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103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4401

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize financial

assistance for United States-Mexico wastewater treatment works.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 12, 1994

Mr. DE LA GARZA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Public Works and Transportation

A BILL

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize financial assistance for United States-Mexico

wastewater treatment works.

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 ‘‘Good Neighbor Water

5 Pollution Control Act of 1994’’.

6 SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE FOR UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER

7 WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS.

8 Title V of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act

9 (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end

10 thereof the following new section:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 520. ASSISTANCE FOR UNITED STATES-MEXICO BOR2 DER WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS.

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

4 protect the public health, environment, and quality of the

5 surface water and ground water of the United States-Mex6 ico border area from being polluted by raw or partially

7 treated sewage, in furtherance of the goals and objectives

8 of this Act and the November 1993 Agreement between

9 the Government of the United States of America and the

10 Government of the United Mexican States Concerning the

11 Establishment of a Border Environment Cooperation

12 Commission and the North American Development Bank.

13 ‘‘(b) EFFECT OF PROVISIONS.—This section shall not

14 be construed to affect or impair the provisions of any

15 agreement of the United States or any Federal legislation

16 applicable to the Border Environment Cooperation Com17 mission, the North American Development Bank, or the

18 International Boundary and Water Commission.

19 ‘‘(c) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The Administrator may

20 provide financial and other assistance to the Border Envi21 ronment Cooperation Commission, any appropriate Fed22 eral, State, or local governmental entity, and the Inter23 national Boundary and Water Commission, subject to

24 such terms and conditions as the Administrator deems ap25 propriate, for the planning, design, and construction of

26 wastewater treatment works located in the United States-
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1 Mexico border area, regardless of the place of origin or

2 ultimate destination of the wastewater. Assistance may be

3 provided under this section for wastewater treatment

4 works located near the United States-Mexico border area

5 if such treatment works would remedy a transboundary

6 environmental or health problem. All treatment works re7 ceiving assistance under this section shall be planned, de8 signed, and constructed in accordance with any applicable

9 agreement to which the United States is a party.

10 ‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this section

11 the term ‘border area’ shall mean the area located within

12 100 kilometers of either side of the United States-Mexican

13 border.

14 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

15 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be

16 necessary to carry out this section.’’.

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