Member offering an 
amendment that he has printed in the designated place in the 
Congressional Record. Those amendments will be considered as read.
  The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may postpone a request for 
a recorded vote on any amendment and may reduce to a minimum of 5 
minutes the time for voting on any postponed question that immediately 
follows another vote, provided that the time for voting on the first 
question shall be a minimum of 15 minutes.
  Are there any amendments to the bill?


                   Amendment Offered by Mr. Traficant

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mr. Traficant:
       At the end of the bill, add the following new section:

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS; REQUIREMENT REGARDING NOTICE.

       (a) Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products.--In 
     the case of any equipment or products that may be authorized 
     to be purchased with financial assistance provided under this 
     Act (including any amendment made by this Act), it is the 
     sense of the Congress that entities receiving such assistance 
     should, in expending the assistance, purchase only American-
     made equipment and products.
       (b) Notice to Recipients of Assistance.--In providing 
     financial assistance under this Act (including any amendment 
     made by this Act), the head of each Federal agency shall 
     provide to each recipient of the assistance a notice 
     describing the statement made in subsection (a) by the 
     Congress.
       (c) Notice of Report.--Any entity which receives funds 
     under this Act shall report any expenditures on foreign-made 
     items to the Congress within 180 days of the expenditure.

  Mr. TRAFICANT (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous 
consent that the amendment be considered as read and printed in the 
Record.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Chairman, I want to associate myself with the 
remarks of the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), and I too want 
to commend Jim Wright for the many great things he has done while in 
the House. This is certainly one of them.
  This will be taxpayers' dollars expended in America. My amendment 
would at least encourage that it be expended on American-made goods and 
products, not products from overseas.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. TRAFICANT. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

[[Page H2566]]

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, this amendment can properly be called the 
``Traficant Buy American Amendment,'' and we support it.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. TRAFICANT. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. BORSKI. Mr. Chairman, we would also be very pleased to support 
this amendment, the ``Traficant Buy American Amendment.''
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The CHAIRMAN. Are there other amendments?
  If not, the question is on the committee amendment in the nature of a 
substitute, as amended.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, 
was agreed to.
  The CHAIRMAN. Under the rule, the Committee rises.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Shimkus) having assumed the chair, Mr. Barrett of Nebraska, Chairman of 
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported 
that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 
1106) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency to make grants to State agencies with responsibility for water 
source development for the purpose of maximizing available water supply 
and protecting the environment through the development of alternative 
water sources, pursuant to House Resolution 485, he reported the bill 
back to the House with an amendment adopted by the Committee of the 
Whole.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is 
ordered.
  Is a separate vote demanded on the amendment to the committee 
amendment in the nature of a substitute adopted by the Committee of the 
Whole? If not, the question is on the committee amendment in the nature 
of a substitute.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third 
reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-minute 
vote on passage of H.R. 1106 will be followed by a 5-minute vote on 
passage of H.R. 673.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 416, 
nays 5, not voting 13, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 142]

                               YEAS--416

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Andrews
     Archer
     Armey
     Baca
     Bachus
     Baird
     Baker
     Baldacci
     Baldwin
     Ballenger
     Barcia
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Barrett (WI)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Becerra
     Bentsen
     Bereuter
     Berkley
     Berman
     Berry
     Biggert
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop
     Blagojevich
     Bliley
     Blumenauer
     Blunt
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bonior
     Bono
     Borski
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Boyd
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Bryant
     Burr
     Burton
     Buyer
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Canady
     Cannon
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardin
     Carson
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Collins
     Combest
     Condit
     Conyers
     Cooksey
     Costello
     Cox
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Crane
     Crowley
     Cubin
     Cummings
     Cunningham
     Danner
     Davis (FL)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (VA)
     Deal
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delahunt
     DeLauro
     DeLay
     DeMint
     Deutsch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doolittle
     Doyle
     Dreier
     Dunn
     Edwards
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     English
     Eshoo
     Etheridge
     Evans
     Everett
     Ewing
     Farr
     Fattah
     Filner
     Fletcher
     Foley
     Forbes
     Ford
     Fowler
     Frank (MA)
     Franks (NJ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Frost
     Gallegly
     Ganske
     Gejdenson
     Gekas
     Gephardt
     Gibbons
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Gonzalez
     Goode
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Gordon
     Goss
     Graham
     Granger
     Green (TX)
     Green (WI)
     Greenwood
     Gutknecht
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Hansen
     Hastings (FL)
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayes
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Herger
     Hill (IN)
     Hill (MT)
     Hilleary
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hobson
     Hoeffel
     Hoekstra
     Holden
     Holt
     Hooley
     Horn
     Houghton
     Hoyer
     Hulshof
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inslee
     Isakson
     Istook
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     Jenkins
     John
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones (NC)
     Jones (OH)
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kilpatrick
     Kind (WI)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kleczka
     Klink
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     Kucinich
     Kuykendall
     LaFalce
     LaHood
     Lampson
     Lantos
     Largent
     Larson
     Latham
     Lazio
     Leach
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (KY)
     Linder
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Lofgren
     Lowey
     Lucas (KY)
     Luther
     Maloney (CT)
     Maloney (NY)
     Manzullo
     Markey
     Martinez
     Mascara
     Matsui
     McCarthy (MO)
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McIntosh
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek (FL)
     Meeks (NY)
     Menendez
     Metcalf
     Mica
     Millender-McDonald
     Miller (FL)
     Miller, Gary
     Miller, George
     Minge
     Mink
     Moakley
     Mollohan
     Moore
     Moran (KS)
     Moran (VA)
     Morella
     Murtha
     Myrick
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Nethercutt
     Ney
     Northup
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Ose
     Owens
     Oxley
     Packard
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor
     Payne
     Pease
     Pelosi
     Peterson (MN)
     Peterson (PA)
     Petri
     Phelps
     Pickering
     Pickett
     Pitts
     Pombo
     Pomeroy
     Porter
     Portman
     Price (NC)
     Pryce (OH)
     Quinn
     Radanovich
     Rahall
     Ramstad
     Rangel
     Regula
     Reyes
     Reynolds
     Riley
     Rivers
     Rodriguez
     Roemer
     Rogan
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Rothman
     Roukema
     Roybal-Allard
     Rush
     Ryan (WI)
     Ryun (KS)
     Sabo
     Salmon
     Sanchez
     Sanders
     Sandlin
     Sawyer
     Saxton
     Scarborough
     Schaffer
     Schakowsky
     Scott
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shadegg
     Shaw
     Shays
     Sherman
     Sherwood
     Shimkus
     Shows
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sisisky
     Skeen
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Snyder
     Souder
     Spence
     Spratt
     Stabenow
     Stark
     Stearns
     Stenholm
     Strickland
     Stump
     Stupak
     Sununu
     Sweeney
     Talent
     Tancredo
     Tanner
     Tauscher
     Tauzin
     Taylor (MS)
     Taylor (NC)
     Terry
     Thomas
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thornberry
     Thune
     Thurman
     Tiahrt
     Tierney
     Toomey
     Towns
     Traficant
     Turner
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Upton
     Visclosky
     Vitter
     Walden
     Walsh
     Wamp
     Waters
     Watkins
     Watt (NC)
     Watts (OK)
     Waxman
     Weiner
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     Wexler
     Weygand
     Whitfield
     Wicker
     Wilson
     Wolf
     Woolsey
     Wu
     Wynn
     Young (FL)

                                NAYS--5

     Duncan
     Hostettler
     Paul
     Royce
     Sanford

                             NOT VOTING--13

     Chenoweth-Hage
     Coburn
     Cook
     Engel
     Fossella
     Gutierrez
     LaTourette
     Lucas (OK)
     Serrano
     Velazquez
     Vento
     Wise
     Young (AK)

                              {time}  1217

  So the bill was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated for:
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 142 I was absent due to 
illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

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