I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4648 

To provide incentives for investment in green stormwater infrastructure, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 29, 2016 

Mr. KILMER (for himself and Mr. HECK of Washington) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To provide incentives for investment in green stormwater 

infrastructure, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Green Stormwater In5 frastructure Investment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITION. 

7 Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

8 Act (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(27) GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUC2 TURE.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘green 

4 stormwater infrastructure’ means any stormwa5 ter management technique that— 

6 ‘‘(i) uses natural systems or engi7 neered systems that mimic natural proc8 esses to infiltrate, evapotranspire, or filter 

9 stormwater; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) preserves, enhances, or mimics 

11 natural hydrology to protect or restore 

12 water quality. 

13 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘green 

14 stormwater infrastructure’ includes— 

15 ‘‘(i) systems that promote absorption, 

16 uptake, evapotranspiration, filtration by 

17 soil and plant life, and stormwater system 

18 resiliency, such as bioretention, permeable 

19 pavements, green roofs, and natural vege20 tation; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) the preservation or restoration 

22 of— 

23 ‘‘(I) interconnected networks of 

24 natural land or topography that proVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Mar 01, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4648.IH H4648

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1 tect essential ecological functions crit2 ical for water quality; 

3 ‘‘(II) ecological function, includ4 ing forests, grasslands, and deserts; 

5 ‘‘(III) bodies of water, including 

6 lakes, rivers, flood plains, headwaters, 

7 creeks, wetlands, estuaries, and 

8 sounds; and 

9 ‘‘(IV) native soil characteristics 

10 of composition, structure, and trans11 missivity.’’. 

12 SEC. 3. GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE RESERVE. 

13 Title VI of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

14 (33 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 609. GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE RE17 SERVE. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To the extent there are sufficient 

19 eligible project applications, not less than 20 percent of 

20 the funds made available under this title to each State 

21 shall be used by the State for projects that are otherwise 

22 eligible under this title and include a green stormwater 

23 infrastructure component. 

24 ‘‘(b) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—Funds re25 served under this section may be used for operation and 


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1 maintenance costs of green stormwater infrastructure con2 structed using funds reserved under this section.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 53 of title 49, United 

5 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘§ 5341. Priority for green stormwater infrastructure 

8 projects 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In selecting public transpor10 tation infrastructure projects to receive financial assist11 ance under this chapter or any other provision of law, the 

12 Secretary shall prioritize projects that include green 

13 stormwater infrastructure, as defined in section 502 of the 

14 Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1362). 

15 ‘‘(b) TIGER GRANT PROGRAM.—The projects re16 ferred to in subsection (a) include projects selected under 

17 the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Re18 covery competitive grant program.’’. 

19 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap20 ter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by add21 ing at the end the following: 

‘‘5341. Priority for green stormwater infrastructure projects.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. PERMITTING GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUC2 TURE. 

3 Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

4 Act (33 U.S.C. 1342) is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(s) GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE.—Not7 withstanding subsection (b)(1)(B), a permit under this 

8 section for green stormwater infrastructure may be for a 

9 term not to exceed 10 years.’’. 

Æ 


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