I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4029 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance 
for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget Sound, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 5, 2009 
Mr. DICKS (for himself, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. LARSEN 
of Washington, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. INSLEE, and Mr. REICHERT) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
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, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Puget Sound Recovery 
Act of 2009’’. 
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SEC. 2. PUGET SOUND. 
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. 123. PUGET SOUND. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 
definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.—The term ‘com-
prehensive plan’ means the Puget Sound Action 
Agenda (the comprehensive conservation and man-
agement plan for Puget Sound under section 320), 
including any amendments thereto. 
‘‘(2) COUNCIL.—The term ‘Council’ means the 
Puget Sound Program Advisory Council established 
under subsection (d). 
‘‘(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 
the Director of the Office. 
‘‘(4) OFFICE.—The term ‘Office’ means the 
Puget Sound Program Office established by sub-
section (b). 
‘‘(5) PUGET SOUND PARTNERSHIP.—The term 
‘Puget Sound Partnership’ means the agency of the 
State of Washington (together with its associated 
councils, boards, and panels) that was formed under 
authority of State law for the purpose of protecting 
and restoring Puget Sound and is designated as the 
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management conference for Puget Sound under sec-
tion 320. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM OFFICE.— 
‘‘(1) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Administrator 
shall establish in the Environmental Protection 
Agency a Puget Sound Program Office. The Office 
shall be co-located with the Puget Sound Partner-
ship in the State of Washington. 
‘‘(2) APPOINTMENT
OF
DIRECTOR.—The Ad-
ministrator shall appoint a Director of the Office, 
who, by reason of management experience and tech-
nical expertise relating to Puget Sound, shall be 
highly qualified to support the development and im-
plementation of projects, programs, and studies nec-
essary to implement the comprehensive plan. 
‘‘(3) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY; STAFFING.— 
The Administrator shall delegate to the Director 
such authority and provide such additional staff as 
may be necessary to carry out this section. 
‘‘(c) DUTIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Administrator, acting through the Director, 
shall— 
‘‘(A) assist and support the implementa-
tion of the comprehensive plan; 
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‘‘(B) provide funding and make grants for 
implementation of the comprehensive plan and 
projects, programs, and studies consistent with 
the priorities of the comprehensive plan; 
‘‘(C) promote innovative methodologies and 
technologies that are cost-effective and con-
sistent with the identified goals and objectives 
of the comprehensive plan and Environmental 
Protection Agency permitting processes; 
‘‘(D) coordinate the major functions of the 
Federal Government related to the implementa-
tion of the comprehensive plan, including 
projects, programs, and studies for— 
‘‘(i) water quality improvements; 
‘‘(ii) wetland, riverine, and estuary 
restoration and protection; and 
‘‘(iii) nearshore and endangered spe-
cies recovery; 
‘‘(E) coordinate the research and planning 
projects authorized under this section with Fed-
eral agencies, State agencies, tribes, univer-
sities, and the Puget Sound Partnership’s 
Science Panel, including conducting or commis-
sioning studies considered necessary by the 
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Science Panel for strengthened implementation 
of the comprehensive plan; 
‘‘(F) track progress towards meeting the 
identified goals and objectives of the com-
prehensive plan by— 
‘‘(i) implementing and supporting a 
project, program, and study monitoring 
system consistent with the performance 
management system used by the Puget 
Sound Partnership; and 
‘‘(ii) coordinating, managing, and re-
porting environmental data related to 
Puget Sound in a manner consistent with 
methodologies utilized by the Puget Sound 
Partnership, including, to the extent prac-
ticable, making such data and reports on 
such data available to the public, including 
on the Internet, in a timely fashion; 
‘‘(G) coordinate projects, programs, and 
studies for the protection of Puget Sound, the 
Strait of Georgia, and the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca with Canadian authorities; and 
‘‘(H) collect and make available to the 
public, including on the Internet, publications 
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‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of enactment of this section, and biennially thereafter, the 
Administrator and the Executive Director of the Puget 
Sound Partnership, acting jointly, shall submit to Con-
gress a report that— 
‘‘(1) summarizes the progress made in imple-
menting the comprehensive plan and progress to-
wards achieving the identified goals and objectives 
described in the comprehensive plan; 
‘‘(2) summarizes any modifications to the com-
prehensive plan made in the period immediately pre-
ceding such report; 
‘‘(3) incorporates specific recommendations con-
cerning the implementation of the comprehensive 
plan; and 
‘‘(4) summarizes the roles and progress of each 
Federal agency that has jurisdiction in the Puget 
Sound watershed towards meeting the identified 
goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan. 
‘‘(f) IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, acting 
through the Director and in consultation with the 
Puget Sound Partnership, shall carry out projects, 
programs, and studies to implement the comprehen-
sive plan. 
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‘‘(2) PRIORITY
PROJECTS, 
PROGRAMS, 
AND 
STUDIES.—The Administrator shall give special em-
phasis to projects, programs, and studies that are 
identified as priorities by the Puget Sound Partner-
ship in the comprehensive plan. 
‘‘(3) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator, 
acting through the Director, is authorized to 
make grants for projects, programs, and studies 
to implement the comprehensive plan. 
‘‘(B) ALLOCATIONS.—In making grants 
under this paragraph, the Administrator shall 
use— 
‘‘(i) 50 percent of the funds appro-
priated for making grants under this para-
graph for a fiscal year to make a com-
prehensive grant to the Puget Sound Part-
nership to manage implementation of the 
comprehensive plan and for allocation by 
the Puget Sound Partnership to projects, 
programs, and studies prioritized in the 
comprehensive plan; and 
‘‘(ii) 50 percent of funds appropriated 
for making grants under this paragraph 
for a fiscal year to make grants to State 
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and regional water pollution control agen-
cies and entities, federally recognized In-
dian tribes, State coastal zone manage-
ment agencies, local governments, and 
other public or nonprofit private agencies, 
institutions, or organizations to implement 
specific projects, programs, and studies 
identified in the comprehensive plan. 
‘‘(4) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of 
the cost of a project, program, or study carried 
out under this subsection shall be— 
‘‘(i) not more than 50 percent of the 
cost of a project, program or study; or 
‘‘(ii) up to 100 percent of the cost of 
a project, program, or study if the project, 
program, or study is located in or specifi-
cally affects a distressed community. 
‘‘(B) CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NON-FEDERAL 
SOURCES.—The non-Federal share of costs re-
quired under subparagraph (A) shall be pro-
vided from non-Federal sources. 
‘‘(5) DISTRESSED
COMMUNITY
DEFINED.—In 
this subsection, the term ‘distressed community’ 
means a community that meets the affordability cri-
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teria established by the State in which the commu-
nity is located, if such criteria is established after 
public review and comment. 
‘‘(g) ANNUAL BUDGET PLAN.—The President, as 
part of the annual budget of the United States Govern-
ment, shall submit information regarding each Federal 
agency involved in Puget Sound protection and restora-
tion, including— 
‘‘(1) an interagency crosscut budget that dis-
plays for each Federal agency— 
‘‘(A) the amounts obligated in the pre-
ceding fiscal year for protection and restoration 
projects, programs, and studies relating to 
Puget Sound; 
‘‘(B) the estimated budget for the current 
fiscal year for protection and restoration 
projects, programs, and studies relating to 
Puget Sound; and 
‘‘(C) the proposed budget for protection 
and restoration projects, programs, and studies 
relating to Puget Sound; and 
‘‘(2) a description and assessment of the Fed-
eral role in the implementation of the comprehensive 
plan and the specific role of each Federal agency in-
volved in Puget Sound protection and restoration, 
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including specific projects, programs, and studies 
conducted or planned to achieve the identified goals 
and objectives of the comprehensive plan. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 
carry out this section $125,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2011 through 2016. Such sums shall remain avail-
able until expended.’’. 
Æ 
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