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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1523 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.1523

                     One Hundred Fourteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
           the fourth day of January, two thousand and sixteen

                                 An Act

 
  To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the 
            National Estuary Program, 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. COMPETITIVE AWARDS.
    Section 320(g) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1330(g)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
        ``(4) Competitive awards.--
            ``(A) In general.--Using the amounts made available under 
        subsection (i)(2)(B), the Administrator shall make competitive 
        awards under this paragraph.
            ``(B) Application for awards.--The Administrator shall 
        solicit applications for awards under this paragraph from 
        State, interstate, and regional water pollution control 
        agencies and entities, State coastal zone management agencies, 
        interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private 
        agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals.
            ``(C) Selection of recipients.--In selecting award 
        recipients under this paragraph, the Administrator shall select 
        recipients that are best able to address urgent and challenging 
        issues that threaten the ecological and economic well-being of 
        coastal areas. Such issues shall include--
                ``(i) extensive seagrass habitat losses resulting in 
            significant impacts on fisheries and water quality;
                ``(ii) recurring harmful algae blooms;
                ``(iii) unusual marine mammal mortalities;
                ``(iv) invasive exotic species that may threaten 
            wastewater systems and cause other damage;
                ``(v) jellyfish proliferation limiting community access 
            to water during peak tourism seasons;
                ``(vi) flooding that may be related to sea level rise 
            or wetland degradation or loss; and
                ``(vii) low dissolved oxygen conditions in estuarine 
            waters and related nutrient management.''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
    Section 320 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
1330) is amended by striking subsection (i) and inserting the 
following:
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--
        ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
    the Administrator $26,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 
    2021 for--
            ``(A) expenses relating to the administration of grants or 
        awards by the Administrator under this section, including the 
        award and oversight of grants and awards, except that such 
        expenses may not exceed 5 percent of the amount appropriated 
        under this subsection for a fiscal year; and
            ``(B) making grants and awards under subsection (g).
        ``(2) Allocations.--
            ``(A) Conservation and management plans.--Not less than 80 
        percent of the amount made available under this subsection for 
        a fiscal year shall be used by the Administrator to provide 
        grant assistance for the development, implementation, and 
        monitoring of each of the conservation and management plans 
        eligible for grant assistance under subsection (g)(2).
            ``(B) Competitive awards.--Not less than 15 percent of the 
        amount made available under this subsection for a fiscal year 
        shall be used by the Administrator for making competitive 
        awards described in subsection (g)(4).''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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