I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7289 

To establish the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative to 

carry out projects for the protection and restoration of the Mississippi 

River Corridor, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2024 

Ms. MCCOLLUM (for herself, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. 

BUSH, and Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 

in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience 

Initiative to carry out projects for the protection and 

restoration of the Mississippi River Corridor, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mississippi River Res3 toration and Resilience Initiative Act’’ or the ‘‘MRRRI 

4 Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

6 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) The Mississippi River flows more than 

8 2,300 miles from its source at Lake Itasca through 

9 the center of the continental United States to the 

10 Gulf of Mexico. 

11 (2) The main stem of the Mississippi River 

12 flows through 10 States that collectively are home to 

13 55.4 million people as of 2019. 

14 (3) The Mississippi River provides drinking 

15 water to more than 20 million people in 50 cities. 

16 (4) The Mississippi River drives a vibrant nat17 ural resource and recreation-based economy that 

18 generates nearly $500 billion in annual revenue and 

19 directly employs more than 1.5 million people. 

20 (5) The Mississippi River and its 30 million 

21 acre floodplain provide an ecological lifeline for all of 

22 North America, supporting more than 780 species of 

23 fish and wildlife and providing a vital migration cor24 ridor for 60 percent of all North American birds and 

25 40 percent of the migratory waterfowl in the United 

26 States. 


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1 (6) The Mississippi River serves as a major 

2 transportation corridor for grain and cargo. 

3 (7) Congress has designated the Mississippi 

4 River System as a nationally significant ecosystem 

5 and a nationally significant navigation system and is 

6 the only inland river system to receive both designa7 tions. 

8 (8) Despite its critical value to the United 

9 States, the Mississippi River is in a severe state of 

10 ecological decline, as documented by the United 

11 States Geological Survey, the Army Corps of Engi12 neers, and other Federal and State agencies. 

13 (9) Modifications to the Mississippi River have 

14 resulted in the extensive loss of wetlands and com15 plex river habitats causing profound harm to the 

16 treasured fish and wildlife resources in the United 

17 States and increasing flood risks to communities. 

18 (10) Polluted runoff has drastically reduced 

19 water quality and created a massive dead zone in the 

20 Gulf of Mexico. 

21 (11) Invasive aquatic species threaten the eco22 logical integrity of the Mississippi River and Gulf of 

23 Mexico, and the fisheries and recreation that rely on 

24 a healthy ecosystem. 


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1 (12) Ecological degradation of the Mississippi 

2 River has resulted in— 

3 (A) more flooding; 

4 (B) less wildlife; 

5 (C) fewer jobs; 

6 (D) reduced recreational opportunities; and 

7 (E) higher costs for keeping communities 

8 safe and ensuring that communities have clean 

9 drinking water. 

10 (13) The consequences of ecological degradation 

11 have disproportionately harmed rural communities, 

12 economically disadvantaged communities, and com13 munities of color. 

14 (14) Existing Federal programs lack sufficient 

15 coordination, funding, and participation with States, 

16 Tribes, local governments, and nongovernmental or17 ganizations to address these ongoing challenges and 

18 reverse the decline of the Mississippi River. 

19 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to estab20 lish the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Ini21 tiative to protect and restore the ecological health and re22 silience of the Mississippi River for current and succeeding 

23 generations of Americans and for the fish and wildlife that 

24 rely on the Mississippi River and its floodplain. The 

25 MRRRI is a nonregulatory initiative that will build upon 


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1 existing efforts and provide funding for projects and ac2 tivities to protect and restore the nationally significant re3 sources of the Mississippi River by— 

4 (1) establishing the Mississippi River National 

5 Program Office; 

6 (2) establishing the focus areas and identifying 

7 qualifying activities for MRRRI programs and 

8 projects; 

9 (3) directing the development of actionable 

10 goals, an action plan, and a science plan, and reg11 ular updates to such plans, to guide the MRRRI and 

12 ensuring the integration of the MRRRI with other 

13 Federal, State, Tribal, and local programs; 

14 (4) establishing criteria for measuring the suc15 cess of the MRRRI in restoring the ecological health 

16 and resilience of the Mississippi River; 

17 (5) requiring the Environmental Protection 

18 Agency to coordinate and consult with Federal and 

19 non-Federal stakeholders to implement the MRRRI; 

20 and 

21 (6) establishing the Mississippi River Corridor 

22 Research Centers. 


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1 SEC. 3. MISSISSIPPI RIVER RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE 

2 INITIATIVE. 

3 Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

4 (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 127. MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 

7 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 ‘‘(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘Agency’ means the 

9 Environmental Protection Agency. 

10 ‘‘(2) MRRRI.—The term ‘MRRRI’ means the 

11 Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initia12 tive established by this section. 

13 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM OFFICE.—The term ‘Program 

14 Office’ means the Mississippi River National Pro15 gram Office established by this section. 

16 ‘‘(4) MRRRI DIRECTOR.—The term ‘MRRRI 

17 Director’ means the Director of the Mississippi 

18 River National Program Office established under 

19 this section. 

20 ‘‘(5) MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR.—The term 

21 ‘Mississippi River Corridor’ means the portions of 

22 the Mississippi River watershed (including tributary 

23 watersheds) located in a Mississippi River State. 

24 ‘‘(6) MISSISSIPPI RIVER STATE.—The term 

25 ‘Mississippi River State’ means Arkansas, Illinois, 


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1 Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, 

2 Missouri, Tennessee, or Wisconsin. 

3 ‘‘(7) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘Tribal 

4 government’ means the recognized governing body of 

5 an any Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, 

6 community, component band, or component reserva7 tion, individually identified (including parentheti8 cally) in the list published pursuant to section 104 

9 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 

10 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 

11 ‘‘(8) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Tribal 

12 organization’ has the meaning given such term in 

13 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu14 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

15 ‘‘(9) RURAL.—The term ‘rural’ means an area 

16 that is not delineated by the Bureau of the Census 

17 as an urbanized area or an urban cluster based on 

18 decennial census results. 

19 ‘‘(10) ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMU20 NITY.—The term ‘economically disadvantaged com21 munity’ means any census block group in which 30 

22 percent or more of the population are individuals 

23 with an annual household income equal to, or less 

24 than, the greater of— 


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1 ‘‘(A) an amount equal to 80 percent of the 

2 median income of the area in which the house3 hold is located, as reported by the Department 

4 of Housing and Urban Development; and 

5 ‘‘(B) an amount equal to 200 percent of 

6 the Federal poverty line. 

7 ‘‘(11) COMMUNITY OF COLOR.—The term ‘com8 munity of color’ means a geographically distinct area 

9 in which the population of any of the following cat10 egories of individuals is higher than the average pop11 ulation of such category for the State in which the 

12 geographically distinct area is located: 

13 ‘‘(A) Black. 

14 ‘‘(B) African American. 

15 ‘‘(C) Asian. 

16 ‘‘(D) Pacific Islander. 

17 ‘‘(E) Hispanic. 

18 ‘‘(F) Latino. 

19 ‘‘(G) Indian (as such term is defined in 

20 section 202 of the Indian Land Consolidation 

21 Act (25 U.S.C. 2201)). 

22 ‘‘(12) RELEVANT FEDERAL AGENCY.—The 

23 term ‘relevant Federal agency’ means any of the fol24 lowing agencies: 

25 ‘‘(A) The Department of Agriculture— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the Natural Resources Conserva2 tion Service; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) the Forest Service. 

4 ‘‘(B) The Department of the Interior, in5 cluding— 

6 ‘‘(i) the Bureau of Indian Affairs; 

7 ‘‘(ii) the United States Fish and Wild8 life Service; 

9 ‘‘(iii) the United States Geological 

10 Survey; and 

11 ‘‘(iv) the National Park Service. 

12 ‘‘(C) The Corps of Engineers. 

13 ‘‘(D) The Federal Emergency Management 

14 Agency. 

15 ‘‘(E) The National Oceanic and Atmos16 pheric Administration. 

17 ‘‘(F) The Coast Guard. 

18 ‘‘(G) Any other Federal agency the 

19 MRRRI Director determines is relevant. 

20 ‘‘(b) MISSISSIPPI RIVER NATIONAL PROGRAM OF21 FICE.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es23 tablish a Mississippi River National Program Office 

24 within the Agency to carry out the Mississippi River 

25 Restoration and Resilience Initiative. 


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1 ‘‘(2) LOCATION.—The Program Office shall be 

2 located in a Mississippi River State. 

3 ‘‘(3) DIRECTOR.—The Program Office shall be 

4 headed by a Director, appointed by the Adminis5 trator, who has management experience and tech6 nical expertise relating to the Mississippi River and 

7 who is highly qualified to direct the development of 

8 programs and plans on a variety of issues related to 

9 restoration of the Mississippi River. 

10 ‘‘(4) FUNCTIONS.—The MRRRI Director 

11 shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) coordinate actions of the Agency that 

13 seek to protect and restore the Mississippi 

14 River Corridor; 

15 ‘‘(B) develop, implement, and update the 

16 MRRRI, actionable goals, and action plan re17 quired by this section, in coordination with rel18 evant Federal agencies and non-Federal enti19 ties; 

20 ‘‘(C) document information and updates 

21 related to the development and implementation 

22 of the MRRRI, actionable goals, and action 

23 plan and make such information and updates 

24 available to the public, including on a public 

25 website; 


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1 ‘‘(D) facilitate engagement and consulta2 tion with Tribal governments and Tribal organi3 zations to ensure Tribal needs and priorities are 

4 solicited early and throughout the development 

5 of the actionable goals and action plan required 

6 by this section; 

7 ‘‘(E) work cooperatively with the Bureau 

8 of Indian Affairs and other Federal agencies to 

9 carry out subparagraph (D); and 

10 ‘‘(F) submit to Congress, and make avail11 able on a public website, an annual report de12 scribing— 

13 ‘‘(i) progress made in implementing 

14 the MRRRI; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the coordination of the MRRRI 

16 with other Federal, State, Tribal, and local 

17 programs; 

18 ‘‘(iii) any funds transferred to rel19 evant Federal agencies under this section; 

20 ‘‘(iv) any grants awarded under this 

21 section; and 

22 ‘‘(v) specific projects and activities 

23 carried out pursuant to this section. 

24 ‘‘(5) AGREEMENTS.—In carrying out paragraph 

25 (4), the MRRRI Director may enter into agreeVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:17 Feb 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7289.IH H7289

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1 ments, as applicable, with relevant Federal agencies 

2 and non-Federal entities. 

3 ‘‘(6) TRIBAL LIAISON.—The MRRRI Director 

4 shall appoint a Tribal Liaison within the Program 

5 Office to ensure enhanced interagency technical sup6 port, communication, and coordination with Tribal 

7 governments, Tribal organizations, and Tribal stake8 holders, and to carry out other duties as determined 

9 necessary to meet the needs of Tribes. 

10 ‘‘(c) MISSISSIPPI RIVER RESTORATION AND RESIL11 IENCE INITIATIVE.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

13 within the Agency the Mississippi River Restoration 

14 and Resilience Initiative to implement projects for 

15 systemic, large-scale restoration of the Mississippi 

16 River Corridor. 

17 ‘‘(2) FOCUS AREAS.—Any project or activity 

18 carried out under this section shall address at least 

19 1 of the following focus areas: 

20 ‘‘(A) The improvement of water quality in 

21 the Mississippi River Corridor and drinking 

22 water quality in the Mississippi River States 

23 by— 

24 ‘‘(i) reducing the amount of polluted 

25 runoff, excess agricultural nutrients, and 


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1 sediment in the Mississippi River Corridor; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(ii) improving source water protec4 tions. 

5 ‘‘(B) The improvement of community resil6 ience throughout the Mississippi River Corridor 

7 by restoring the ability of the Mississippi River 

8 floodplain, riverine wetlands, delta and coastal 

9 wetlands, and backwaters to minimize and ame10 liorate flood and storm risks. 

11 ‘‘(C) The protection and restoration of fish 

12 and wildlife habitat in and along the Mississippi 

13 River Corridor. 

14 ‘‘(D) The prevention of the spread of 

15 aquatic invasive species in the Mississippi River 

16 Corridor. 

17 ‘‘(E) The improvement of communication 

18 and partnership activities related to the focus 

19 areas described in subparagraphs (A) through 

20 (D). 

21 ‘‘(F) Monitoring, collecting, and evaluating 

22 scientific data to assess the focus areas de23 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

24 ‘‘(3) PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Funds made available 

2 to carry out the MRRRI may be used to imple3 ment eligible projects and activities described in 

4 paragraph (5) that are carried out by a relevant 

5 Federal agency or by a non-Federal entity. 

6 ‘‘(B) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The MRRRI 

7 Director, or the head of any other Federal 

8 agency receiving funds under this section, may 

9 make a grant to, or otherwise enter into an 

10 agreement with, any non-Federal entity (includ11 ing any State, local, or Tribal governmental en12 tity, nonprofit organization, institution of high13 er education (as such term is defined in section 

14 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

15 U.S.C. 1001)), or individual) that the MRRRI 

16 Director or agency head determines is qualified 

17 to carry out an eligible project described in 

18 paragraph (5). 

19 ‘‘(4) PROJECT SELECTION.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

21 MRRRI, the MRRRI Director shall collaborate 

22 with relevant Federal agencies to select projects 

23 and activities to be implemented pursuant to 

24 this section using appropriate principles and 

25 criteria, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the selection of an equitable dis2 tribution of projects and activities along 

3 the entire Mississippi River Corridor; 

4 ‘‘(ii) the ability of a project to achieve 

5 strategic and measurable environmental 

6 outcomes; 

7 ‘‘(iii) the recognition that projects 

8 may provide benefits to local or regional 

9 communities or to the entire Mississippi 

10 River Corridor; 

11 ‘‘(iv) the feasibility of prompt imple12 mentation, timely achievement of measur13 able results, and resource leveraging; and 

14 ‘‘(v) the opportunity to improve inter15 agency, intergovernmental, and inter16 organizational coordination and collabora17 tion to reduce duplication and improve 

18 measurable environmental outcomes. 

19 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In selecting projects and 

20 activities under this paragraph, the MRRRI Di21 rector shall give priority to projects or activities 

22 that carry out actions described in paragraph 

23 (5)(B)(xi). 

24 ‘‘(C) COMPATIBILITY.—The MRRRI Di25 rector shall ensure that projects and activities 


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1 carried out under this section are compatible 

2 with— 

3 ‘‘(i) the ability of the Corps of Engi4 neers to maintain navigation in the Mis5 sissippi River; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the structural integrity or effec7 tiveness of Federal, State, local, or Tribal 

8 disaster risk reduction infrastructure. 

9 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Funds made available 

11 to carry out this section may only be used to 

12 implement a project or activity that addresses 

13 at least 1 of the focus areas described in para14 graph (2) and that carries out at least one of 

15 the actions described in subparagraph (B). 

16 ‘‘(B) ACTIONS DESCRIBED.—The actions 

17 referred to in subparagraph (A) are actions 

18 that— 

19 ‘‘(i) protect or restore naturally occur20 ring hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecological 

21 functions and processes, including the res22 toration or rehabilitation of wetlands, in23 stream habitats (including through re24 connection of side channels and backVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:17 Feb 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7289.IH H7289

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1 waters), living shorelines, or upland habi2 tats; 

3 ‘‘(ii) remove or modify structures , in4 cluding culverts, levees, and dams, to re5 store— 

6 ‘‘(I) natural hydrology of rivers, 

7 streams, floodplains, wetlands, or 

8 coasts; or 

9 ‘‘(II) the form, function, or proc10 esses of rivers, streams, floodplains, 

11 wetlands, or coasts; 

12 ‘‘(iii) permanently protect privately 

13 owned lands through fee title acquisition or 

14 enrollment into voluntary permanent wet15 land, flooding, or other conservation ease16 ments; 

17 ‘‘(iv) facilitate habitat restoration 

18 using responsibly sourced and clean 

19 dredged sediment material by covering the 

20 cost differential between the Federal 

21 standard for dredge disposal and the cost 

22 of transportation; 

23 ‘‘(v) relocate, elevate, or demolish, and 

24 clean up flood-prone structures, and carry 

25 out any related floodplain restoration; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) increase water retention and in2 filtration through actions that promote a 

3 healthy soil ecosystem, including maxi4 mizing soil cover, maximizing soil biodiver5 sity, and maximizing the presence of living 

6 roots; 

7 ‘‘(vii) reduce nonpoint sources of pol8 lution and promote landscape-scale vegeta9 tive cover (including perennial grains, pe10 rennial woody crops, winter annual cover 

11 crops, perennial pasture, and other ap12 proaches to maintain year-round vegetative 

13 cover) through the implementation of vol14 untary initiatives developed with the sup15 port of market research; 

16 ‘‘(viii) reduce stormwater flows and 

17 inflows that contribute to combined sewer 

18 overflow events, and accelerate the adop19 tion of urban stormwater pollution preven20 tion minimum control measures through 

21 municipal separate storm sewer system 

22 permits issued under section 402(p); 

23 ‘‘(ix) facilitate the cleanup of legacy 

24 contaminants that are not hazardous sub25 stances (as defined in section 101 of the 


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1 Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

2 Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 

3 (42 U.S.C. 9601)) or designated as haz4 ardous substances pursuant to section 102 

5 of the Comprehensive Environmental Re6 sponse, Compensation, and Liability Act of 

7 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9602); 

8 ‘‘(x) control, manage, or eradicate 

9 nonnative aquatic invasive species or re10 introduce native aquatic species, including 

11 through— 

12 ‘‘(I) investments in technology 

13 and research to combat the spread of 

14 aquatic invasive species; 

15 ‘‘(II) the use of in-river physical 

16 deterrent or controls; or 

17 ‘‘(III) the promotion of commer18 cial harvesting of nonnative aquatic 

19 species; 

20 ‘‘(xi) address the disproportionate ef21 fects of the ecological degradation of the 

22 Mississippi River Corridor on economically 

23 disadvantaged communities in rural and 

24 urban areas and on communities of color, 

25 including through— 


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1 ‘‘(I) community based 

2 participatory research; 

3 ‘‘(II) project or community-wide 

4 planning; 

5 ‘‘(III) outreach and community 

6 engagement; or 

7 ‘‘(IV) restoration-related job 

8 training and workforce development; 

9 or 

10 ‘‘(xii) additional actions determined to 

11 be eligible pursuant to subsection 

12 (d)(2)(B)(v). 

13 ‘‘(C) PROTECTION AGAINST INVASIVE

14 PLANT SPECIES.—Funds made available to 

15 carry out this section may not be used for a 

16 project or activity that proposes to use a plant 

17 that has an elevated risk of becoming invasive, 

18 as determined by the MRRRI Director through 

19 the use of a credible weed risk assessment tool. 

20 ‘‘(6) MONITORING PLAN.—A Federal agency or 

21 non-Federal entity receiving funds to carry out a 

22 project or activity under this section shall develop a 

23 detailed plan for monitoring the implementation and 

24 ecological success of such project or activity, as ap25 plicable, that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) describes criteria for ecological suc2 cess by which the project will be evaluated 

3 based on replacement of lost functions and val4 ues of the Mississippi River Corridor habitat, 

5 including hydrologic and vegetative characteris6 tics; 

7 ‘‘(B) identifies an entity responsible for 

8 such monitoring; and 

9 ‘‘(C) includes continuation of such moni10 toring until the project is determined to be suc11 cessful based on documented achievement of the 

12 ecological success criteria described under sub13 paragraph (A). 

14 ‘‘(d) ACTIONABLE GOALS; ACTION PLANS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) ACTIONABLE GOALS.—Not later than 1 

16 year after the date of enactment of this section, the 

17 MRRRI Director shall develop measurable goals for 

18 the MRRRI, including establishing criteria for meas19 uring the success of the MRRRI in addressing the 

20 focus areas established in subsection (c)(2) and in 

21 restoring the overall ecological health and resilience 

22 of the Mississippi River Corridor. 

23 ‘‘(2) ACTION PLAN.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

25 after the date of enactment of this section, the 


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1 MRRRI Director shall develop an action plan to 

2 make progress on the MRRRI through the im3 plementation of MRRRI projects and activities 

4 under subsection (c). 

5 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The MRRRI Director 

6 shall include in the action plan developed under 

7 subparagraph (A)— 

8 ‘‘(i) a description of existing Federal, 

9 State, Tribal, and regional plans, pro10 grams, and activities affecting the Mis11 sissippi River Corridor that may be used to 

12 advance the MRRRI; 

13 ‘‘(ii) recommendations for a com14 prehensive approach to advancing systemic, 

15 large-scale restoration of the Mississippi 

16 River Corridor that, where appropriate, 

17 leverages existing Federal and State pro18 grams; 

19 ‘‘(iii) a multi-year plan that identifies 

20 objectives within each of the focus areas 

21 described in subsection (c)(2), with cor22 responding commitments for activities, re23 search, and measures for progress; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) a plan to monitor the implemen2 tation of any recommendations developed 

3 under this subparagraph; and 

4 ‘‘(v) a description of any additional 

5 actions the Director determines are eligible 

6 under this section. 

7 ‘‘(C) PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS.—The 

8 action plan described in subparagraph (A) may 

9 include recommendations for specific projects or 

10 activities that advance the objectives developed 

11 under subparagraph (B)(iii), including 

12 timelines, budgets, and the identification of en13 tities responsible for the implementation of such 

14 projects. 

15 ‘‘(3) UPDATES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not less than once 

17 every 5 years, the MRRRI Director shall review 

18 and update the actionable goals and action plan 

19 developed under this subsection. 

20 ‘‘(B) INTEGRATION WITH SCIENCE

21 PLAN.—In updating the action plan pursuant to 

22 this paragraph, the MRRRI Director shall in23 corporate any relevant information contained in 

24 the science plan developed pursuant to section 

25 4(b) of the MRRRI Act. 


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1 ‘‘(4) COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION.—In 

2 developing and updating the actionable goals and ac3 tion plan required under this subsection, the MRRRI 

4 Director shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) consult with Mississippi River States, 

6 Tribal governments within such States, the Sec7 retary of the Interior, the Chief of Engineers, 

8 and the Secretary of Agriculture; 

9 ‘‘(B) engage with relevant Federal agen10 cies, local governments, nongovernmental orga11 nizations, institutions of higher education (as 

12 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

13 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), and members 

14 of the public; and 

15 ‘‘(C) solicit input from the entities de16 scribed in subparagraph (B) through a formal 

17 public notice and comment period. 

18 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 

19 ‘‘(1) TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO FEDERAL ENTI20 TIES.—With funds made available to carry out this 

21 section for each fiscal year, the MRRRI Director 

22 may— 

23 ‘‘(A) transfer funds to the head of any rel24 evant Federal agency, with the concurrence of 


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1 the head of such agency, to carry out activities 

2 in accordance with this section; 

3 ‘‘(B) transfer funds to other Federal pro4 grams to be used for achieving specifically tar5 geted and measurable environmental outcomes 

6 that advance the actionable goals developed and 

7 updated under subsection (d); and 

8 ‘‘(C) enter into an interagency agreement 

9 with the head of any relevant Federal agency to 

10 carry out activities in accordance with this sec11 tion. 

12 ‘‘(2) TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO BUREAU OF IN13 DIAN AFFAIRS.—The MRRRI Director shall transfer 

14 not less than 5 percent of the funds made available 

15 to carry out this section to the Director of the Bu16 reau of Indian Affairs, with the concurrence of such 

17 Director, to make grants or otherwise enter into 

18 agreements with Tribal governments or Tribal orga19 nizations to carry out projects or activities under 

20 this section. 

21 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT

22 PROJECTS PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF THE FIRST AC23 TION PLAN.—Before the date on which the first ac24 tion plan is developed under subsection (d)(2), the 

25 MRRRI Director may transfer funds to another 


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1 Federal entity, or award a grant or otherwise enter 

2 into an agreement with a non-Federal entity, to— 

3 ‘‘(A) carry out projects or activities that 

4 meet the requirements of subsection (c)(5); or 

5 ‘‘(B) establish the research centers re6 quired under section 4(a) of the MRRRI Act. 

7 ‘‘(4) COST SHARE.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

9 subparagraph (B), the Federal share of the cost 

10 of a project or activity carried out by a non11 Federal entity under this section shall not ex12 ceed 80 percent of the total cost of the project 

13 or activity. 

14 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—The Federal share of 

15 the cost of a project or activity carried out by 

16 a Tribal government or Tribal organization 

17 under this section, and the Federal share of the 

18 cost of a project or activity described in sub19 section (c)(5)(B)(xi) carried by a non-Federal 

20 entity, shall be 100 percent of the total cost of 

21 the project or activity. 

22 ‘‘(C) IN KIND CONTRIBUTION.—The non23 Federal share of the cost of a project or activity 

24 carried out under this section may include the 


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1 value of an in-kind contribution provided by a 

2 non-Federal entity. 

3 ‘‘(5) LIMITATIONS.—No funds made available 

4 to carry out this section may be used for any water 

5 infrastructure activity for which financial assistance 

6 is received under— 

7 ‘‘(A) a State water pollution control revolv8 ing fund established under section 603; 

9 ‘‘(B) a State drinking water treatment re10 volving loan fund established under section 

11 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 300j–12); or 

13 ‘‘(C) the Water Infrastructure Finance and 

14 Innovation Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3901 et 

15 seq.). 

16 ‘‘(6) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

17 this section may be construed to waive any require18 ment under any applicable Federal environmental 

19 law, including— 

20 ‘‘(A) this Act; 

21 ‘‘(B) the National Environmental Policy 

22 Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); 

23 ‘‘(C) the Endangered Species Act (16 

24 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 


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1 ‘‘(D) the Fish and Wildlife Coordination 

2 Act of 1934 (16 U.S.C. 662 et seq.). 

3 ‘‘(f) SET-ASIDE.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the total amount of 

5 funds made available to carry out the MRRRI under 

6 this section for each fiscal year— 

7 ‘‘(A) not less than 25 percent shall be used 

8 for projects or activities that carry out actions 

9 described in subsection (c)(5)(B)(xi); and 

10 ‘‘(B) not less than 10 percent shall be used 

11 for projects or activities carried out in a per12 sistent poverty county that has had poverty 

13 rates of 20 percent or greater, as determined by 

14 the Bureau of the Census, for at least 30 con15 secutive years preceding such fiscal year. 

16 ‘‘(2) ACTION PLAN.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the total amount 

18 of funds made available to carry out the 

19 MRRRI under this section for each fiscal year 

20 beginning with the first fiscal year after which 

21 the action plan required under subsection (d)(2) 

22 is developed, not more than 5 percent may be 

23 used for projects and activities that are eligible 

24 under subsection (c)(5), but that do not address 


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1 an objective identified in the action plan under 

2 subsection (d)(2)(B)(iii). 

3 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In using funds under 

4 subparagraph (A), the MRRRI Director shall 

5 prioritize projects that reduce the effects of nat6 ural disasters or respond to emerging threats 

7 from natural disasters. 

8 ‘‘(g) ACTIVITIES BY OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The head of a relevant 

10 Federal agency that is engaged in, or has authority 

11 over, programs relating to research, monitoring, and 

12 planning to maintain, enhance, preserve, or rehabili13 tate the environmental quality and natural resources 

14 of the Mississippi River shall— 

15 ‘‘(A) submit an annual report to the Ad16 ministrator describing the activities of the agen17 cy relating to the MRRRI; 

18 ‘‘(B) strive to identify new projects and ac19 tivities to support the goals of the MRRRI; 

20 ‘‘(C) ensure that any funding provided 

21 through the MRRRI supplements, and does not 

22 supplant, funding obtained through other agen23 cy budgets or other sources of funds for activi24 ties related to the Mississippi River; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) strive to maintain, and where possible 

2 increase, the base level of funding for activities 

3 of such agency related to the Mississippi River, 

4 without regard to funding under the MRRRI. 

5 ‘‘(h) BUDGET ITEM.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall, in 

7 the Agency’s annual budget submission to Congress, 

8 include a funding request for the MRRRI as a sepa9 rate budget line item. 

10 ‘‘(2) INCLUSION.—The budget justification for 

11 the budget line item described in paragraph (1) shall 

12 include the amount to support the operation and ac13 tivities of the Program Office.’’. 

14 SEC. 4. MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR RESEARCH CENTERS 

15 AND SCIENCE PLAN. 

16 (a) MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR RESEARCH CEN17 TERS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte19 rior shall coordinate with the MRRRI Director to es20 tablish a network of 4 Mississippi River Corridor 

21 Research Centers within the United States Geologi22 cal Survey. 

23 (2) LOCATION.—The network of research cen24 ters established under paragraph (1) shall consist 

25 of— 


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1 (A) a National Mississippi River Corridor 

2 Research Center located at an office of the 

3 United States Geological Survey; and 

4 (B) 3 regional research centers, each of 

5 which shall be based out of a host university, as 

6 follows: 

7 (i) An Upper Mississippi River Re8 search Center located in the region from 

9 the headwaters of the Mississippi River to 

10 the confluence with the Missouri River. 

11 (ii) A Middle Mississippi River Re12 search Center located in the region 

13 downriver from the confluence of the Mis14 souri River to the confluence of the Ohio 

15 River. 

16 (iii) A Lower Mississippi River Re17 search Center located in the region 

18 downriver from the confluence of the Ohio 

19 River to the Gulf of Mexico. 

20 (3) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the research 

21 centers established under this subsection shall be 

22 to— 

23 (A) conduct scientific research on the 

24 MRRRI focus areas described in section 


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1 127(c)(2) of the Federal Water Pollution Con2 trol Act (as added by this Act); 

3 (B) consult with and advise relevant Fed4 eral agencies on— 

5 (i) the improvement of programs that 

6 monitor water quality in the Mississippi 

7 River Corridor and the health of the Mis8 sissippi River Corridor habitat or the es9 tablishment of such programs, where nec10 essary; 

11 (ii) the impact of projects and activi12 ties carried out under the MRRRI; and 

13 (iii) any additional goals, priorities, 

14 metrics, and research objectives proposed 

15 as part of the science plan described in 

16 subsection (b)(2); and 

17 (C) consult, and to the extent practicable, 

18 collaborate with relevant Federal agencies and 

19 non-Federal entities regarding research, moni20 toring, and other efforts to promote the restora21 tion and resiliency of the Mississippi River Cor22 ridor. 

23 (4) INTEGRATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AC24 TIVITIES.—The Secretary of the Interior shall en25 sure that research and other activities carried out 


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1 under this subsection are carried out in coordination 

2 with other Federal research and monitoring activi3 ties related to efforts to promote the restoration and 

4 resiliency of the Mississippi River Corridor. 

5 (b) SCIENCE PLAN.— 

6 (1) MISSISSIPPI RIVER SCIENCE FORUM.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

8 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di9 rector of the United States Geological Survey 

10 shall host a Mississippi River science forum 

11 with relevant Federal agencies, Mississippi 

12 River States, Tribal governments, Tribal orga13 nizations, academia, and other non-Federal en14 tities to— 

15 (i) share current science and identify 

16 data gaps and areas of concern related to 

17 the ecological health of the Mississippi 

18 River Corridor; and 

19 (ii) determine the resources that are 

20 necessary to— 

21 (I) address any data gaps and 

22 areas of concern identified under 

23 clause (i); and 

24 (II) develop an integrated science 

25 plan under paragraph (2). 


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1 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days 

2 after the Director of the United States Geologi3 cal Survey hosts the Mississippi River science 

4 forum under subparagraph (A), the Director 

5 shall submit a report on the findings from such 

6 forum to— 

7 (i) the Administrator of the Environ8 mental Protection Agency; 

9 (ii) the MRRRI Director; 

10 (iii) the Committee on Appropriations 

11 and the Committee on Natural Resources 

12 and the Committee on Transportation and 

13 Infrastructure of the House of Representa14 tives; and 

15 (iv) the Committee on Appropriations 

16 and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

17 Resources of the Senate. 

18 (2) SCIENCE PLAN DEVELOPMENT.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

20 after the conclusion of the Mississippi River 

21 science forum required by paragraph (1), the 

22 Director of the United States Geological Survey 

23 shall develop a science plan that establishes pri24 orities, metrics, and research proposals for the 

25 MRRRI. 


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1 (B) SUBMISSION.—Upon completion of the 

2 science plan developed under this paragraph, 

3 the Director of the United States Geological 

4 Survey shall make such plan available on a pub5 lic website and submit such plan to the MRRRI 

6 Director to inform the implementation of the 

7 actionable goals and action plans developed for 

8 the MRRRI under section 127(d) of the Fed9 eral Water Pollution Control Act (as added by 

10 this Act). 

11 (C) UPDATES.—Not less than once every 5 

12 years, the Director of the United States Geo13 logical Survey shall coordinate with the MRRRI 

14 Director and the research centers established 

15 under subsection (a) to review and update the 

16 science plan developed under this subsection. 

17 (D) COORDINATION.—In developing and 

18 updating the science plan, the Director shall so19 licit input and comment from the public 

20 through a formal public notice and comment 

21 period. 

22 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this Act, the terms ‘‘MRRRI’’, ‘‘MRRRI Direc24 tor’’, ‘‘Mississippi River Corridor’’, ‘‘Mississippi River 

25 State’’, ‘‘relevant Federal agency’’, ‘‘Tribal government’’, 


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1 and ‘‘Tribal organization’’ have the meanings given such 

2 terms in section 127(a) of the Federal Water Pollution 

3 Control Act, as added by this Act. 

Æ 


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