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.— 
S. 1523—2 

‘‘(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.