SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Lakes Restora-
tion Initiative Act of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE. 
Section 118(c)(7) of the Federal Water Pollution 
Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1268(c)(7)) is amended— 
(1) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(B) FOCUS AREAS.—In carrying out the 
Initiative, the Administrator shall prioritize pro-
grams and projects, to be carried out in coordi-
nation with non-Federal partners, that address 
the priority areas described in the Initiative Ac-
tion Plan, including— 
‘‘(i) the remediation of toxic sub-
stances and areas of concern; 
‘‘(ii) the prevention and control of 
invasive species and the impacts of invasive 
species; 
‘‘(iii) the protection and restoration of 
nearshore health and the prevention and 
mitigation of nonpoint source pollution; 
‘‘(iv) habitat and wildlife protection 
and restoration, including wetlands res-
toration and preservation; and
‘‘(v) accountability, monitoring, eval-
uation, communication, and partnership 
activities. 
‘‘(C) PROJECTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—In carrying out 
the Initiative, the Administrator shall col-
laborate with other Federal partners, in-
cluding the Great Lakes Interagency Task 
Force established by Executive Order No. 
13340 (69 Fed. Reg. 29043), to select the 
best combination of programs and projects 
for Great Lakes protection and restoration 
using appropriate principles and criteria, 
including whether a program or project 
provides— 
‘‘(I) the ability to achieve stra-
tegic and measurable environmental 
outcomes that implement the Initia-
tive Action Plan and the Great Lakes 
Water Quality Agreement; 
‘‘(II) the feasibility of— 
‘‘(aa) prompt implementa-
tion; 
‘‘(bb) timely achievement of 
results; and
‘‘(cc) resource leveraging; 
and 
‘‘(III) the opportunity to improve 
interagency, intergovernmental, and 
inter-organizational coordination and 
collaboration to reduce duplication 
and streamline efforts. 
‘‘(ii) OUTREACH.—In selecting the 
best combination of programs and projects 
for Great Lakes protection and restoration 
under clause (i), the Administrator shall 
consult with the Great Lakes States and 
Indian tribes and solicit input from other 
non-Federal stakeholders. 
‘‘(iii) HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM COOR-
DINATOR.—The Administrator shall des-
ignate a point person from an appropriate 
Federal partner to coordinate, with Fed-
eral partners and Great Lakes States, In-
dian tribes, and other non-Federal stake-
holders, projects and activities under the 
Initiative involving harmful algal blooms in 
the Great Lakes.’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (D)—
(A) by striking clause (i) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to sub-
paragraph (J)(ii), funds made available to 
carry out the Initiative shall be used to 
strategically implement— 
‘‘(I) Federal projects; 
‘‘(II) projects carried out in co-
ordination with States, Indian tribes, 
municipalities, institutions of higher 
education, and other organizations; 
and 
‘‘(III) operations and activities of 
the Program Office, including remedi-
ation of sediment contamination in 
areas of concern.’’; 
(B) in clause (ii)(I), by striking ‘‘(G)(i)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(J)(i)’’; and 
(C) by inserting after clause (ii) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iii) AGREEMENTS
WITH
NON-FED-
ERAL ENTITIES.— 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Admin-
istrator, or the head of any other Fed-
eral department or agency receiving
funds under clause (ii)(I), may make 
a grant to, or otherwise enter into an 
agreement with, a qualified non-Fed-
eral entity, as determined by the Ad-
ministrator or the applicable head of 
the other Federal department or agen-
cy receiving funds, for planning, re-
search, monitoring, outreach, or im-
plementation of a project selected 
under subparagraph (C), to support 
the Initiative Action Plan or the Great 
Lakes Water Quality Agreement. 
‘‘(II) QUALIFIED
NON-FEDERAL 
ENTITY.—For purposes of this clause, 
a qualified non-Federal entity may in-
clude a governmental entity, nonprofit 
organization, 
institution, 
or 
indi-
vidual.’’; and 
(3) by striking subparagraphs (E) through (G) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(E) SCOPE.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Projects may be 
carried out under the Initiative on multiple 
levels, including— 
‘‘(I) locally;
‘‘(II) Great Lakes-wide; or 
‘‘(III) Great Lakes basin-wide. 
‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—No funds made 
available to carry out the Initiative may be 
used for any water infrastructure activity 
(other than a green infrastructure project 
that improves habitat and other ecosystem 
functions in the Great Lakes) for which fi-
nancial assistance is received— 
‘‘(I) from a State water pollution 
control revolving fund established 
under title VI; 
‘‘(II) from a State drinking water 
revolving loan fund established under 
section 1452 of the Safe Drinking 
Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12); or 
‘‘(III) pursuant to the Water In-
frastructure Finance and Innovation 
Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.). 
‘‘(F) ACTIVITIES
BY
OTHER
FEDERAL 
AGENCIES.—Each relevant Federal department 
or agency shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable— 
‘‘(i) maintain the base level of funding 
for the Great Lakes activities of that de-
partment or agency without regard to 
funding under the Initiative; and 
‘‘(ii) 
identify 
new 
activities 
and 
projects to support the environmental goals 
of the Initiative. 
‘‘(G) REVISION
OF
INITIATIVE
ACTION 
PLAN.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Not less often 
than once every 5 years, the Adminis-
trator, in conjunction with the Great Lakes 
Interagency Task Force, shall review, and 
revise as appropriate, the Initiative Action 
Plan to guide the activities of the Initiative 
in addressing the restoration and protec-
tion of the Great Lakes system. 
‘‘(ii) OUTREACH.—In reviewing and 
revising the Initiative Action Plan under 
clause (i), the Administrator shall consult 
with the Great Lakes States and Indian 
tribes and solicit input from other non- 
Federal stakeholders. 
‘‘(H) MONITORING AND REPORTING.—The 
Administrator shall— 
‘‘(i) establish and maintain a process 
for monitoring and periodically reporting
to the public on the progress made in im-
plementing the Initiative Action Plan; 
‘‘(ii) make information about each 
project carried out under the Initiative Ac-
tion Plan available on a public website; and 
‘‘(iii) provide to the House Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure and 
the Senate Committee on Environment and 
Public Works a yearly detailed description 
of the progress of the Initiative and 
amounts transferred to participating Fed-
eral departments and agencies under sub-
paragraph (D)(ii). 
‘‘(I) INITIATIVE ACTION PLAN DEFINED.— 
In this paragraph, the term ‘Initiative Action 
Plan’ means the comprehensive, multi-year ac-
tion plan for the restoration of the Great 
Lakes, first developed pursuant to the Joint 
Explanatory Statement of the Conference Re-
port accompanying the Department of the Inte-
rior, Environment, and Related Agencies Ap-
propriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111–88). 
‘‘(J) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—There is author-
ized to be appropriated to carry out this
paragraph $300,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2017 through 2021. 
‘‘(ii) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this 
paragraph creates, expands, or amends the 
authority of the Administrator to imple-
ment programs or projects under— 
‘‘(I) this section; 
‘‘(II) the Initiative Action Plan; 
or 
‘‘(III) the Great Lakes Water 
Quality Agreement.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2016. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 223 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Great Lakes Restoration 
Initiative, and for other purposes.