II

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2231

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as

the ‘‘Clean Water Act’’) to authorize appropriations for each of fiscal

years 1994 through 2001 for the construction of wastewater treatment

works to provide water pollution control in or near the United StatesMexico border area, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JUNE 23 (legislative day, JUNE 7), 1994

Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. DECONCINI, and Mrs.

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

A BILL

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the ‘‘Clean Water Act’’) to authorize

appropriations for each of fiscal years 1994 through

2001 for the construction of wastewater treatment works

to provide water pollution control in or near the United

States-Mexico border area, 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 ‘‘U.S.-Mexico Border

5 Water Pollution Control Act’’.
2

•S 2231 IS

1 SEC. 2. WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS IN U.S.-MEXICO

2 BORDER AREA.

3 Title V of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act

4 (33 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end

5 the following new section:

6 ‘‘WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS IN U.S.-MEXICO

7 BORDER AREA

8 ‘‘SEC. 520. (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this sec9 tion is to protect the economy, public health, environment,

10 surface water, ground water, and water quality of the

11 U.S.-Mexico border area which is endangered and is being

12 polluted by raw or partially treated sewage, in furtherance

13 of the goals of the Agreement Between the Government

14 of the United States of America and the Government of

15 the United Mexican States Concerning the Establishment

16 of a Border Environment Cooperation Commission and a

17 North American Development Bank (signed November 16

18 and 18, 1993), and this Act. This section shall not be con19 strued so as to affect or impair the provisions of any inter20 national agreement of the United States. Nor shall this

21 section be construed so as to affect or impair any Federal

22 legislation applicable to the Border Environment Coopera23 tion Commission, the North American Development Bank,

24 or the International Boundary and Water Commission, the

25 United States and Mexico.
3

•S 2231 IS

1 ‘‘(b) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR WASTEWATER

2 TREATMENT WORKS.—The Administrator is authorized

3 to provide financial and other assistance to the Border En4 vironment Cooperation Commission, any appropriate Fed5 eral, State, or local governmental entity, and the Inter6 national Boundary and Water Commission, the United

7 States and Mexico, subject to such terms and conditions

8 as the Administrator considers appropriate, for planning,

9 design, and construction of wastewater treatment works

10 for the purposes specified in subsection (a). The

11 wastewater treatment works shall be located, regardless

12 of the place of origin or ultimate destination of the

13 wastewater, in the U.S.-Mexico border area (or near the

14 U.S.-Mexico border area if the treatment works would

15 remedy a transboundary environmental or health problem)

16 and shall be planned, designed, and constructed in accord17 ance with any applicable international agreement to which

18 the United States is a party.

19 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

20 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section

21 $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, $47,500,000 for fiscal

22 year 1995, $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1996

23 through 2000, and $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2001.’’.
4

•S 2231 IS

1 SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF U.S.-MEXICO BORDER AREA.

2 Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control

3 Act (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended by adding at the end

4 the following new paragraph:

5 ‘‘(21) The term ‘U.S.-Mexico border area’ has the

6 meaning the term has under Article 4 of the Agreement

7 Between the United States of America and the United

8 Mexican States on Cooperation for the Protection and Im9 provement of the Environment in the Border Area (signed

10 on August 14, 1983; commonly known as the ‘La Paz

11 Agreement’).’’.

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