II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 702 

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the 

Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain 

the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 8, 2023 

Ms. SINEMA (for herself, Mr. CORNYN, and Mr. KELLY) 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, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program, 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 ‘‘Urban Waters Federal 

5 Partnership Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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1 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ3 mental Protection Agency. 

4 (2) MEMBER AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘member 

5 agencies’’ means each of— 

6 (A) the Environmental Protection Agency; 

7 (B) the Department of the Interior; 

8 (C) the Department of Agriculture; 

9 (D) the Corps of Engineers; 

10 (E) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

11 Administration; 

12 (F) the Economic Development Adminis13 tration; 

14 (G) the Department of Housing and Urban 

15 Development; 

16 (H) the Department of Transportation; 

17 (I) the Department of Energy; 

18 (J) the Department of Education; 

19 (K) the National Institute for Environ20 mental Health Sciences; 

21 (L) the Community Development Financial 

22 Institutions Fund; 

23 (M) the Federal Emergency Management 

24 Agency; 


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1 (N) the Corporation for National and 

2 Community Service; and 

3 (O) such other agencies, departments, and 

4 bureaus that elect to participate in the Urban 

5 Waters program as the missions, authorities, 

6 and appropriated funding of those agencies, de7 partments, and bureaus allow. 

8 (3) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

9 means the Secretary of the Interior and the Sec10 retary of Agriculture. 

11 (4) URBAN WATERS AMBASSADOR.—The term 

12 ‘‘Urban Waters ambassador’’ means a person who— 

13 (A) is locally based near the applicable 

14 Urban Waters partnership location; and 

15 (B) serves in a central coordinating role 

16 for the work carried out in the applicable 

17 Urban Waters partnership location with respect 

18 to the Urban Waters program. 

19 (5) URBAN WATERS NONPARTNERSHIP LOCA20 TION.—The term ‘‘Urban Waters nonpartnership lo21 cation’’ means an urban or municipal site and the 

22 associated watershed or waterbody of the site— 

23 (A) that receives Federal support for ac24 tivities that advance the purpose of the Urban 

25 Waters program; but 


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1 (B)(i) that is not formally designated as an 

2 Urban Waters partnership location; and 

3 (ii) for which is not maintained— 

4 (I) an active partnership with an 

5 Urban Waters ambassador; or 

6 (II) an Urban Waters partnership lo7 cation workplan. 

8 (6) URBAN WATERS PARTNERSHIP LOCATION.— 

9 The term ‘‘Urban Waters partnership location’’ 

10 means an urban or municipal site and the associated 

11 watershed or waterbody of the site for which— 

12 (A) the Administrator, in collaboration 

13 with the heads of the other member agencies, 

14 has formally designated as a partnership loca15 tion under the Urban Waters program; and 

16 (B) an active partnership with an Urban 

17 Waters ambassador is maintained. 

18 (7) URBAN WATERS PARTNERSHIP LOCATION

19 WORKPLAN.—The term ‘‘Urban Waters partnership 

20 location workplan’’ means the plan for projects and 

21 actions that is coordinated across an Urban Waters 

22 partnership location. 

23 (8) URBAN WATERS PROGRAM.—The term 

24 ‘‘Urban Waters program’’ means the program estab25 lished under section 3(a). 


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1 SEC. 3. URBAN WATERS FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized a pro4 gram, to be known as the ‘‘Urban Waters Federal Part5 nership Program’’, administered by the partnership of the 

6 member agencies— 

7 (1) to jointly support and execute the goals of 

8 the Urban Waters program through the independent 

9 authorities and appropriated funding of the member 

10 agencies; and 

11 (2) to advance the purpose described in sub12 section (b) within designated Urban Waters partner13 ship locations and other urban and suburban com14 munities in the United States. 

15 (b) PROGRAM PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Urban 

16 Waters program is to reconnect urban communities, par17 ticularly urban communities that are overburdened or eco18 nomically distressed, with associated waterways by im19 proving coordination among Federal agencies. 

20 (c) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of 

22 appropriations, the Administrator, in coordination 

23 with the Secretaries and, as appropriate, the heads 

24 of the other member agencies, shall maintain the 

25 Urban Waters program in accordance with this sub26 section. 


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1 (2) URBAN WATERS FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP

2 STEERING COMMITTEE.— 

3 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

4 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

5 shall establish a steering committee for the 

6 Urban Waters program (referred to in this 

7 paragraph as the ‘‘steering committee’’). 

8 (ii) CHAIR.—The Administrator shall 

9 serve as chairperson of the steering com10 mittee. 

11 (iii) VICE CHAIRS.—The Secretaries 

12 shall serve as vice chairpersons of the 

13 steering committee. 

14 (iv) MEMBERSHIP.—In addition to the 

15 Administrator and the Secretaries, the 

16 members of the steering committee shall be 

17 the senior officials (or their designees) 

18 from such member agencies as the Admin19 istrator shall designate. 

20 (B) DUTIES.—The steering committee 

21 shall provide general guidance to the member 

22 agencies with respect to the Urban Waters pro23 gram, including guidance with respect to— 


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1 (i) the identification of annual priority 

2 issues for special emphasis within Urban 

3 Waters partnership locations; and 

4 (ii) the identification of funding op5 portunities, which shall be communicated 

6 to all Urban Waters partnership locations. 

7 (C) INTERAGENCY FINANCING.—Notwith8 standing section 1346 of title 31, United States 

9 Code, section 708 of division E of the Consoli10 dated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 

11 117–328), or any other similar provision of law, 

12 member agencies may— 

13 (i) provide interagency financing to 

14 the steering committee; and 

15 (ii) directly transfer such amounts as 

16 are necessary to support the activities of 

17 the steering committee. 

18 (3) AUTHORITY.— 

19 (A) PARTNERSHIP LOCATIONS.— 

20 (i) PARTNERSHIP LOCATIONS.—The 

21 Administrator and the Secretaries shall 

22 maintain an active partnership program 

23 under the Urban Waters program at each 

24 Urban Waters partnership location, includ25 ing each Urban Waters partnership locaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Mar 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S702.IS S702

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1 tion in existence on the date of enactment 

2 of this Act, by providing— 

3 (I) technical assistance for 

4 projects to be carried out within the 

5 Urban Waters partnership location; 

6 (II) funding for projects to be 

7 carried out within the Urban Waters 

8 partnership location; 

9 (III) funding for an Urban 

10 Waters ambassador for the Urban 

11 Waters partnership location; and 

12 (IV) coordination support with 

13 other member agencies with respect to 

14 activities carried out at the Urban 

15 Waters partnership location. 

16 (ii) NEW PARTNERSHIP LOCATIONS.— 

17 (I) IN GENERAL.—The Adminis18 trator and the Secretaries may, in 

19 consultation with the heads of other 

20 member agencies, establish new 

21 Urban Waters partnership locations. 

22 (II) NONPARTNERSHIP LOCA23 TIONS.—A community with an Urban 

24 Waters nonpartnership location may, 

25 at the discretion of the community, 


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1 seek to have the Urban Waters non2 partnership location designated as an 

3 Urban Waters partnership location. 

4 (B) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 

5 (i) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTI6 TY.—In this subparagraph, the term ‘‘eli7 gible entity’’ means— 

8 (I) a State; 

9 (II) a territory or possession of 

10 the United States; 

11 (III) the District of Columbia; 

12 (IV) an Indian Tribe; 

13 (V) a unit of local government; 

14 (VI) a public or private institu15 tion of higher education; 

16 (VII) a public or private non17 profit institution; 

18 (VIII) an intertribal consortium; 

19 (IX) an interstate agency; and 

20 (X) any other entity determined 

21 to be appropriate by the Adminis22 trator. 

23 (ii) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the 

24 Urban Waters program, a member agency 

25 may— 


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1 (I) encourage, cooperate with, 

2 and render technical services to and 

3 provide financial assistance to sup4 port— 

5 (aa) Urban Waters ambas6 sadors to conduct activities with 

7 respect to the applicable Urban 

8 Waters partnership location, in9 cluding— 

10 (AA) convening the ap11 propriate Federal and non12 Federal partners for the 

13 Urban Waters partnership 

14 location; 

15 (BB) developing and 

16 carrying out an Urban 

17 Waters partnership location 

18 workplan; 

19 (CC) leveraging avail20 able Federal and non-Fed21 eral resources for projects 

22 within the Urban Waters 

23 partnership location; and 

24 (DD) sharing informa25 tion and best practices with 


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1 the Urban Waters Learning 

2 Network established under 

3 subparagraph (C); and 

4 (bb) an eligible entity in car5 rying out— 

6 (AA) projects at Urban 

7 Waters partnership locations 

8 that provide habitat or 

9 water quality improvements, 

10 increase river recreation, en11 hance community resiliency, 

12 install infrastructure, 

13 strengthen community en14 gagement with and edu15 cation with respect to water 

16 resources, or support plan17 ning, coordination, and exe18 cution of projects identified 

19 in the applicable Urban 

20 Waters partnership location 

21 workplan; and 

22 (BB) planning, re23 search, experiments, dem24 onstrations, surveys, studies, 

25 monitoring, training, and 


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1 outreach to advance the pur2 pose described in subsection 

3 (b) within Urban Waters 

4 partnership locations and in 

5 Urban Waters nonpartner6 ship locations; and 

7 (II) transfer funds to or enter 

8 into interagency agreements with 

9 other member agencies as necessary 

10 to carry out the Urban Waters pro11 gram. 

12 (C) URBAN WATERS LEARNING NET13 WORK.—The Administrator and the Secretaries 

14 shall maintain an Urban Waters Learning Net15 work— 

16 (i) to share information, resources, 

17 and tools between Urban Waters partner18 ship locations and with other interested 

19 communities; and 

20 (ii) to carry out community-based ca21 pacity building that advances the goals of 

22 the Urban Waters program. 

23 (D) WORKPLAN PROGRESS.—Progress in 

24 addressing the goals of the Urban Waters part25 nership location workplan of an Urban Waters 


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1 partnership location shall be shared with the 

2 Urban Waters program at regular intervals, as 

3 determined by the Administrator and the Secre4 taries. 

5 (d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Administrator 

6 and the Secretaries shall annually submit to the appro7 priate committees of Congress a report describing the 

8 progress in carrying out the Urban Waters program, 

9 which shall include— 

10 (1) a description of the use of funds under the 

11 Urban Waters program; 

12 (2) a description of the progress made in car13 rying out Urban Waters partnership location 

14 workplans; and 

15 (3) any additional information that the Admin16 istrator and the Secretaries determine to be appro17 priate. 

18 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

20 appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the 

21 Urban Waters program $10,000,000 for each of fis22 cal years 2024 through 2028. 

23 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any 

24 other provision of law, activities carried out using 

25 amounts made available to the Administrator under 


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1 paragraph (1) may be used in conjunction with 

2 amounts made available from— 

3 (A) other member agencies; and 

4 (B) non-Federal entities that participate in 

5 the Urban Waters program. 

Æ 


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