I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1338

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations in each of fiscal years 1996–2001 for the construction of

wastewater treatment works to provide water pollution control in or

near the United States-Mexico border area.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 28, 1995

Mr. PASTOR (for himself, Mr. FILNER, Mr. COLEMAN, and Mr. BRYANT of

Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee

on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize appropriations in each of fiscal years 1996–2001

for the construction of wastewater treatment works to

provide water pollution control in or near the United

States-Mexico border area.

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 ‘‘United States-Mexico

5 Border Water Pollution Control Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER POLLUTION CON2 TROL.

3 Title V of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act

4 (33 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end

5 thereof the following new section:

6 ‘‘SEC. 520. UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER POLLUTION

7 CONTROL.

8 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to

9 protect the economy, public health, environment, surface

10 water, ground water, and water quality of the United

11 States-Mexico border area which is endangered and is

12 being polluted by raw or partially treated sewage, in fur13 therance of the goals of the Agreement Between the Gov14 ernment of the United States of America and the Govern15 ment of the United Mexican States Concerning the Estab16 lishment of a Border Environment Cooperation Commis17 sion and a North American Development Bank (signed

18 November 16 and 18, 1993) and this Act.

19 ‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS ON STATUTORY CONSTRUC20 TION.—This section shall not be construed—

21 ‘‘(1) to affect or impair the provisions of any

22 international agreement of the United States; or

23 ‘‘(2) to affect or impair any Federal legislation

24 applicable to the Border Environment Cooperation

25 Commission, the North American Development
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1 Bank, or the International Boundary and Water

2 Commission, the United States and Mexico.

3 ‘‘(c) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR WASTEWATER

4 TREATMENT WORKS.—The Administrator is authorized

5 to provide financial and other assistance to the Border En6 vironment Cooperation Commission, any appropriate Fed7 eral, State, or local governmental entity, and the Inter8 national Boundary and Water Commission, the United

9 States and Mexico, subject to such terms and conditions

10 as the Administrator deems appropriate, for planning, de11 sign, and construction of wastewater treatment works for

12 the purposes specified in section (a). Such wastewater

13 treatment works shall be located, regardless of the place

14 of origin or ultimate destination of the wastewater, in the

15 United States-Mexico border area (or near the United

16 States-Mexico border areas they would remedy a

17 transboundary environmental or health problem) and shall

18 be planned, designed, and constructed in accordance with

19 any applicable international agreement to which the

20 United States is a party.

21 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

22 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the purposes

23 of this Act $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1996

24 through 2000 and $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2001.’’.
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1 SEC. 3. UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER AREA DEFINED.

2 Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control

3 Act (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended by adding the following:

4 ‘‘(21) The term ‘United States-Mexico border area’

5 has the meaning the term ‘border area’ has under Article

6 4 of the Agreement Between the United States of America

7 and the United Mexican States on Cooperation for the

8 Protection and Improvement of the Environment in the

9 Border Area (signed August 14, 1993, and commonly

10 known as the ‘La Paz Agreement’).’’.

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