[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        A BILL TO AMEND THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 13, 2010

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker. I rise today to introduce a bill to 
clarify that the federal government, like private citizens and 
corporations, must take responsibility for the pollution it produces. 
This bill will clarify that the federal government has a responsibility 
to pay fees assessed by local governments for managing polluted 
stormwater runoff from federal properties.
  Recently, the Government Accountability Office issued letters to 
federal agencies in the District of Columbia that instructed them not 
to pay the District of Columbia's Water and Sewer Authority's, D.C. 
Water's, Impervious Area Charge. D.C. Water calculates the charges 
based on the amount of impervious land occupied by the landowner. 
Impervious surfaces, such as roofs, parking lots, sidewalks and other 
hardened surfaces are the major contributors to stormwater runoff 
entering the sewer system and local rivers, lakes and streams, which 
causes significant amounts of pollutants to enter these waters.
  D.C. Water's Impervious Area Charge simply is to defray the cost of 
reducing water pollution caused by stormwater runoff. In fact, D.C. 
Water's fees are the result of a federal mandate to reduce sewer 
overflows from excess stormwater and to improve water quality in local 
waters, such as the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and the Chesapeake 
Bay. It is, therefore, unfair, at best, for the federal government to 
turn around and refuse to pay these fees. Moreover, it is contrary to 
President Obama's commitment to preserve the Chesapeake Bay and the 
Anacostia River, as outlined in Executive Order 13508, which I have 
applauded many times.
  When I looked into this issue further, I found that at least nine 
states faced the same issue of federal agencies refusing to pay the 
local fees associated with controlling the stormwater pollution 
originating from their properties. Surely, the federal government 
understands that these local governments still must cover the cost of 
managing the pollution from federal properties. So, in effect, what the 
federal government is doing is passing on that cost to already 
financially burdened citizens. In a city such as the District of 
Columbia, where nearly a quarter of the land is owned by the federal 
government and still more is leased by the federal government, the 
refusal by the federal government to pay these fees will impose 
substantial and burdensome costs on individual citizens.
  It is important that we continue to work to improve the quality of 
our waters. Reducing pollution and improving water quality in the 
District has been a priority for me. My bill to secure funding for the 
Anacostia River cleanup plan became law in 2007 and the plan was 
released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in April. Additionally, my 
bill to amend the National Children's Island Act of 1995 to make 
Kingman and Heritage Islands a center for environmental education 
recreation and restoration of the Anacostia River ecosystem passed in 
the House last year and I am working hard to get it through the Senate 
this year. This bill simply requires the federal government to continue 
its recent commitment to protecting and cleaning our waters, as well as 
to be a good neighbor here in the District and throughout the country.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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