I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7246 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a nonregulatory program 

to support restoration and protection efforts in the Hudson-Mohawk 

River Basin region, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 10, 2018 

Mr. TONKO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a nonregulatory program to support restoration and protection 

efforts in the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin region, 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 ‘‘Hudson-Mohawk River 

5 Basin Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Hudson-Mohawk River Basin together 

2 with the Erie Canal connects the Great Lakes to the 

3 Atlantic Ocean and includes the approximately 

4 13,400 square mile area encompassing the following 

5 five large sub-basins: 

6 (A) The Upper Hudson River sub-basin. 

7 (B) The Mohawk River sub-basin. 

8 (C) The Lower Hudson River sub-basin. 

9 (D) The Passaic River sub-basin. 

10 (E) The Raritan River sub-basin. 

11 (2) The Hudson-Mohawk River Basin includes 

12 the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, which 

13 is the largest metropolitan area of the country. This 

14 metropolitan area, together with the many commu15 nities in the Upper Hudson, Mohawk, and Lower 

16 Hudson sub-basins, makes the area one of the most 

17 densely and heavily populated river basins in the 

18 country, with over 15,000,000 people. 

19 (3) The water resources of the Hudson-Mohawk 

20 River Basin are functionally interrelated and their 

21 uses are interdependent. A dedicated program is es22 sential to provide effective communication, coordina23 tion, and cooperation among Federal, State, and 

24 local governments, nongovernmental organizations, 

25 and the private sector. 


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1 (4) The New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary 

2 is a complex natural harbor at the junction of three 

3 major water bodies, the New York Bight, the Hud4 son River, and the Long Island Sound. In addition, 

5 it receives freshwater inputs from the Raritan and 

6 Passaic Rivers. The health and productivity of the 

7 New York Bight are affected directly by the quality 

8 of the freshwater inputs to the estuary from the 

9 Hudson, Passaic, and Raritan Rivers. 

10 (5) The Mohawk River and its watershed drain 

11 directly into the Hudson River, providing the largest 

12 freshwater input to the brackish water mix that 

13 characterizes the Hudson River Estuary and sup14 ports a biologically rich and productive ecosystem. 

15 (6) The Mohawk River is integrated with the 

16 Erie Canal along much of its channel, tying the op17 eration of the canal system to the health of the Mo18 hawk and Hudson Rivers. 

19 (7) Individuals in many communities through20 out the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin have experi21 enced devastating flooding that has led to tremen22 dous costs for homeowners, businesses, and State 

23 and local governments. A holistic approach to river 

24 and stream monitoring, updated floodplain maps, 

25 and development of floodplain management strateVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:10 Dec 13, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7246.IH H7246

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1 gies based upon improved understanding of the 

2 Hudson-Mohawk River Basin’s hydrology would 

3 make communities safer and more resilient to flood 

4 events. 

5 (8) Climate change is occurring and, as a re6 sult, sea level rise along the United States eastern 

7 coastline will increase the vulnerability of coastal 

8 communities to storm surge and flooding in the New 

9 York-New Jersey harbors and along the major rivers 

10 in the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin. 

11 (9) Each of the subwatersheds of the Hudson12 Mohawk River Basin receives the support of pro13 grams administered by Federal, State, regional, and 

14 local organizations. 

15 (10) New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massa16 chusetts, and Connecticut have a long history of 

17 achievements working together on resource manage18 ment issues through their memberships in the Dela19 ware River Basin Commission, the Susquehanna 

20 River Basin Commission, the Appalachian Regional 

21 Commission, the New England Interstate Water Pol22 lution Control Commission, and the Lake Champlain 

23 Basin Program. 

24 (11) The impacts experienced as a result of re25 cent hurricanes and storms illustrate the need for 


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1 integrated, basin-wide planning to address water 

2 management challenges and vulnerability to flooding. 

3 (12) Protecting wetlands, expanding use of 

4 green infrastructure, strengthening dams and levees, 

5 and upgrading wastewater and water treatment in6 frastructure will be necessary to reduce the impacts 

7 of extreme weather events and maintain water qual8 ity and public health. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) BASIN STATE.—The term ‘‘Basin State’’ 

12 means each of the States of New York, New Jersey, 

13 Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. 

14 (2) GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘grant pro15 gram’’ means the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin 

16 grant program established under section 5. 

17 (3) HUDSON-MOHAWK RIVER BASIN.—The term 

18 ‘‘Hudson-Mohawk River Basin’’ means the area of 

19 drainage of the Hudson, Mohawk, Passaic, and 

20 Raritan Rivers and their tributaries into the New 

21 York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. 

22 (4) RESTORATION AND PROTECTION.—The 

23 term ‘‘restoration and protection’’ means the con24 servation, stewardship, and enhancement of habitat 

25 for fish and wildlife to preserve and improve ecoVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:10 Dec 13, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7246.IH H7246

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1 systems and ecological processes on which they de2 pend, and for use and enjoyment by the public. 

3 (5) RESTORATION PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘res4 toration program’’ means the Hudson-Mohawk River 

5 Basin restoration program established under section 

6 4. 

7 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

8 the Secretary of the Interior. 

9 (7) WATER RESOURCES.—The term ‘‘water re10 sources’’ means all surface waters and ground 

11 waters contained or otherwise originating within the 

12 Hudson-Mohawk River Basin. 

13 SEC. 4. RESTORATION PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT. 

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

15 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

16 establish a nonregulatory program to be known as the 

17 ‘‘Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Restoration Program’’. 

18 (b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—In carrying out the 

19 restoration program, the Secretary shall— 

20 (1) establish a Basin-wide strategy that— 

21 (A) addresses the program priorities de22 scribed in subsection (c); and 

23 (B) draws on established management 

24 plans for the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin, or 

25 portions of the Basin; 


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1 (2) coordinate activities being undertaken by 

2 the Basin States, advisory committees, local govern3 ments, institutions of higher education, and non4 governmental organizations that are related to the 

5 program priorities described in subsection (c); and 

6 (3) establish and administer the Hudson-Mo7 hawk River Basin grant program in accordance with 

8 section 5. 

9 (c) PROGRAM PRIORITIES.—The priorities of the res10 toration program are— 

11 (1) to address the management, development, 

12 conservation, and use of water resources throughout 

13 the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin; 

14 (2) to coordinate restoration and protection ac15 tivities among Federal, State, local, and regional en16 tities and conservation partners throughout the 

17 Hudson-Mohawk River Basin; 

18 (3) to carry out coordinated restoration and 

19 protection activities and provide for technical assist20 ance throughout the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin 

21 and Basin States— 

22 (A) to sustain and enhance fish and wild23 life habitat restoration and protection activities; 


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1 (B) to improve and maintain water quality 

2 to support fish and wildlife, as well as the habi3 tats of fish and wildlife, and drinking water; 

4 (C) to sustain and enhance water manage5 ment for volume and flood damage mitigation 

6 improvements to benefit fish and wildlife habi7 tat; 

8 (D) to improve opportunities for public ac9 cess and recreation in the Hudson-Mohawk 

10 River Basin consistent with the ecological needs 

11 of fish and wildlife habitat; 

12 (E) to facilitate strategic planning to maxi13 mize the resilience of natural systems and habi14 tats under changing watershed conditions; 

15 (F) to engage the public through outreach, 

16 education, and citizen involvement; and 

17 (G) to increase scientific capacity to sup18 port the planning, monitoring, and research ac19 tivities necessary to carry out coordinated res20 toration and protection activities; 

21 (4) to maintain an inventory of historic and cul22 tural resources of the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin 

23 and identify projects to provide for cultural enrich24 ment, preservation of cultural resources, public edu25 cation about local heritage and historical significance 


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1 of properties, canals, and historic sites within the 

2 Hudson-Mohawk River Basin; 

3 (5) to provide a mechanism to promote commu4 nication and coordination among the organizations 

5 engaged in water resource management activities to 

6 promote collaborative working relationships among 

7 all entities working in the Hudson-Mohawk River 

8 Basin; and 

9 (6) to support the implementation of a shared 

10 set of science-based restoration and protection activi11 ties. 

12 (d) CONSULTATION.—In establishing the restoration 

13 program, the Secretary shall consult, as appropriate, 

14 with— 

15 (1) the heads of Federal agencies, including— 

16 (A) the Administrator of the Environ17 mental Protection Agency; 

18 (B) the Administrator of the National Oce19 anic and Atmospheric Administration; 

20 (C) the Chief of the Natural Resources 

21 Conservation Service; 

22 (D) the Chief of Engineers of the Corps of 

23 Engineers; and 

24 (E) the head of any other applicable agen25 cy; 


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1 (2) the Governors of the Basin States; 

2 (3) local governments; 

3 (4) other public agencies and organizations with 

4 authority for the planning and implementation of 

5 conservation strategies in the Hudson-Mohawk River 

6 Basin; 

7 (5) institutions of higher education; 

8 (6) nongovernmental organizations; 

9 (7) regional organizations; and 

10 (8) other entities as determined by the Sec11 retary. 

12 SEC. 5. GRANTS AND ASSISTANCE. 

13 (a) HUDSON-MOHAWK RIVER BASIN GRANT PRO14 GRAM.—To the extent that funds are available to carry 

15 out this section, the Secretary shall establish a voluntary 

16 grant program to be known as the ‘‘Hudson-Mohawk 

17 River Basin Grant Program’’ to provide— 

18 (1) competitive matching grants of varying 

19 amounts to State and local governments, nonprofit 

20 organizations, institutions of higher education, and 

21 other eligible entities to address the program prior22 ities described in section 4(c); and 

23 (2) technical assistance to grant recipients. 

24 (b) CRITERIA.—The Secretary, in consultation with 

25 the organizations described in section 4(d), shall develop 


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1 criteria for the grant program to help ensure that activi2 ties funded under this section address one or more of the 

3 program priorities described in section 4(c). 

4 (c) COST SHARING.— 

5 (1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

6 the cost of a project funded under the grant pro7 gram shall be determined by the Secretary and shall 

8 not exceed 80 percent of the total cost of the activ9 ity. 

10 (2) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal 

11 share of the cost of a project funded under the grant 

12 program may be provided in cash or in the form of 

13 an in-kind contribution of services or materials. 

14 SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORTS. 

15 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary 

17 shall submit to Congress a report on the implementation 

18 of this Act, including a description of each project that 

19 has received funding under this Act. 

20 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro22 priated to the Secretary to carry out this Act $25,000,000 

23 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2024. 

24 (b) USE.—Of any amount made available under this 

25 section for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall use at least 


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1 75 percent to carry out the grant program and to provide, 

2 or provide for, technical assistance under such program. 

Æ 


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