[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1348-E1349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF THE PUGET SOUND RECOVERY ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NORMAN D. DICKS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Puget Sound 
Recovery Act of 2008.
  With 2,500 miles of shoreline and 2,800 square miles of inland marine 
waters, Puget Sound is the Nation's second largest estuary. The Sound 
is a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest's identity and at the heart 
of the region's prosperity, supporting a thriving marine and natural 
resource industry. And it is truly one of America's most spectacular 
bodies of water, home to more than 200 species of fish, 25 kinds of 
marine mammals, 100 species of sea birds as well as clams, oysters and 
shrimp.
  But beneath the water's surface and despite its breathtaking natural 
beauty, Puget Sound is sick. Scientists have detected low levels of 
oxygen and increasing concentrations of toxic substances in aquatic 
animals that live in the Sound. Some of its most iconic resident 
species--including salmon and orcas--are on the brink of extinction. Up 
to 70 percent of all its original estuaries and wetlands have 
disappeared and about 8,700 acres at the bottom of the Sound are 
dangerously contaminated.
  The declining health of Puget Sound threatens the economic and 
environmental vitality of the Pacific Northwest. Washington State's 
Governor Chris Gregoire has taken steps at the State Government level 
to combat this decline by setting up a Puget Sound Partnership. Now it 
is time for the U.S. Government to match these efforts, with the 
Environmental Protection Agency taking the lead to create, with the 
State of Washington, a comprehensive recovery package for Puget Sound.
  Already, we have launched a cooperative effort involving all of the 
local government entities, as well as the State and Federal 
Governments, to curtail any harmful substances from being introduced 
into its waters, to change unwise industrial and agricultural practices 
and to continue our aggressive research into the causes of pollution in 
the Sound. The Fiscal Year 2008 Interior Appropriations bill included 
$20 million for the EPA geographic program to ramp up the Puget Sound 
work, and earlier this month the Interior Subcommittee which I chair 
passed a spending bill for fiscal year 2009 that includes an additional 
$20 million to implement the program.

  The Puget Sound Recovery Act that I am joined by all of my colleagues 
from around the Puget Sound area in introducing today furthers these 
efforts by establishing an EPA Puget Sound Office in Washington State 
that will coordinate action among the many Federal agencies involved in 
the cleanup, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Park Service, 
the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service 
within the Department of Agriculture, the United States Geological 
Survey, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Departments of Commerce, 
Defense, Homeland Security and Transportation. In addition, this bill 
authorizes grants to study the causes of the Sound's declining water 
quality and ways to counter these threats, as well as grants for sewer 
and stormwater discharge projects.
  Madam Speaker, the Federal Government must continue to play a leading 
role in restoring the health of Puget Sound, and I believe the Puget 
Sound Recovery Act is fundamental to this effort.

                    Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2008


                           Section-by-Section

       Sec. 1. Short Title.
       Sec. 2. Findings. Congress finds that Puget Sound is 
     important to the Pacific Northwest's regional identity and 
     industry. Puget Sound's water quality is in decline, which 
     threatens the region's economy. Washington State has taken 
     steps to address the problem. The Environmental Protection 
     Agency (EPA) should create a comprehensive recovery package 
     for Puget Sound and should establish a ``Puget Sound Office'' 
     in Washington State. Other federal agencies should be 
     involved, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Park 
     Service, the Forest Service and the Natural Resources 
     Conservation Service within the Department of Agriculture, 
     the United States Geological Survey, the Corps of Engineers, 
     the Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Defense, and 
     Transportation. The Puget Sound recovery efforts should be 
     included in the President's annual budget. Canada should join 
     in this enhanced effort.
       Sec. 3. Puget Sound. This section amends Title I of the 
     Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) 
     by adding at the end a new section (``Sec. 123. Puget 
     Sound.''). The Puget Sound Recovery Act creates the following 
     provisions within the new Sec. 123 of the Federal Water 
     Pollution Control Act:
       (a) Program Office.
       (1) Establishes an EPA Puget Sound Program Office 
     (``Office'').
       (2) States that the Office is to be headed by a Director 
     and located in the State of Washington.
       (3) Provides the Office with additional staff as needed.
       (b) Duties of Director.
       (1) Directs the Director to assist the Puget Sound 
     Partnership in carrying out its goals.
       (2) Specifically, the Director should:
       (A) Assist and support the implementation of the 
     Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan 
     (``Comprehensive Plan'');
       (B) Coordinate the major functions of the Federal 
     government related to the implementation of the Comprehensive 
     Plan;
       (C) Conduct or commission studies and research necessary 
     for implementation of the Puget Sound Water Quality 
     Management Plan;
       (D) Coordinate and manage environmental data;
       (E) Coordinate Puget Sound grant, research, and planning 
     programs;
       (F) Coordinate efforts in Puget Sound and the Georgia 
     Straits with Canada;
       (G) Coordinate efforts, including activities under species 
     recovery plans, with other Federal agencies with jurisdiction 
     in the Puget Sound watershed;
       (H) Collect and make available to the public information 
     relating to the environmental quality of Puget Sound; and
       (I) Biennially issue a report to Congress that--
       (i) Summarizes the progress made;
       (ii) Summarizes any modifications to the Puget Sound Water 
     Quality Management Plan; and
       (iii) Incorporates specific recommendations concerning the 
     implementation of the Puget Sound Water Quality Management 
     Plan.
       (3) Specifies that the studies and research mandated under 
     (2) (C) should include:
       (A) Population growth and the adequacy of wastewater 
     treatment facilities and on-site septic systems;

[[Page E1349]]

       (B) The use of physical, chemical and biological methods 
     for nutrient removal in sewage treatment plants;
       (C) Contaminated sediments and dredging activities;
       (D) Nonpoint source pollutant abatement;
       (E) Wetland, riparian, and near shore protection and 
     restoration;
       (F) Flood abatement and floodplain restoration techniques;
       (G) Impacts of forest and agricultural practices;
       (H) Atmospheric deposition of pollutants;
       (I) Water quality requirements to sustain fish, shellfish, 
     and wildlife populations;
       (J) State water quality programs;
       (K) Options for long-term financing of wastewater treatment 
     projects and water pollutant control programs;
       (L) Water usage and efficiency;
       (M) Toxic pollutants; and
       (N) Such other areas as the Director considers appropriate.
       (4) Grants the Director authority to enter into interagency 
     agreements, make intergovernmental personnel appointments 
     (IPAs), and utilize other methods to carry out the Director's 
     duties.
       (c) Grants to Implement Management Plan.
       (1) Authorizes the EPA Administrator to award grants to 
     eligible recipients for projects and studies to implement the 
     Comprehensive Plan.
       (2) Specifies that projects and studies eligible for grants 
     include planning, research, modeling, construction, 
     monitoring, implementation, citizen involvement and 
     education.
       (3) Specifies that the Federal share of the cost of the 
     grant projects or studies should not exceed 50 percent.
       (4) Defines ``eligible recipient'' for grants as a State, 
     interstate, Tribal, regional, or local water pollution 
     control agency or other public or nonprofit private agency, 
     institution, or organization.
       (d) Grants for Projects to Address Sewage and Stormwater 
     Discharges.
       (1) Authorizes the EPA Administrator to award grants to 
     eligible recipients for projects to address sewage and storm 
     water discharges.
       (2) Specifies that projects eligible for grants include 
     demonstration and research projects that provide treatment 
     for, or that minimize, sewage or stormwater discharges.
       (3) Regarding the awarding of sewage and storm water 
     grants--
       (A) Grants should be awarded on a competitive basis; and
       (B) The EPA Administrator may give priority to a project 
     located in a distressed community.
       (4) Regarding the Federal share of the cost of a project 
     receiving assistance--
       (A) Specifies that the Federal share of the cost of the 
     grant projects should not exceed 75 percent; and
       (B) Specifies that, in distressed communities, the Federal 
     share should not exceed 100 percent.
       (5) Defines the following terms--
       (A) Eligible Recipient: a State, interstate, Tribal, 
     regional, or local water pollution control agency.
       (B) Distressed Community: a community that meets 
     affordability criteria established by the community's State.
       (e) Annual Budget Plan.
       (1) The President should include the Puget Sound Program in 
     the annual budget of the U.S. Government, and related 
     information, including:
       (A) An interagency crosscut budget that displays for each 
     Federal agency involved in Puget Sound activities--
       (i) Amounts obligated in the preceding fiscal year;
       (ii) The estimated budget for the current fiscal year;
       (iii) The proposed budget; and
       (B) A description of the Federal role in the Puget Sound 
     Program and the specific role of each agency.
       (2) The President should coordinate reporting, data 
     collection, and planning activities with the Puget Sound 
     Partnership.
       (f) Authorizations.
       Authorizes such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
     fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to carry out the Puget Sound 
     Program.

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