Great Lakes Nutrient Removal Assistance Act

Summary: Great Lakes Nutrient Removal Assistance Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a program to provide grants to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and municipalities in such states to upgrade eligible municipal wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal technologies. Requires the Administrator to give priority to plants at which nutrient removal technology upgrades would: (1) produce the greatest nutrient load reductions at points of discharge, (2) result in the greatest environmental benefits to the Great Lakes System, and (3) help meet the objectives related to nutrients outlined in Annex four of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Defines as &quot;eligible&quot; a plant that: (1) has a permitted design capacity to treat an annual average of at least 500,000 gallons of wastewater per day, and (2) is located within the Great Lakes System in any of such states. Prohibits the federal share from exceeding 55% of the total cost of upgrading such plants.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Great Lakes Nutrient Removal 
Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) ineffective wastewater treatment is one of the most 
        common sources of water pollution;
            (2) nutrient pollution, particularly phosphorus loading, 
        continues to be one of the most significant water quality 
        issues facing the Great Lakes System;
            (3) limiting phosphorus loads is key to controlling 
        excessive algal growth, and a coordinated Great Lakes System-
        wide strategy to change how nutrients are discharged is urgent; 
        and
            (4) nutrient removal technology is one of the most 
        reliable, cost effective, and direct methods for reducing the 
        flow of phosphorus and other harmful nutrients from point 
        sources in the Great Lakes System.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency to provide financial assistance to Great 
        Lakes States and municipalities for use in upgrading publically 
        owned wastewater treatment plants in the Great Lakes System 
        with nutrient removal technologies; and
            (2) to further the goal of restoring the water of the Great 
        Lakes System to conditions that are protective of human health 
        and aquatic life.

SEC. 3. SEWAGE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROGRAM.

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

                       ``TITLE VII--MISCELLANEOUS

``SEC. 701. SEWAGE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of enactment of this section, the Administrator shall establish 
        a program within the Environmental Protection Agency to provide 
        grants to Great Lakes States, and municipalities thereof, to 
        upgrade eligible facilities with nutrient removal technologies.
            ``(2) Priority.--In providing a grant under paragraph (1), 
        the Administrator shall--
                    ``(A) consult with the Program Office; and
                    ``(B) give priority to eligible facilities at which 
                nutrient removal technology upgrades would--
                            ``(i) produce the greatest nutrient load 
                        reductions at points of discharge;
                            ``(ii) result in the greatest environmental 
                        benefits to the Great Lakes System; and
                            ``(iii) help meet the objectives related to 
                        nutrients outlined in Annex 4 of the 2012 Great 
                        Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
            ``(3) Application.--
                    ``(A) In general.--On receipt of an application 
                from a State or municipality for a grant under this 
                section, if the Administrator approves the request, the 
                Administrator shall transfer to the State or 
                municipality the amount of assistance determined 
                necessary by the Administrator, in consultation with 
                the Program Office, to carry out the facility upgrades 
                that are the subject of the application.
                    ``(B) Form.--An application submitted by a State or 
                municipality under subparagraph (A) shall be in such 
                form and shall include such information as the 
                Administrator may prescribe.
            ``(4) Use of funds.--A State or municipality that receives 
        a grant under this section shall use the grant to upgrade 
        eligible facilities with nutrient removal technologies that are 
        designed to reduce total nutrients in discharged wastewater.
            ``(5) Cost sharing.--
                    ``(A) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost 
                of upgrading any eligible facility as described in 
                paragraph (1) using funds provided under this section 
                shall not exceed 55 percent.
                    ``(B) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of 
                the costs of upgrading any eligible facility as 
                described in paragraph (1) using funds provided under 
                this section may be provided in the form of funds made 
                available to a State or municipality under--
                            ``(i) any provision of this Act other than 
                        this section (including funds made available 
                        from a State water pollution control revolving 
                        fund established under title VI); or
                            ``(ii) any other Federal or State law.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) 2012 great lakes water quality agreement.--The term 
        `2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement' means the Great 
        Lakes Water Quality Protocol of 2012, signed at Washington on 
        September 7, 2012 (further amending the Agreement between the 
        United States of America and Canada on Great Lakes Water 
        Quality, 1978, signed at Ottawa on November 22, 1978).
            ``(2) Eligible facility.--The term `eligible facility' 
        means a municipal wastewater treatment plant that--
                    ``(A) as of the date of enactment of this section, 
                has a permitted design capacity to treat an annual 
                average of at least 500,000 gallons of wastewater per 
                day; and
                    ``(B) is located within the Great Lakes System in 
                any of the Great Lakes States.
            ``(3) Great lakes states; great lakes system.--The terms 
        `Great Lakes States' and `Great Lakes System' have the meanings 
        given those terms in section 118.
            ``(4) Program office.--The term `Program Office' means the 
        Great Lakes National Program Office established by section 
        118(b).
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
        2013 through 2017. Such sums shall remain available until 
        expended.
            ``(2) Administrative costs.--The Administrator may use not 
        to exceed 4 percent of any amount made available under 
        paragraph (1) to pay administrative costs incurred in carrying 
        out this section.''.