IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2247 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2020 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works 
AN ACT 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to pro-
vide assistance for programs and activities to protect 
the water quality of Puget Sound, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting United Gov-
ernment Efforts to Save Our Sound Act’’ or the ‘‘PUGET 
SOS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PUGET SOUND COORDINATED RECOVERY. 
Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
(33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 124. PUGET SOUND. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 
definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) COASTAL NONPOINT POLLUTION CONTROL 
PROGRAM.—The term ‘Coastal Nonpoint Pollution 
Control Program’ means the State of Washington’s 
Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program ap-
proved by the Secretary of Commerce as required 
under section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reau-
thorization Amendments of 1990. 
‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 
the Director of the Program Office. 
‘‘(3) FEDERAL ACTION PLAN.—The term ‘Fed-
eral Action Plan’ means the plan developed under 
subsection (d)(2)(B). 
‘‘(4) INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION.—The 
term ‘International Joint Commission’ means the 
International Joint Commission established by the 
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United States and Canada under the International 
Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 (36 Stat. 2448). 
‘‘(5) PACIFIC SALMON COMMISSION.—The term 
‘Pacific Salmon Commission’ means the Pacific 
Salmon Commission established by the United 
States and Canada under the Treaty between the 
Government of the United States of America and 
the Government of Canada Concerning Pacific Salm-
on, signed at Ottawa, January 28, 1985 (commonly 
known as the ‘Pacific Salmon Treaty’). 
‘‘(6) PROGRAM
OFFICE.—The term ‘Program 
Office’ means the Puget Sound Recovery National 
Program Office established by subsection (c). 
‘‘(7) PUGET SOUND ACTION AGENDA; ACTION 
AGENDA.—The term ‘Puget Sound Action Agenda’ 
or ‘Action Agenda’ means the most recent plan de-
veloped by the Puget Sound National Estuary Pro-
gram Management Conference, in consultation with 
the Puget Sound Tribal Management Conference, 
and approved by the Administrator as the com-
prehensive conservation and management plan for 
Puget Sound under section 320. 
‘‘(8) PUGET
SOUND
FEDERAL
LEADERSHIP 
TASK
FORCE.—The term ‘Puget Sound Federal 
Leadership Task Force’ means the Puget Sound 
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northwest corner of the State of Washington 
from the Canadian border to the north to the 
Pacific Ocean on the west, including Hood 
Canal and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘Puget Sound 
region’ includes all of the water that falls on 
the Olympic and Cascade Mountains and flows 
to meet Puget Sound’s marine waters. 
‘‘(13) PUGET
SOUND
TRIBAL
MANAGEMENT 
CONFERENCE.—The term ‘Puget Sound Tribal Man-
agement Conference’ means the 20 treaty Indian 
tribes of western Washington and the Northwest In-
dian Fisheries Commission. 
‘‘(14) SALISH
SEA.—The term ‘Salish Sea’ 
means the network of coastal waterways on the west 
coast of North America that includes the Puget 
Sound, the Strait of Georgia, and the Strait of Juan 
de Fuca. 
‘‘(15) SALMON
RECOVERY
PLANS.—The term 
‘Salmon Recovery Plans’ means the recovery plans 
for salmon and steelhead species approved by the 
Secretary of the Interior under section 4(f) of the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973. 
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‘‘(16) 
STATE
ADVISORY
COMMITTEE.—The 
term ‘State Advisory Committee’ means the advisory 
committee established by subsection (e). 
‘‘(17) TREATY RIGHTS AT RISK INITIATIVE.— 
The term ‘Treaty Rights at Risk Initiative’ means 
the report from the treaty Indian tribes of western 
Washington entitled ‘Treaty Rights at Risk: Ongo-
ing Habitat Loss, the Decline of the Salmon Re-
source, and Recommendations for Change’ and 
dated July 14, 2011, or its successor report, which 
outlines issues and offers solutions for the protection 
of Tribal treaty rights, recovery of salmon habitat, 
and management of sustainable treaty and nontreaty 
salmon fisheries, including through tribal salmon 
hatchery programs. 
‘‘(b) CONSISTENCY.—All Federal agencies rep-
resented on the Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task 
Force shall act consistently with the protection of Tribal, 
treaty-reserved rights and, to the greatest extent prac-
ticable given such agencies’ existing obligations under 
Federal law, act consistently with the objectives and prior-
ities of the Action Agenda, Salmon Recovery Plans, the 
Treaty Rights at Risk Initiative, and the Coastal Nonpoint 
Pollution Control Program, when— 
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‘‘(1) conducting Federal agency activities within 
or outside Puget Sound that affect any land or 
water use or natural resources of Puget Sound and 
its tributary waters, including activities performed 
by a contractor for the benefit of a Federal agency; 
‘‘(2) interpreting and enforcing regulations that 
impact the restoration and protection of Puget 
Sound; 
‘‘(3) issuing Federal licenses or permits that 
impact the restoration and protection of Puget 
Sound; and 
‘‘(4) granting Federal assistance to State, local, 
and Tribal governments for activities related to the 
restoration and protection of Puget Sound. 
‘‘(c) PUGET SOUND RECOVERY NATIONAL PROGRAM 
OFFICE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Environmental Protection Agency a Puget 
Sound Recovery National Program Office to be lo-
cated in the State of Washington. 
‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 
Program Office shall be a career reserved posi-
tion, as such term is defined in section 
3132(a)(8) of title 5, United States Code. 
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‘‘(B) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Director of 
the Program Office shall have leadership and 
project management experience and shall be 
highly qualified to— 
‘‘(i) direct the integration of multiple 
project planning efforts and programs 
from different agencies and jurisdictions; 
and 
‘‘(ii) align numerous, and often con-
flicting, needs toward implementing a 
shared Action Agenda with visible and 
measurable outcomes. 
‘‘(3) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY; STAFFING.— 
Using amounts made available pursuant to sub-
section (i), the Administrator shall delegate to the 
Director such authority and provide such staff as 
may be necessary to carry out this section. 
‘‘(4) DUTIES.—The Director shall— 
‘‘(A) coordinate and manage the timely 
execution of the requirements of this section, 
including the formation and meetings of the 
Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force; 
‘‘(B) coordinate activities related to the 
restoration and protection of Puget Sound 
across the Environmental Protection Agency; 
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‘‘(C) coordinate and align the activities of 
the Administrator with the Action Agenda, 
Salmon Recovery Plans, the Treaty Rights at 
Risk Initiative, and the Coastal Nonpoint Pollu-
tion Control Program; 
‘‘(D) promote the efficient use of Environ-
mental Protection Agency resources in pursuit 
of Puget Sound restoration and protection; 
‘‘(E) serve on the Puget Sound Federal 
Leadership Task Force and collaborate with, 
help coordinate, and implement activities with 
other Federal agencies that have responsibilities 
involving Puget Sound restoration and protec-
tion; 
‘‘(F) provide or procure such other advice, 
technical assistance, research, assessments, 
monitoring, or other support as is determined 
by the Director to be necessary or prudent to 
most efficiently and effectively fulfill the objec-
tives and priorities of the Action Agenda, Salm-
on Recovery Plans, the Treaty Rights at Risk 
Initiative, and the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution 
Control Program consistent with the best avail-
able science and to ensure the health of the 
Puget Sound ecosystem; 
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