I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1955 

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance 

for nutrient removal technologies to States in the Great Lakes System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2015 

Mr. HIGGINS (for himself, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Ms. MOORE, Mr. LEVIN, Ms. 

KAPTUR, Ms. FUDGE, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance for nutrient removal technologies to 

States in the Great Lakes System. 

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 ‘‘Great Lakes Nutrient 

5 Removal Assistance Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) ineffective wastewater treatment is one of 

9 the most common sources of water pollution; 


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1 (2) nutrient pollution, particularly phosphorus 

2 loading, continues to be one of the most significant 

3 water quality issues facing the Great Lakes System; 

4 (3) limiting phosphorus loads is key to control5 ling excessive algal growth, and a coordinated Great 

6 Lakes System-wide strategy to change how nutrients 

7 are discharged is urgent; and 

8 (4) nutrient removal technology is one of the 

9 most reliable, cost effective, and direct methods for 

10 reducing the flow of phosphorus and other harmful 

11 nutrients from point sources in the Great Lakes 

12 System. 

13 SEC. 3. NUTRIENT REMOVAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PRO14 GRAM. 

15 Section 118 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

16 Act (33 U.S.C. 1268) is amended by adding at the end 

17 the following new subsection: 

18 ‘‘(i) NUTRIENT REMOVAL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PRO19 GRAM.— 

20 ‘‘(1) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

21 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 

22 year after the date of enactment of this sub23 section, the Administrator shall establish a pro24 gram within the Environmental Protection 

25 Agency to make grants to Great Lakes States, 


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1 and municipalities thereof, to install, at eligible 

2 facilities, nutrient removal technologies that are 

3 designed to reduce total nutrients in discharged 

4 wastewater. 

5 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In making a grant under 

6 this subsection, the Administrator shall— 

7 ‘‘(i) consult with the Program Office; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(ii) give priority to eligible facilities 

10 at which the installation of nutrient re11 moval technologies would— 

12 ‘‘(I) produce the greatest nutri13 ent load reductions at points of dis14 charge; 

15 ‘‘(II) result in the greatest envi16 ronmental benefits to the Great Lakes 

17 System; and 

18 ‘‘(III) help meet the objectives 

19 related to nutrients outlined in Annex 

20 4 of the Great Lakes Water Quality 

21 Protocol of 2012. 

22 ‘‘(C) APPLICATION.—A Great Lakes State, 

23 or municipality thereof, may submit to the Ad24 ministrator an application for a grant under 

25 this subsection in such form, and including 


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1 such information, as the Administrator may 

2 prescribe. 

3 ‘‘(D) GRANT.—If the Administrator ap4 proves an application submitted under this sub5 section, the Administrator may make a grant to 

6 the applicant in an amount not to exceed 55 

7 percent of the cost of installing the nutrient re8 moval technologies at the eligible facility with 

9 respect to which the application was submitted. 

10 ‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

11 ‘‘(A) GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY PRO12 TOCOL OF 2012.—The term ‘Great Lakes Water 

13 Quality Protocol of 2012’ means the Great 

14 Lakes Water Quality Protocol of 2012, signed 

15 at Washington on September 7, 2012 (further 

16 amending the Great Lakes Water Quality 

17 Agreement). 

18 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE FACILITY.—The term ‘eli19 gible facility’ means a municipal wastewater 

20 treatment facility that— 

21 ‘‘(i) as of the date of enactment of 

22 this subsection, has a permitted design ca23 pacity to treat an annual average of at 

24 least 500,000 gallons of wastewater per 

25 day; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) is located within the Great Lakes 

2 System in any of the Great Lakes States. 

3 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to other 

5 amounts authorized under this section, there is 

6 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 

7 subsection $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

8 2016 through 2020. Such sums shall remain 

9 available until expended. 

10 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The Ad11 ministrator may use not to exceed 4 percent of 

12 any amount made available under subparagraph 

13 (A) to pay administrative costs incurred in car14 rying out this subsection.’’. 

Æ 


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