I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5504 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain 
the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 5, 2021 
Mr. STANTON (for himself and Mr. MEIJER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc-
ture, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Ap-
propriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Sec-
retary of Agriculture to maintain the Urban Waters Fed-
eral Partnership Program, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Urban Waters Federal 
Partnership Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
(2) MEMBER AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘member 
agencies’’ means each of— 
(A) the Environmental Protection Agency; 
(B) the Department of the Interior; 
(C) the Department of Agriculture; 
(D) the Corps of Engineers; 
(E) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration; 
(F) the Economic Development Adminis-
tration; 
(G) the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development; 
(H) the Department of Transportation; 
(I) the Department of Energy; 
(J) the Department of Education; 
(K) the National Institute for Environ-
mental Health Sciences; 
(L) the Community Development Financial 
Institutions Fund; 
(M) the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency; 
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(N) the Corporation for National and 
Community Service; and 
(O) such other agencies, departments, and 
bureaus that elect to participate in the Urban 
Waters program as the missions, authorities, 
and appropriated funding of those agencies, de-
partments, and bureaus allow. 
(3) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 
means the Secretary of the Interior and the Sec-
retary of Agriculture. 
(4) URBAN WATERS AMBASSADOR.—The term 
‘‘Urban Waters ambassador’’ means a person who— 
(A) is locally based near the applicable 
Urban Waters partnership location; and 
(B) serves in a central coordinating role 
for the work carried out in the applicable 
Urban Waters partnership location with respect 
to the Urban Waters program. 
(5) URBAN
WATERS
NONPARTNERSHIP
LOCA-
TION.—The term ‘‘Urban Waters nonpartnership lo-
cation’’ means an urban or municipal site and the 
associated watershed or waterbody of the site— 
(A) that receives Federal support for ac-
tivities that advance the purpose of the Urban 
Waters program; but 
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(B)(i) that is not formally designated as an 
Urban Waters partnership location; and 
(ii) for which is not maintained— 
(I) an active partnership with an 
Urban Waters ambassador; or 
(II) an Urban Waters partnership lo-
cation workplan. 
(6) URBAN WATERS PARTNERSHIP LOCATION.— 
The term ‘‘Urban Waters partnership location’’ 
means an urban or municipal site and the associated 
watershed or waterbody of the site for which— 
(A) the Administrator, in collaboration 
with the heads of the other member agencies, 
has formally designated as a partnership loca-
tion under the Urban Waters program; and 
(B) an active partnership with an Urban 
Waters ambassador is maintained. 
(7) URBAN
WATERS
PARTNERSHIP
LOCATION 
WORKPLAN.—The term ‘‘Urban Waters partnership 
location workplan’’ means the plan for projects and 
actions that is coordinated across an Urban Waters 
partnership location. 
(8) URBAN
WATERS
PROGRAM.—The term 
‘‘Urban Waters program’’ means the program estab-
lished under section 3(a). 
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SEC. 3. URBAN WATERS FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized a pro-
gram, to be known as the ‘‘Urban Waters Federal Part-
nership Program’’, administered by the partnership of the 
member agencies— 
(1) to jointly support and execute the goals of 
the Urban Waters program through the independent 
authorities and appropriated funding of the member 
agencies; and 
(2) to advance the purpose described in sub-
section (b) within designated Urban Waters partner-
ship locations and other urban and suburban com-
munities in the United States. 
(b) PROGRAM PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Urban 
Waters program is to reconnect urban communities, par-
ticularly urban communities that are overburdened or eco-
nomically distressed, with associated waterways by im-
proving coordination among Federal agencies. 
(c) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of 
appropriations, the Administrator, in coordination 
with the Secretaries and, as appropriate, the heads 
of the other member agencies, shall maintain the 
Urban Waters program in accordance with this sub-
section. 
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(2) URBAN
WATERS
FEDERAL
PARTNERSHIP 
STEERING COMMITTEE.— 
(A) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall establish a steering committee for the 
Urban Waters program (referred to in this 
paragraph as the ‘‘steering committee’’). 
(ii) CHAIR.—The Administrator shall 
serve as chairperson of the steering com-
mittee. 
(iii) VICE-CHAIRS.—The Secretaries 
shall serve as vice-chairpersons of the 
steering committee. 
(iv) MEMBERSHIP.—In addition to the 
Administrator and the Secretaries, the 
members of the steering committee shall be 
the senior officials (or their designees) 
from such member agencies as the Admin-
istrator shall designate. 
(B) DUTIES.—The steering committee 
shall provide general guidance to the member 
agencies with respect to the Urban Waters pro-
gram, including guidance with respect to— 
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(i) the identification of annual priority 
issues for special emphasis within Urban 
Waters partnership locations; and 
(ii) the identification of funding op-
portunities, which shall be communicated 
to all Urban Waters partnership locations. 
(C) INTERAGENCY
FINANCING.—Notwith-
standing section 1346 of title 31, United States 
Code, section 708 of division E of the Consoli-
dated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 
116–260), or any other similar provision of law, 
member agencies may— 
(i) provide interagency financing to 
the steering committee; and 
(ii) directly transfer such amounts as 
are necessary to support the activities of 
the steering committee. 
(3) AUTHORITY.— 
(A) PARTNERSHIP LOCATIONS.— 
(i) PARTNERSHIP
LOCATIONS.—The 
Administrator and the Secretaries shall 
maintain an active partnership program 
under the Urban Waters program at each 
Urban Waters partnership location, includ-
ing each Urban Waters partnership loca-
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tion in existence on the date of enactment 
of this Act, by providing— 
(I) 
technical 
assistance 
for 
projects to be carried out within the 
Urban Waters partnership location; 
(II) funding for projects to be 
carried out within the Urban Waters 
partnership location; 
(III) funding for an Urban 
Waters ambassador for the Urban 
Waters partnership location; and 
(IV) coordination support with 
other member agencies with respect to 
activities carried out at the Urban 
Waters partnership location. 
(ii) NEW PARTNERSHIP LOCATIONS.— 
(I) IN GENERAL.—The Adminis-
trator and the Secretaries may, in 
consultation with the heads of other 
member 
agencies, 
establish 
new 
Urban Waters partnership locations. 
(II) 
NONPARTNERSHIP
LOCA-
TIONS.—A community with an Urban 
Waters nonpartnership location may, 
at the discretion of the community, 
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seek to have the Urban Waters non-
partnership location designated as an 
Urban Waters partnership location. 
(B) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 
(i) DEFINITION
OF
ELIGIBLE
ENTI-
TY.—In this subparagraph, the term ‘‘eli-
gible entity’’ means— 
(I) a State; 
(II) a territory or possession of 
the United States; 
(III) the District of Columbia; 
(IV) an Indian Tribe; 
(V) a unit of local government; 
(VI) a public or private institu-
tion of higher education; 
(VII) a public or private non-
profit institution; 
(VIII) an intertribal consortium; 
(IX) an interstate agency; and 
(X) any other entity determined 
to be appropriate by the Adminis-
trator. 
(ii) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the 
Urban Waters program, a member agency 
may— 
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(I) encourage, cooperate with, 
and render technical services to and 
provide financial assistance to sup-
port— 
(aa) Urban Water ambas-
sadors to conduct activities with 
respect to the applicable Urban 
Waters partnership location, in-
cluding— 
(AA) convening the ap-
propriate Federal and non- 
Federal partners for the 
Urban Waters partnership 
location; 
(BB) developing and 
carrying 
out 
an 
Urban 
Waters partnership location 
workplan; 
(CC) leveraging avail-
able Federal and non-Fed-
eral resources for projects 
within the Urban Waters 
partnership location; and 
(DD) sharing informa-
tion and best practices with 
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the Urban Waters Learning 
Network established under 
subparagraph (C); and 
(bb) an eligible entity in car-
rying out— 
(AA) projects at Urban 
Water partnership locations 
that 
provide 
habitat 
or 
water quality improvements, 
increase river recreation, en-
hance community resiliency, 
install 
infrastructure, 
strengthen community en-
gagement with and edu-
cation with respect to water 
resources, or support plan-
ning, coordination, and exe-
cution of projects identified 
in 
the 
applicable 
Urban 
Waters partnership location 
workplan; and 
(BB) 
planning, 
re-
search, experiments, dem-
onstrations, surveys, studies, 
monitoring, 
training, 
and 
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outreach to advance the pur-
pose described in subsection 
(b) within Urban Waters 
partnership locations and in 
Urban Waters nonpartner-
ship locations; and 
(II) transfer funds to or enter 
into 
interagency 
agreements 
with 
other member agencies as necessary 
to carry out the Urban Waters pro-
gram. 
(C) URBAN
WATERS
LEARNING
NET-
WORK.—The Administrator and the Secretaries 
shall maintain an Urban Waters Learning Net-
work— 
(i) to share information, resources, 
and tools between Urban Waters partner-
ship locations and with other interested 
communities; and 
(ii) to carry out community-based ca-
pacity building that advances the goals of 
the Urban Waters program. 
(D) WORKPLAN
PROGRESS.—Progress in 
addressing the goals of the Urban Waters part-
nership location workplan of an Urban Waters 
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partnership location shall be shared with the 
Urban Waters program at regular intervals, as 
determined by the Administrator and the Secre-
taries. 
(d) REPORTS
TO CONGRESS.—The Administrator 
and the Secretaries shall annually submit to the appro-
priate committees of Congress a report describing the 
progress in carrying out the Urban Waters program, 
which shall include— 
(1) a description of the use of funds under the 
Urban Waters program; 
(2) a description of the progress made in car-
rying out Urban Waters partnership location 
workplans; and 
(3) any additional information that the Admin-
istrator and the Secretaries determine to be appro-
priate. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the 
Urban Waters program $10,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2022 through 2026. 
(2) USE
OF
FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, activities carried out using 
amounts made available to the Administrator under 
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paragraph (1) may be used in conjunction with 
amounts made available from— 
(A) other member agencies; and 
(B) non-Federal entities that participate in 
the Urban Waters program. 
Æ 
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