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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4458 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4458

 To promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific 
    basis for the management of sediment and nutrients in the Upper 
            Mississippi River Basin, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 19, 2012

   Mr. Kind introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific 
    basis for the management of sediment and nutrients in the Upper 
            Mississippi River Basin, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Upper Mississippi 
River Basin Protection Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Reliance on scientific knowledge.
           TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK

Sec. 101. Establishment of monitoring network.
Sec. 102. Data collection and storage responsibilities.
Sec. 103. Relationship to existing sediment and nutrient monitoring and 
                            assessment.
Sec. 104. Collaboration with other public and private monitoring 
                            efforts.
Sec. 105. Reporting requirements.
Sec. 106. National research council assessment.
                TITLE II--COMPUTER MODELING AND RESEARCH

Sec. 201. Computer modeling and research of sediment and nutrient 
                            sources.
Sec. 202. Communication plan to distribute information.
Sec. 203. Reporting requirements.
     TITLE III--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AND RELATED MATTERS

Sec. 301. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 302. Cost-sharing requirements.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The terms ``Upper Mississippi River Basin'' and 
        ``Basin'' mean the watershed portion of the Upper Mississippi 
        River and Illinois River basins, from Cairo, Illinois, to the 
        headwaters of the Mississippi River, in the States of 
        Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The 
        designation includes the Kaskaskia watershed along the Illinois 
        River and the Meramec watershed along the Missouri River.
            (2) The terms ``Upper Mississippi River Stewardship 
        Initiative'' and ``Initiative'' mean the activities authorized 
        or required by this Act to monitor nutrients and sediment in 
        the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

SEC. 3. RELIANCE ON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE.

    Federal investments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall be 
guided by accepted and documented scientific methods, including the use 
of documented protocols for data collection and data analysis, and peer 
review of data, results, and findings, and shall take into account the 
results of studies using accepted and documented scientific methods to 
identify and quantify the sources, transport, and fate of nutrients and 
sediment and to quantify the effect of various treatment methods or 
conservation measures on nutrient and sediment management.

           TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK

SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF MONITORING NETWORK.

    (a) Establishment.--As part of the Upper Mississippi River 
Stewardship Initiative, the Secretary of the Interior shall establish a 
sediment and nutrient monitoring network for the Upper Mississippi 
River Basin for the purposes of--
            (1) identifying and quantifying significant sources of 
        sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River Basin;
            (2) quantifying the processes affecting mobilization, 
        transport, and fate of those sediments and nutrients on land 
        and in water;
            (3) quantifying the transport of those sediments and 
        nutrients to and through the Upper Mississippi River Basin;
            (4) quantifying changes to sediment and nutrient 
        concentrations and loads over time; and
            (5) coordinating with other Federal, State, tribal, and 
        local agencies on the acquisition of data to be used in 
        computer modeling of the Basin, pursuant to section 201.
    (b) Role of United States Geological Survey.--The Secretary of the 
Interior shall carry out this title acting through the office of the 
Director of the United States Geological Survey.

SEC. 102. DATA COLLECTION AND STORAGE RESPONSIBILITIES.

    (a) Guidelines for Data Collection and Storage.--The Secretary of 
the Interior shall establish guidelines for the effective design of 
data collection activities regarding sediment and nutrient monitoring, 
for the use of suitable and consistent methods for data collection, and 
for consistent reporting, data storage, and archiving practices.
    (b) Release of Data.--Data resulting from sediment and nutrient 
monitoring and the compilation of ancillary information in the Upper 
Mississippi River Basin shall be released to the public using generic 
station identifiers and hydrologic unit codes. In the case of a 
monitoring station located on private lands, information regarding the 
location of the station shall not be disseminated without the 
landowner's permission.

SEC. 103. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING AND 
              ASSESSMENT.

    (a) Inventory.--To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of 
the Interior shall inventory the sediment and nutrient monitoring 
efforts in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act of 
Federal, State, tribal, local, and nongovernmental entities for the 
purpose of creating a baseline understanding of overlap, data gaps and 
redundancies.
    (b) Integration.--On the basis of the inventory, the Secretary of 
the Interior shall integrate the existing sediment and nutrient 
monitoring efforts, to the maximum extent practicable, into the 
sediment and nutrient monitoring network required by section 101.
    (c) Consultation and Use of Existing Data.--In carrying out this 
section, the Secretary of the Interior shall make maximum use of data 
in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act and of ongoing 
programs and efforts of Federal, State, tribal, local, and 
nongovernmental entities in developing the sediment and nutrient 
monitoring network required by section 101.
    (d) Coordination With Long-Term Estuary Assessment Project.--The 
Secretary of the Interior shall carry out this section in coordination 
with the long-term estuary assessment project authorized by section 902 
of the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-457; 33 
U.S.C. 2901 note).

SEC. 104. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MONITORING 
              EFFORTS.

    To establish the sediment and nutrient monitoring network, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall collaborate, to the maximum extent 
practicable, with other Federal, State, tribal, local and private 
sediment and nutrient monitoring and assessment programs that meet 
guidelines prescribed under section 102(a), as determined by the 
Secretary.

SEC. 105. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    The Secretary of the Interior shall report to Congress not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act on the 
development of the sediment and nutrient monitoring network.

SEC. 106. NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ASSESSMENT.

    The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences 
shall conduct a comprehensive water resources assessment of the Upper 
Mississippi River Basin within 3 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.

                TITLE II--COMPUTER MODELING AND RESEARCH

SEC. 201. COMPUTER MODELING AND RESEARCH OF SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT 
              SOURCES.

    (a) Modeling Program Required.--As part of the Upper Mississippi 
River Stewardship Initiative, the Director of the United States 
Geological Survey shall develop and implement a plan to improve 
existing water-quality models to identify and quantify significant 
sources of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River Basin 
at the subwatershed (12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code) scale.
    (b) Role.--Computer modeling shall be used to identify 
subwatersheds which are significant sources of sediment and nutrients 
and shall be made available for the purposes of targeting public and 
private sediment and nutrient management efforts.
    (c) Components.--Sediment and nutrient models for the Upper 
Mississippi River Basin shall--
            (1) relate nutrient sources to landscape, land use, and 
        land management practices;
            (2) relate sediment sources to landscape, land use, and 
        land management practices; and
            (3) quantify river channel nutrient and sediment transport 
        and transformation processes.
    (d) Collection of Ancillary Information.--Ancillary information 
shall be collected, by remote sensing or other appropriate means, in a 
GIS format to support modeling and management use of modeling results, 
including the following:
            (1) Land use data.
            (2) Soils data.
            (3) Elevation data.
            (4) Hydrologic modifications.
            (5) Information on sediment and nutrient management actions 
        including conservation tillage practices and other Best 
        Management Practices.
            (6) Estimates of loads of nutrients from point sources and 
        key nonpoint sources, including commercial fertilizer, 
        applications of manure, geologic sources, and atmospheric 
        deposition.

SEC. 202. COMMUNICATION PLAN TO DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall 
establish a communication plan that includes use of the Internet to 
provide information including the following:
            (1) Accomplishments of public and private programs designed 
        to manage sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River 
        Basin.
            (2) Seasonal and annual concentrations and loads of 
        sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River and its 
        tributaries.

SEC. 203. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Monitoring Activities.--Commencing one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Geological 
Survey shall provide to Congress and make available to the public an 
annual report that includes data and information on concentrations and 
loads of nutrients and sediment derived from monitoring activities 
conducted in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
    (b) Modeling Activities.--Every five years, the Director of the 
United States Geological Survey shall provide to Congress and make 
available to the public a progress report assessing changes in nutrient 
and sediment concentrations and loads in relation to such factors as 
climate variability and changes in land and water management practices.

     TITLE III--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AND RELATED MATTERS

SEC. 301. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) United States Geological Survey Activities.--There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the United States Geological Survey 
$6,250,000 each fiscal year to carry out this Act (other than section 
106).
    (b) Water Resource and Water Quality Management Assessment.--There 
is authorized to be appropriated $650,000 to allow the National 
Research Council to perform the assessment required by section 106.

SEC. 302. COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS.

    Funds made available for the United States Geological Survey 
Cooperative Water Program under section 301(a) shall be subject to the 
same cost-sharing requirements as specified in the last proviso under 
the heading ``United States Geological Survey--surveys, investigations, 
and research'' of the Department of the Interior, Environment, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (Public Law 109-54; 119 Stat. 
510; 43 U.S.C. 50).
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