I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 600 
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 
FEBRUARY 8, 2013 
Mr. HIGGINS (for himself, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. 
DINGELL, Ms. MOORE, and Mr. RYAN of Ohio) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure 
A BILL 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to pro-
vide assistance for nutrient removal technologies to 
States in the Great Lakes System. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Lakes Nutrient 
Removal Assistance Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) ineffective wastewater treatment is one of 
the most common sources of water pollution; 
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(2) nutrient pollution, particularly phosphorus 
loading, continues to be one of the most significant 
water quality issues facing the Great Lakes System; 
(3) limiting phosphorus loads is key to control-
ling excessive algal growth, and a coordinated Great 
Lakes System-wide strategy to change how nutrients 
are discharged is urgent; and 
(4) nutrient removal technology is one of the 
most reliable, cost effective, and direct methods for 
reducing the flow of phosphorus and other harmful 
nutrients from point sources in the Great Lakes 
System. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to authorize the Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency to provide financial as-
sistance to Great Lakes States and municipalities 
for use in upgrading publically owned wastewater 
treatment plants in the Great Lakes System with 
nutrient removal technologies; and 
(2) to further the goal of restoring the water of 
the Great Lakes System to conditions that are pro-
tective of human health and aquatic life. 
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SEC. 3. SEWAGE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROGRAM. 
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
1251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘TITLE VII—MISCELLANEOUS 
‘‘SEC. 701. SEWAGE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this section, the Ad-
ministrator shall establish a program within the En-
vironmental Protection Agency to provide grants to 
Great Lakes States, and municipalities thereof, to 
upgrade eligible facilities with nutrient removal tech-
nologies. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In providing a grant under 
paragraph (1), the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) consult with the Program Office; and 
‘‘(B) give priority to eligible facilities at 
which nutrient removal technology upgrades 
would— 
‘‘(i) produce the greatest nutrient load 
reductions at points of discharge; 
‘‘(ii) result in the greatest environ-
mental benefits to the Great Lakes Sys-
tem; and 
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‘‘(iii) help meet the objectives related 
to nutrients outlined in Annex 4 of the 
2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agree-
ment. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On receipt of an ap-
plication from a State or municipality for a 
grant under this section, if the Administrator 
approves the request, the Administrator shall 
transfer to the State or municipality the 
amount of assistance determined necessary by 
the Administrator, in consultation with the Pro-
gram Office, to carry out the facility upgrades 
that are the subject of the application. 
‘‘(B) FORM.—An application submitted by 
a State or municipality under subparagraph (A) 
shall be in such form and shall include such in-
formation as the Administrator may prescribe. 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—A State or municipality 
that receives a grant under this section shall use the 
grant to upgrade eligible facilities with nutrient re-
moval technologies that are designed to reduce total 
nutrients in discharged wastewater. 
‘‘(5) COST SHARING.— 
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‘‘(A) 
FEDERAL
SHARE.—The 
Federal 
share of the cost of upgrading any eligible facil-
ity as described in paragraph (1) using funds 
provided under this section shall not exceed 55 
percent. 
‘‘(B) NON-FEDERAL
SHARE.—The non- 
Federal share of the costs of upgrading any eli-
gible facility as described in paragraph (1) 
using funds provided under this section may be 
provided in the form of funds made available to 
a State or municipality under— 
‘‘(i) any provision of this Act other 
than this section (including funds made 
available from a State water pollution con-
trol revolving fund established under title 
VI); or 
‘‘(ii) any other Federal or State law. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) 2012 GREAT
LAKES
WATER
QUALITY 
AGREEMENT.—The term ‘2012 Great Lakes Water 
Quality Agreement’ means the Great Lakes Water 
Quality Protocol of 2012, signed at Washington on 
September 7, 2012 (further amending the Agree-
ment between the United States of America and 
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Canada on Great Lakes Water Quality, 1978, signed 
at Ottawa on November 22, 1978). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
FACILITY.—The term ‘eligible 
facility’ means a municipal wastewater treatment 
plant that— 
‘‘(A) as of the date of enactment of this 
section, has a permitted design capacity to treat 
an annual average of at least 500,000 gallons 
of wastewater per day; and 
‘‘(B) is located within the Great Lakes 
System in any of the Great Lakes States. 
‘‘(3) GREAT LAKES STATES; GREAT LAKES SYS-
TEM.—The terms ‘Great Lakes States’ and ‘Great 
Lakes System’ have the meanings given those terms 
in section 118. 
‘‘(4) PROGRAM
OFFICE.—The term ‘Program 
Office’ means the Great Lakes National Program 
Office established by section 118(b). 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017. Such 
sums shall remain available until expended. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
COSTS.—The Adminis-
trator may use not to exceed 4 percent of any 
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amount made available under paragraph (1) to pay 
administrative costs incurred in carrying out this 
section.’’. 
Æ 
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