II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 755 

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 

provide additional assistance for public water systems damaged by Winter 

Storms Uri and Viola, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 16, 2021 

Mrs. HYDE-SMITH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide additional assistance for public 

water systems damaged by Winter Storms Uri and Viola, 

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 ‘‘Emergency Water In5 frastructure Improvements Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE 

2 AUTHORITY. 

3 Section 219(f)(167) of the Water Resources Develop4 ment Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–580; 106 Stat. 4835; 

5 113 Stat. 335; 121 Stat. 1263) is amended by striking 

6 ‘‘$25,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$47,000,000’’. 

7 SEC. 3. SAFE DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis10 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ11 mental Protection Agency. 

12 (2) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘‘eligible 

13 State’’ means a State— 

14 (A) for which the President has declared 

15 not fewer than 5 major disasters under the 

16 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer17 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); 

18 and 

19 (B) in which public water systems suffered 

20 major damage, as determined by the Adminis21 trator, from Winter Storms Uri and Viola. 

22 (3) ELIGIBLE SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘eligible sys23 tem’’ means a public water system that has been 

24 subject to an emergency administrative order pursu25 ant to section 1431 of the Safe Drinking Water Act 

26 (42 U.S.C. 300i) during calendar year 2020. 


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1 (4) PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘public 

2 water system’’ has the meaning given the term in 

3 section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 300f). 

5 (b) STATE REVOLVING LOAN FUND ASSISTANCE.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

7 provision of law, an eligible system shall be— 

8 (A) considered a disadvantaged community 

9 for purposes of subsection (d) of section 1452 

10 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 

11 300j–12); and 

12 (B) eligible to receive the additional sub13 sidization described in paragraph (1) of that 

14 subsection, including the forgiveness of prin15 cipal described in that paragraph. 

16 (2) AUTHORIZATION.—An eligible State may 

17 use funds made available under a capitalization 

18 grant provided under subsection (c) to provide the 

19 additional subsidization described in paragraph 

20 (1)(B) to an eligible system within the eligible State 

21 to address contaminants in drinking water, which 

22 may include the repair and replacement of water dis23 tribution system components. 

24 (c) DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUNDS.— 


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1 (1) APPROPRIATION.—There is appropriated to 

2 the Administrator, out of any funds of the Treasury 

3 not otherwise appropriated, $150,000,000 to provide 

4 additional capitalization grants to eligible States 

5 pursuant to section 1452 of the Safe Drinking 

6 Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12) for the purposes de7 scribed in subsection (b)(2), to remain available 

8 until expended. 

9 (2) INTENDED USE PLANS.—Not later than 30 

10 days after the date on which an eligible State sub11 mits to the Administrator a revised intended use 

12 plan under section 1452(b) of the Safe Drinking 

13 Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12(b)) that includes in14 formation with respect to projects described in sub15 section (b)(2) to be funded using amounts made 

16 available in a capitalization grant pursuant to para17 graph (1), the Administrator shall make a capital18 ization grant to the eligible State in such amount as 

19 is necessary to fund the projects described in the re20 vised intended use plan. 

21 (3) REQUIREMENT.—Of the funds provided to 

22 an eligible State in a capitalization grant made pur23 suant to paragraph (1), the eligible State may use 

24 not more than 15 percent to provide assistance to an 

25 eligible system for the purposes of purchasing and 


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1 installing new water meters and modernizing billing 

2 systems. 

3 (d) NONDUPLICATION OF WORK.—An activity car4 ried out using funds made available under this section 

5 shall not duplicate or impede the work of any other Fed6 eral or State department or agency. 

7 SEC. 4. ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTS FOR 

8 DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE. 

9 Of the amounts made available under the heading 

10 ‘‘ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS’’ 

11 under the heading ‘‘ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINIS12 TRATION’’ under title II of division B of the CARES Act 

13 (Public Law 116–136; 134 Stat. 510), or for grants for 

14 economic development assistance under the heading ‘‘ECO15 NOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS’’ under the 

16 heading ‘‘ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION’’ 

17 under title I of division B of the Consolidated Appropria18 tions Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260), that are unobli19 gated on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

20 of Commerce shall provide not less than $25,000,000 to 

21 eligible systems (as defined in section 3(a)) to address con22 taminants in drinking water. 

Æ 


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