II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3754 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2024 

Ms. BALDWIN (for herself, Ms. DUCKWORTH, and Ms. SMITH) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mississippi River Res5 toration and Resilience Initiative Act’’ or the ‘‘MRRRI 

6 Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) the Mississippi River flows more than 2,300 

2 miles from its source at Lake Itasca through the 

3 center of the continental United States to the Gulf 

4 of Mexico; 

5 (2) as of 2019, the main stem of the Mississippi 

6 River flows through 10 States that collectively are 

7 home to 55,400,000 people; 

8 (3) the Mississippi River provides drinking 

9 water to more than 20,000,000 people in 50 cities; 

10 (4) the Mississippi River drives a vibrant nat11 ural resource and recreation-based economy that— 

12 (A) generates nearly $500,000,000,000 in 

13 annual revenue; and 

14 (B) directly employs more than 1,500,000 

15 people; 

16 (5) the Mississippi River and its 30,000,000 

17 acre floodplain provide an ecological lifeline for all of 

18 North America, supporting more than 780 species of 

19 fish and wildlife and providing a vital migration cor20 ridor for 60 percent of all North American birds and 

21 40 percent of the migratory waterfowl in the United 

22 States; 

23 (6) the Mississippi River serves as a major 

24 transportation corridor for grain and cargo; 


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1 (7) Congress has designated the Mississippi 

2 River System as a nationally significant ecosystem 

3 and a nationally significant navigation system, the 

4 only inland river system to receive both designations; 

5 (8) despite the critical value of the Mississippi 

6 River to the United States, the Mississippi River is 

7 in a severe state of ecological decline, as documented 

8 by the United States Geological Survey, the Corps of 

9 Engineers, and other Federal and State agencies; 

10 (9) modifications to the Mississippi River have 

11 resulted in the extensive loss of wetlands and com12 plex river habitats, causing profound harm to the 

13 treasured fish and wildlife resources in the United 

14 States and increasing flood risks to communities; 

15 (10) polluted runoff has drastically reduced 

16 water quality and created a massive dead zone in the 

17 Gulf of Mexico; 

18 (11) invasive aquatic species threaten— 

19 (A) the ecological integrity of the Mis20 sissippi River and Gulf of Mexico; and 

21 (B) the fisheries and recreation organiza22 tions in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of 

23 Mexico that rely on a healthy ecosystem; 

24 (12) ecological degradation of the Mississippi 

25 River has resulted in— 


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1 (A) more flooding; 

2 (B) less wildlife; 

3 (C) fewer jobs; 

4 (D) reduced recreational opportunities; and 

5 (E) higher costs for keeping communities 

6 safe and ensuring that communities have clean 

7 drinking water; 

8 (13) the consequences of ecological degradation 

9 have disproportionately harmed rural communities, 

10 economically disadvantaged communities, and com11 munities of color; and 

12 (14) existing Federal programs lack sufficient 

13 coordination, funding, and participation with States, 

14 Indian Tribes, local governments, and nongovern15 mental organizations— 

16 (A) to address the challenges described in 

17 this subsection; and 

18 (B) to reverse the decline of the Mis19 sissippi River. 

20 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act and the 

21 amendments made by this Act is to establish the Mis22 sissippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative, a non23 regulatory initiative— 

24 (1) to protect and restore the ecological health 

25 and resilience of the Mississippi River for— 


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1 (A) current and succeeding generations of 

2 people of the United States; and 

3 (B) the fish and wildlife that rely on the 

4 Mississippi River and the floodplain of the Mis5 sissippi River; and 

6 (2) to build on existing efforts and provide 

7 funding for projects and activities to protect and re8 store the nationally significant resources of the Mis9 sissippi River by— 

10 (A) establishing the Mississippi River Na11 tional Program Office; 

12 (B) establishing the focus areas for the 

13 Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience 

14 Initiative; 

15 (C) identifying qualifying activities for the 

16 programs and projects of the Mississippi River 

17 Restoration and Resilience Initiative; 

18 (D) to guide the Mississippi River Restora19 tion and Resilience Initiative, directing the de20 velopment of— 

21 (i) actionable goals; 

22 (ii) an action plan; 

23 (iii) a science plan; and 

24 (iv) updates to the goals and plans de25 scribed in clauses (i) through (iii); 


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1 (E) establishing criteria for measuring the 

2 success of the Mississippi River Restoration and 

3 Resilience Initiative in restoring the ecological 

4 health and resilience of the Mississippi River; 

5 (F) requiring the Administrator to coordi6 nate and consult with Federal and non-Federal 

7 stakeholders to carry out the Mississippi River 

8 Restoration and Resilience Initiative; and 

9 (G) establishing the Mississippi River Cor10 ridor Research Centers. 

11 SEC. 3. MISSISSIPPI RIVER RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE 

12 INITIATIVE. 

13 Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

14 (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 127. MISSISSIPPI RIVER RESTORATION AND RESIL17 IENCE INITIATIVE. 

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

19 ‘‘(1) ACTION PLAN.—The term ‘action plan’ 

20 means the action plan required under subsection 

21 (d)(2)(A), including any updates to that plan. 

22 ‘‘(2) AGENCY.—The term ‘Agency’ means the 

23 Environmental Protection Agency. 

24 ‘‘(3) COMMUNITY OF COLOR.—The term ‘com25 munity of color’ means a geographically distinct area 


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1 in which the population of any of the following cat2 egories of individuals is higher than the average pop3 ulation of that category for the State in which the 

4 geographically distinct area is located: 

5 ‘‘(A) Black. 

6 ‘‘(B) African American. 

7 ‘‘(C) Asian. 

8 ‘‘(D) Pacific Islander. 

9 ‘‘(E) Hispanic. 

10 ‘‘(F) Latino. 

11 ‘‘(G) Indian (as defined in section 202 of 

12 the Indian Land Consolidation Act (25 U.S.C. 

13 2201)). 

14 ‘‘(4) ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMU15 NITY.—The term ‘economically disadvantaged com16 munity’ means any census block group in which 30 

17 percent or more of the population are individuals 

18 with an annual household income that is not more 

19 than the greater of— 

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

21 median income of the area in which the house22 hold is located, as reported by the Department 

23 of Housing and Urban Development; and 

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

25 the Federal poverty line. 


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1 ‘‘(5) MISSISSIPPI RIVER RESTORATION AND RE2 SILIENCE INITIATIVE; MRRRI.—The terms ‘Mis3 sissippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative’ 

4 and ‘MRRRI’ means the Mississippi River Restora5 tion and Resilience Initiative established under sub6 section (c)(1). 

7 ‘‘(6) MRRRI DIRECTOR.—The term ‘MRRRI 

8 Director’ means the Director of the Mississippi 

9 River National Program Office appointed by the Ad10 ministrator under subsection (b)(3). 

11 ‘‘(7) MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR.—The term 

12 ‘Mississippi River Corridor’ means the portions of 

13 the Mississippi River watershed (including tributary 

14 watersheds) located in a Mississippi River State. 

15 ‘‘(8) MISSISSIPPI RIVER STATE.—The term 

16 ‘Mississippi River State’ means any of the States of 

17 Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Min18 nesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, or Wis19 consin. 

20 ‘‘(9) PROGRAM OFFICE.—The term ‘Program 

21 Office’ means the Mississippi River National Pro22 gram Office established by the Administrator under 

23 subsection (b)(1). 


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1 ‘‘(10) RELEVANT FEDERAL AGENCY.—The 

2 term ‘relevant Federal agency’ means any of the fol3 lowing Federal agencies: 

4 ‘‘(A) The Department of Agriculture, in5 cluding— 

6 ‘‘(i) the Natural Resources Conserva7 tion Service; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) the Forest Service. 

9 ‘‘(B) The Department of the Interior, in10 cluding— 

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

12 ‘‘(ii) the United States Fish and Wild13 life Service; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the United States Geological 

15 Survey; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) the National Park Service. 

17 ‘‘(C) The Corps of Engineers. 

18 ‘‘(D) The Federal Emergency Management 

19 Agency. 

20 ‘‘(E) The National Oceanic and Atmos21 pheric Administration. 

22 ‘‘(F) The Coast Guard. 

23 ‘‘(G) Any other Federal agency the 

24 MRRRI Director determines to be relevant. 


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1 ‘‘(11) RURAL.—The term ‘rural’ means an area 

2 that is not delineated by the Bureau of the Census 

3 as an urbanized area or an urban cluster based on 

4 decennial census results. 

5 ‘‘(12) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘Tribal 

6 government’ means the recognized governing body of 

7 any Indian Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, com8 munity, component band, or component reservation 

9 individually identified (including parenthetically) in 

10 the most recent list published pursuant to section 

11 104(a) of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe 

12 List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131(a)). 

13 ‘‘(13) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Trib14 al organization’ has the meaning given the term in 

15 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu16 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

17 ‘‘(b) MISSISSIPPI RIVER NATIONAL PROGRAM OF18 FICE.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es20 tablish a Mississippi River National Program Office 

21 within the Agency to carry out the Mississippi River 

22 Restoration and Resilience Initiative. 

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

24 located in a Mississippi River State. 


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

2 headed by a Director, appointed by the Adminis3 trator, who— 

4 ‘‘(A) has management experience and tech5 nical expertise relating to the Mississippi River; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(B) is highly qualified to direct the devel8 opment of programs and plans on a variety of 

9 issues related to restoration of the Mississippi 

10 River. 

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

12 shall— 

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

14 seek to protect and restore the Mississippi 

15 River Corridor; 

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

17 MRRRI, the actionable goals under subsection 

18 (d)(1), and the action plan, in coordination with 

19 relevant Federal agencies and non-Federal enti20 ties; 

21 ‘‘(C)(i) document information and updates 

22 related to the development and implementation 

23 of the MRRRI, the actionable goals under sub24 section (d)(1) and the action plan; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) make that information and those up2 dates available to the public, including on a 

3 public website; 

4 ‘‘(D) facilitate engagement and consulta5 tion with Tribal governments and Tribal organi6 zations to ensure Tribal needs and priorities are 

7 solicited early and throughout the development 

8 of the actionable goals under subsection (d)(1) 

9 and the action plan; 

10 ‘‘(E) work cooperatively with the Bureau 

11 of Indian Affairs and other relevant Federal 

12 agencies to carry out subparagraph (D); and 

13 ‘‘(F) submit to Congress, and make avail14 able on a public website, an annual report de15 scribing— 

16 ‘‘(i) progress made in implementing 

17 the MRRRI; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the coordination of the MRRRI 

19 with other Federal, State, Tribal, and local 

20 programs; 

21 ‘‘(iii) any funds transferred to rel22 evant Federal agencies under this section; 

23 ‘‘(iv) any grants awarded under sub24 section (c)(3)(B); and 


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1 ‘‘(v) specific projects and activities 

2 carried out pursuant to this section. 

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

4 (4), the MRRRI Director may enter into agree5 ments, as applicable, with relevant Federal agencies 

6 and non-Federal entities. 

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

8 shall appoint a Tribal Liaison within the Program 

9 Office— 

10 ‘‘(A) to ensure enhanced interagency tech11 nical support, communication, and coordination 

12 with Tribal governments, Tribal organizations, 

13 and Tribal stakeholders; and 

14 ‘‘(B) to carry out other duties as deter15 mined necessary to meet the needs of Indian 

16 Tribes. 

17 ‘‘(c) MISSISSIPPI RIVER RESTORATION AND RESIL18 IENCE INITIATIVE.— 

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

20 within the Agency the Mississippi River Restoration 

21 and Resilience Initiative to implement projects and 

22 activities for systemic, large-scale restoration of the 

23 Mississippi River Corridor. 


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

2 carried out under this section shall address at least 

3 1 of the following focus areas: 

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

5 the Mississippi River Corridor and drinking 

6 water quality in the Mississippi River States 

7 by— 

8 ‘‘(i) reducing the amount of polluted 

9 runoff, excess agricultural nutrients, and 

10 sediment in the Mississippi River Corridor; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(ii) improving source water protec13 tions. 

14 ‘‘(B) The improvement of community resil15 ience throughout the Mississippi River Corridor 

16 by restoring the ability of the Mississippi River 

17 floodplain, riverine wetlands, delta and coastal 

18 wetlands, and backwaters to minimize and ame19 liorate flood and storm risks. 

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

21 and wildlife habitat in and along the Mississippi 

22 River Corridor. 

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

24 aquatic invasive species in the Mississippi River 

25 Corridor. 


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1 ‘‘(E) The improvement of communication 

2 and partnership activities related to the focus 

3 areas described in subparagraphs (A) through 

4 (D). 

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

6 scientific data to assess the focus areas de7 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

8 ‘‘(3) PROJECT AND ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTA9 TION.— 

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

11 to carry out the MRRRI may be used to imple12 ment eligible projects and activities described in 

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

14 Federal agency or a non-Federal entity. 

15 ‘‘(B) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The MRRRI 

16 Director, or the head of any other relevant Fed17 eral agency receiving funds under this section, 

18 may make a grant to, or otherwise enter into 

19 an agreement with, any non-Federal entity (in20 cluding any State, local, or Tribal governmental 

21 entity, nonprofit organization, institution of 

22 higher education (as defined in section 101 of 

23 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

24 1001)), or individual) that the MRRRI Director 

25 or agency head determines is qualified to carry 


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1 out an eligible project or activity described in 

2 paragraph (5). 

3 ‘‘(4) PROJECT AND ACTIVITY SELECTION.— 

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

5 MRRRI, the MRRRI Director shall collaborate 

6 with relevant Federal agencies to select projects 

7 and activities to be implemented pursuant to 

8 this section using appropriate principles and 

9 criteria, including— 

10 ‘‘(i) the selection of an equitable dis11 tribution of projects and activities along 

12 the entire Mississippi River Corridor; 

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

14 strategic and measurable environmental 

15 outcomes; 

16 ‘‘(iii) the recognition that projects and 

17 activities may provide benefits to local or 

18 regional communities or to the entire Mis19 sissippi River Corridor; 

20 ‘‘(iv) the feasibility of prompt imple21 mentation, timely achievement of measur22 able results, and resource leveraging; and 

23 ‘‘(v) the opportunity to improve inter24 agency, intergovernmental, and inter25 organizational coordination and collaboraVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:46 Feb 11, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3754.IS S3754

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1 tion to reduce duplication and improve 

2 measurable environmental outcomes. 

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

4 activities under subparagraph (A), the MRRRI 

5 Director shall give priority to projects or activi6 ties that carry out actions described in para7 graph (5)(B)(xi). 

8 ‘‘(C) COMPATIBILITY.—The MRRRI Di9 rector shall ensure that projects and activities 

10 carried out under this section are compatible 

11 with— 

12 ‘‘(i) the ability of the Corps of Engi13 neers to maintain navigation in the Mis14 sissippi River; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) the structural integrity or effec16 tiveness of Federal, State, local, or Tribal 

17 disaster risk reduction infrastructure. 

18 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES.— 

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

20 to carry out this section may only be used to 

21 implement a project or activity that— 

22 ‘‘(i) addresses at least 1 of the focus 

23 areas described in paragraph (2); and 

24 ‘‘(ii) carries out at least 1 of the ac25 tions described in subparagraph (B). 


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

2 referred to in subparagraph (A)(ii) are actions 

3 that— 

4 ‘‘(i) protect or restore naturally occur5 ring hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecological 

6 functions and processes, including the res7 toration or rehabilitation of wetlands, in8 stream habitats (including through re9 connection of side channels and back10 waters), living shorelines, or upland habi11 tats; 

12 ‘‘(ii) remove or modify structures, in13 cluding culverts, levees, and dams, to re14 store— 

15 ‘‘(I) natural hydrology of rivers, 

16 streams, floodplains, wetlands, or 

17 coasts; or 

18 ‘‘(II) the form, function, or proc19 esses of rivers, streams, floodplains, 

20 wetlands, or coasts; 

21 ‘‘(iii) permanently protect privately 

22 owned lands through fee title acquisition or 

23 enrollment into voluntary permanent wet24 land, flooding, or other conservation ease25 ments; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) facilitate habitat restoration 

2 using responsibly sourced and clean 

3 dredged sediment material by covering the 

4 cost differential between the Federal 

5 standard for dredge disposal and the cost 

6 of transportation; 

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

8 clean up flood-prone structures and carry 

9 out any related floodplain restoration; 

10 ‘‘(vi) increase water retention and in11 filtration through actions that promote a 

12 healthy soil ecosystem, including maxi13 mizing soil cover, maximizing soil biodiver14 sity, and maximizing the presence of living 

15 roots; 

16 ‘‘(vii) reduce nonpoint sources of pol17 lution and promote landscape-scale vegeta18 tive cover (including perennial grains, pe19 rennial woody crops, winter annual cover 

20 crops, perennial pasture, and other ap21 proaches to maintain year-round vegetative 

22 cover) through the implementation of vol23 untary initiatives developed with the sup24 port of market research; 


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1 ‘‘(viii) reduce stormwater flows and 

2 inflows that contribute to combined sewer 

3 overflow events, and accelerate the adop4 tion of urban stormwater pollution preven5 tion minimum control measures through 

6 municipal separate storm sewer system 

7 permits issued under section 402(p); 

8 ‘‘(ix) facilitate the cleanup of legacy 

9 contaminants that are not hazardous sub10 stances (as defined in section 101 of the 

11 Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

12 Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 

13 (42 U.S.C. 9601)); 

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

15 nonnative aquatic invasive species or re16 introduce native aquatic species, including 

17 through— 

18 ‘‘(I) investments in technology 

19 and research to combat the spread of 

20 aquatic invasive species; 

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

22 deterrents or controls; or 

23 ‘‘(III) the promotion of commer24 cial harvesting of nonnative aquatic 

25 species; 


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1 ‘‘(xi) address the disproportionate ef2 fects of the ecological degradation of the 

3 Mississippi River Corridor on economically 

4 disadvantaged communities in rural and 

5 urban areas and on communities of color, 

6 including through— 

7 ‘‘(I) community based 

8 participatory research; 

9 ‘‘(II) project or community-wide 

10 planning; 

11 ‘‘(III) outreach and community 

12 engagement; or 

13 ‘‘(IV) restoration-related job 

14 training and workforce development; 

15 or 

16 ‘‘(xii) additional actions determined to 

17 be eligible pursuant to subsection 

18 (d)(2)(B)(v). 

19 ‘‘(C) PROTECTION AGAINST INVASIVE

20 PLANT SPECIES.—Funds made available to 

21 carry out this section may not be used for a 

22 project or activity that proposes to use a plant 

23 that has an elevated risk of becoming invasive, 

24 as determined by the MRRRI Director through 

25 the use of a credible weed risk assessment tool. 


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1 ‘‘(6) MONITORING PLAN.—A relevant Federal 

2 agency or non-Federal entity receiving funds to 

3 carry out a project or activity under this section 

4 shall develop a detailed plan for monitoring the im5 plementation and ecological success of that project 

6 or activity, as applicable, that— 

7 ‘‘(A) describes criteria for ecological suc8 cess by which the project or activity will be 

9 evaluated based on replacement of lost func10 tions and values of the Mississippi River Cor11 ridor habitat, including hydrologic and vegeta12 tive characteristics; 

13 ‘‘(B) identifies an entity responsible for the 

14 monitoring; and 

15 ‘‘(C) includes continuation of the moni16 toring until the project or activity is determined 

17 to be successful based on documented achieve18 ment of the ecological success criteria described 

19 under subparagraph (A). 

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

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

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

23 MRRRI Director shall develop measurable goals for 

24 the MRRRI, including establishing criteria for meas25 uring the success of the MRRRI in— 


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1 ‘‘(A) addressing the focus areas described 

2 in subsection (c)(2); and 

3 ‘‘(B) restoring the overall ecological health 

4 and resilience of the Mississippi River Corridor. 

5 ‘‘(2) ACTION PLAN.— 

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

7 after the date of enactment of this section, the 

8 MRRRI Director shall develop an action plan to 

9 make progress on the MRRRI through the im10 plementation of MRRRI projects and activities 

11 under subsection (c). 

12 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The MRRRI Director 

13 shall include in the action plan— 

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

15 State, Tribal, and regional plans, pro16 grams, and activities affecting the Mis17 sissippi River Corridor that may be used to 

18 advance the MRRRI; 

19 ‘‘(ii) recommendations for a com20 prehensive approach to advancing systemic, 

21 large-scale restoration of the Mississippi 

22 River Corridor that, where appropriate, 

23 leverages existing Federal and State pro24 grams; 


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

2 objectives within each of the focus areas 

3 described in subsection (c)(2), with cor4 responding commitments for activities, re5 search, and measures for progress to meet 

6 those objectives; 

7 ‘‘(iv) a plan to monitor the implemen8 tation of any recommendations developed 

9 under clause (ii); and 

10 ‘‘(v) a description of any additional 

11 actions the MRRI Director determines are 

12 eligible under this section. 

13 ‘‘(C) PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS.—The 

14 action plan may include recommendations for 

15 specific projects or activities that advance the 

16 objectives developed under subparagraph 

17 (B)(iii), including timelines, budgets, and the 

18 identification of entities responsible for the im19 plementation of those projects or activities. 

20 ‘‘(3) UPDATES.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

22 than once every 5 years, the MRRRI Director 

23 shall review and update the actionable goals de24 veloped under paragraph (1) and the action 

25 plan. 


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1 ‘‘(B) INTEGRATION WITH SCIENCE

2 PLAN.—In updating the action plan under sub3 paragraph (A), the MRRRI Director shall in4 corporate any relevant information contained in 

5 the science plan developed pursuant to section 

6 4(c) of the MRRRI Act. 

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

8 developing and updating the actionable goals devel9 oped under paragraph (1) and the action plan, the 

10 MRRRI Director shall— 

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

12 Tribal governments within Mississippi River 

13 States, the Secretary of the Interior, the Chief 

14 of Engineers, and the Secretary of Agriculture; 

15 ‘‘(B) engage with relevant Federal agen16 cies, units of local government, nongovern17 mental organizations, institutions of higher edu18 cation (as defined in section 101 of the Higher 

19 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), and 

20 members of the public; and 

21 ‘‘(C) solicit input from the entities de22 scribed in subparagraph (B) through a formal 

23 public notice and comment period. 

24 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO FEDERAL ENTI2 TIES.—The MRRRI Director may use funds made 

3 available to carry out this section for each fiscal 

4 year— 

5 ‘‘(A) to transfer funds to the head of any 

6 relevant Federal agency, with the concurrence 

7 of the head of the relevant Federal agency, to 

8 carry out activities in accordance with this sec9 tion; 

10 ‘‘(B) to transfer funds to other Federal 

11 programs to be used for achieving specifically 

12 targeted and measurable environmental out13 comes that advance the actionable goals devel14 oped and updated under subsection (d); and 

15 ‘‘(C) to enter into an interagency agree16 ment with the head of any relevant Federal 

17 agency to carry out projects and activities in 

18 accordance with this section. 

19 ‘‘(2) TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO BUREAU OF IN20 DIAN AFFAIRS.—The MRRRI Director shall transfer 

21 not less than 5 percent of the funds made available 

22 to carry out this section for each fiscal year to the 

23 Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with the 

24 concurrence of the Director of the Bureau of Indian 

25 Affairs, to make grants or otherwise enter into 


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1 agreements with Tribal governments or Tribal orga2 nizations to carry out projects or activities under 

3 this section. 

4 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT

5 PROJECTS PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF THE FIRST AC6 TION PLAN.—Before the date on which the first ac7 tion plan is developed under subsection (d)(2), the 

8 MRRRI Director may transfer funds to a relevant 

9 Federal agency or another Federal entity, or award 

10 a grant or otherwise enter into an agreement with 

11 a non-Federal entity— 

12 ‘‘(A) to carry out projects or activities that 

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

14 ‘‘(B) to establish the Mississippi River 

15 Corridor Research Centers required under sec16 tion 4(b) of the MRRRI Act. 

17 ‘‘(4) COST SHARE.— 

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

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

20 of a project or activity carried out by a non21 Federal entity under this section shall not ex22 ceed 80 percent of the total cost of the project 

23 or activity. 

24 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) INDIAN TRIBES.—The Federal 

2 share of the cost of a project or activity 

3 carried out by a Tribal government or 

4 Tribal organization under this section shall 

5 be 100 percent. 

6 ‘‘(ii) PRIORITY PROJECTS AND ACTIVI7 TIES.—The Federal share of the cost of a 

8 project or activity described in subsection 

9 (c)(5)(B)(xi) carried out by a non-Federal 

10 entity shall be 100 percent. 

11 ‘‘(C) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION.—The non12 Federal share of the cost of a project or activity 

13 carried out under this section may include the 

14 value of an in-kind contribution provided by a 

15 non-Federal entity. 

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

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

18 infrastructure project or activity for which financial 

19 assistance is received under— 

20 ‘‘(A) a State water pollution control revolv21 ing fund established under section 603; 

22 ‘‘(B) a State drinking water treatment re23 volving loan fund established under section 

24 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

25 U.S.C. 300j–12); or 


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1 ‘‘(C) the Water Infrastructure Finance and 

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

3 seq.). 

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

5 this section waives any requirement under any appli6 cable Federal environmental law, including— 

7 ‘‘(A) this Act; 

8 ‘‘(B) the National Environmental Policy 

9 Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); 

10 ‘‘(C) the Endangered Species Act of 1973 

11 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 

12 ‘‘(D) the Fish and Wildlife Coordination 

13 Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.). 

14 ‘‘(f) SET-ASIDE.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the total amount made 

16 available to carry out the MRRRI for each fiscal 

17 year— 

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

19 for projects or activities that carry out actions 

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

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

22 for projects or activities carried out in a per23 sistent poverty county that has had poverty 

24 rates of 20 percent or greater, as determined by 


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1 the Bureau of the Census, for at least 30 con2 secutive years preceding the fiscal year. 

3 ‘‘(2) ACTION PLAN.— 

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

5 made available to carry out the MRRRI for 

6 each fiscal year beginning with the first fiscal 

7 year after which the action plan is first devel8 oped, not more than 5 percent may be used for 

9 projects and activities that are eligible under 

10 subsection (c)(5) but that do not address an ob11 jective identified in the action plan under sub12 section (d)(2)(B)(iii). 

13 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In carrying out subpara14 graph (A), the MRRRI Director shall prioritize 

15 projects or activities that reduce the effects of 

16 natural disasters or respond to emerging 

17 threats from natural disasters. 

18 ‘‘(g) ACTIVITIES BY OTHER RELEVANT FEDERAL

19 AGENCIES.— 

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

21 Federal agency that is engaged in, or has authority 

22 over, a program relating to research, monitoring, 

23 and planning to maintain, enhance, preserve, or re24 habilitate the environmental quality and natural re25 sources of the Mississippi River shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) submit to the Administrator an an2 nual report describing the activities of the agen3 cy relating to the MRRRI; 

4 ‘‘(B) strive to identify new projects and ac5 tivities to support the goals of the MRRRI; 

6 ‘‘(C) ensure that any funding provided 

7 through the MRRRI supplements, and not sup8 plants, funding obtained through other agency 

9 budgets or other sources of funds for activities 

10 relating to the Mississippi River; and 

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

12 increase, the base level of funding for activities 

13 of the relevant Federal agency related to the 

14 Mississippi River, without regard to funding 

15 under the MRRRI. 

16 ‘‘(h) BUDGET ITEM.— 

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

18 the annual budget submission of the Agency to Con19 gress, include a funding request for the MRRRI as 

20 a separate budget line item. 

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

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

23 include the amount to support the operation and ac24 tivities of the Program Office.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR RESEARCH CENTERS 

2 AND SCIENCE PLAN. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

5 the Director of the United States Geological Survey. 

6 (2) FWPCA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘MRRRI’’, 

7 ‘‘MRRRI Director’’, ‘‘Mississippi River Corridor’’, 

8 ‘‘Mississippi River State’’, ‘‘relevant Federal agen9 cy’’, ‘‘Tribal government’’, and ‘‘Tribal organiza10 tion’’ have the meanings given those terms in section 

11 127(a) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. 

12 (b) MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR RESEARCH CEN13 TERS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte15 rior shall coordinate with the MRRRI Director to es16 tablish a network of 4 Mississippi River Corridor 

17 Research Centers within the United States Geologi18 cal Survey. 

19 (2) LOCATION.—The network of research cen20 ters established under paragraph (1) shall consist 

21 of— 

22 (A) a National Mississippi River Corridor 

23 Research Center located at an office of the 

24 United States Geological Survey; and 

25 (B) 3 regional research centers, each of 

26 which shall be based out of a host institution of 


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1 higher education (as defined in section 101 of 

2 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

3 1001)), of which— 

4 (i) 1 shall be an Upper Mississippi 

5 River Research Center located in the re6 gion from the headwaters of the Mis7 sissippi River to the confluence of the Mis8 sissippi River with the Missouri River; 

9 (ii) 1 shall be a Middle Mississippi 

10 River Research Center located in the re11 gion downriver from the confluence of the 

12 Missouri River to the confluence of the 

13 Ohio River; and 

14 (iii) 1 shall be a Lower Mississippi 

15 River Research Center located in the re16 gion downriver from the confluence of the 

17 Ohio River to the Gulf of Mexico. 

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

19 centers established under paragraph (1) shall be— 

20 (A) to conduct scientific research on the 

21 MRRRI focus areas described in section 

22 127(c)(2) of the Federal Water Pollution Con23 trol Act; 

24 (B) to consult with and advise relevant 

25 Federal agencies on— 


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1 (i) the improvement of programs that 

2 monitor water quality in the Mississippi 

3 River Corridor and the health of the Mis4 sissippi River Corridor habitat or the es5 tablishment of such programs, where nec6 essary; 

7 (ii) the impact of projects and activi8 ties carried out under the MRRRI; and 

9 (iii) any additional goals, priorities, 

10 metrics, and research objectives proposed 

11 as part of the science plan described in 

12 subsection (c)(2); and 

13 (C) to consult, and, to the extent prac14 ticable, collaborate, with relevant Federal agen15 cies and non-Federal entities with respect to re16 search, monitoring, and other efforts to pro17 mote the restoration and resiliency of the Mis18 sissippi River Corridor. 

19 (4) INTEGRATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AC20 TIVITIES.—The Secretary of the Interior shall en21 sure that research and other activities carried out at 

22 a research center established under paragraph (1) 

23 are carried out in coordination with other Federal 

24 research and monitoring activities related to efforts 


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1 to promote the restoration and resiliency of the Mis2 sissippi River Corridor. 

3 (c) SCIENCE PLAN.— 

4 (1) MISSISSIPPI RIVER SCIENCE FORUM.— 

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

6 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di7 rector shall host a Mississippi River science 

8 forum with relevant Federal agencies, Mis9 sissippi River States, Tribal governments, Trib10 al organizations, academia, and other non-Fed11 eral entities— 

12 (i) to share current science and iden13 tify data gaps and areas of concern relat14 ing to the ecological health of the Mis15 sissippi River Corridor; and 

16 (ii) to determine the resources that 

17 are necessary— 

18 (I) to address any data gaps and 

19 areas of concern identified under 

20 clause (i); and 

21 (II) to develop an integrated 

22 science plan under paragraph (2). 

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

24 after the date on which the Director hosts the 

25 Mississippi River science forum under subparaVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:46 Feb 11, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3754.IS S3754

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1 graph (A), the Director shall submit a report 

2 on the findings from that forum to— 

3 (i) the Administrator of the Environ4 mental Protection Agency; 

5 (ii) the MRRRI Director; 

6 (iii) the Committees on Appropria7 tions, Natural Resources, and Transpor8 tation and Infrastructure of the House of 

9 Representatives; and 

10 (iv) the Committees on Appropria11 tions, Energy and Natural Resources, and 

12 Environment and Public Works of the Sen13 ate. 

14 (2) SCIENCE PLAN DEVELOPMENT.— 

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

16 after the date on which the Mississippi River 

17 science forum required by paragraph (1)(A) 

18 concludes, the Director shall develop a science 

19 plan that establishes priorities, metrics, and re20 search proposals for the MRRRI. 

21 (B) SUBMISSION.—On completion of the 

22 science plan developed under subparagraph (A), 

23 the Director shall make the plan available on a 

24 public website and submit the plan to the 

25 MRRRI Director to inform the implementation 


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1 of the actionable goals and action plans devel2 oped for the MRRRI under section 127(d) of 

3 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. 

4 (C) UPDATES.—Not less frequently than 

5 once every 5 years, the Director shall coordi6 nate with the MRRRI Director and the re7 search centers established under subsection 

8 (b)(1) to review and update the science plan de9 veloped under subparagraph (A). 

10 (D) COORDINATION.—In developing and 

11 updating the science plan under this paragraph, 

12 the Director shall solicit input and comment 

13 from the public through a formal public notice 

14 and comment period. 

Æ 


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