IIB 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 944 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 2, 2015 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 

Public Works 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the National Estuary 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. COMPETITIVE AWARDS. 

2 Section 320(g) of the Federal Water Pollution Con3 trol Act (33 U.S.C. 1330(g)) is amended by adding at the 

4 end the following: 

5 ‘‘(4) COMPETITIVE AWARDS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Using the amounts 

7 made available under subsection (i)(2)(B), the 

8 Administrator shall make competitive awards 

9 under this paragraph. 

10 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION FOR AWARDS.—The 

11 Administrator shall solicit applications for 

12 awards under this paragraph from State, inter13 state, and regional water pollution control agen14 cies and entities, State coastal zone manage15 ment agencies, interstate agencies, other public 

16 or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, orga17 nizations, and individuals. 

18 ‘‘(C) SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.—In se19 lecting award recipients under this paragraph, 

20 the Administrator shall select recipients that 

21 are best able to address urgent and challenging 

22 issues that threaten the ecological and economic 

23 well-being of coastal areas. Such issues shall in24 clude— 


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1 ‘‘(i) extensive seagrass habitat losses 

2 resulting in significant impacts on fisheries 

3 and water quality; 

4 ‘‘(ii) recurring harmful algae blooms; 

5 ‘‘(iii) unusual marine mammal mor6 talities; 

7 ‘‘(iv) invasive exotic species that may 

8 threaten wastewater systems and cause 

9 other damage; 

10 ‘‘(v) jellyfish proliferation limiting 

11 community access to water during peak 

12 tourism seasons; 

13 ‘‘(vi) flooding that may be related to 

14 sea level rise or wetland degradation or 

15 loss; and 

16 ‘‘(vii) low dissolved oxygen conditions 

17 in estuarine waters and related nutrient 

18 management.’’. 

19 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

20 Section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

21 Act (33 U.S.C. 1330) is amended by striking subsection 

22 (i) and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 


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

2 appropriated to the Administrator $27,000,000 for 

3 each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for— 

4 ‘‘(A) expenses relating to the administra5 tion of grants or awards by the Administrator 

6 under this section, including the award and 

7 oversight of grants and awards, except that 

8 such expenses may not exceed 5 percent of the 

9 amount appropriated under this subsection for 

10 a fiscal year; and 

11 ‘‘(B) making grants and awards under 

12 subsection (g). 

13 ‘‘(2) ALLOCATIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

15 PLANS.—Not less than 80 percent of the 

16 amount made available under this subsection 

17 for a fiscal year shall be used by the Adminis18 trator for the development, implementation, and 

19 monitoring of each of the conservation and 

20 management plans eligible for grant assistance 

21 under subsection (g)(2). 

22 ‘‘(B) COMPETITIVE AWARDS.—Not less 

23 than 15 percent of the amount made available 

24 under this subsection for a fiscal year shall be 


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1 used by the Administrator for making competi2 tive awards described in subsection (g)(4).’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives June 1, 2015. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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