I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1782
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to
apply the hazard ranking system under the Comprehensive Environ-
mental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to areas
in the Chesapeake Bay Program in the same manner as such system
is applied to areas in the National Estuary Program.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 21, 1993
Mr. GILCHREST (for himself, Mrs. BENTLEY, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. BARTLETT of
Maryland, Mr. MFUME, Mr. HOYER, Mrs. MORELLA, and Mr. WYNN) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the Committees
on Public Works and Transportation and Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency to apply the hazard ranking system under
the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensa-
tion, and Liability Act of 1980 to areas in the Chesa-
peake Bay Program in the same manner as such system
is applied to areas in the National Estuary Program.
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 ‘‘Chesapeake Bay
Protection Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has adopted revisions to the Hazard Ranking
System, the principal mechanism for placing sites on
the National Priorities List (NPL) under the Com-
prehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act of 1980. These revisions took ef-
fect March 14, 1991.
(2) The revised ranking system made changes
in the way EPA evaluates potential threats to
human health and the environment from hazardous
waste sites.
(3) Within the revised ranking system, EPA ex-
panded the list of sensitive environments. The most
sensitive environments, like critical habitats for fed-
erally designated endangered or threatened species,
and sensitive areas identified under the National Es-
tuary Program, are granted additional points.
(4) The Chesapeake Bay Program, established
to coordinate a Federal program to clean up the
Chesapeake Bay, designates a sensitive estuarine en-
vironment with respect to which Federal resources
have been invested. These areas deserve the same
protection as the protection provided for estuaries
under the National Estuary Program.
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO RANK CHESAPEAKE BAY PRO-
GRAM AREAS IN SAME MANNER AS NATIONAL
ESTUARY 
PROGRAM 
AREAS 
UNDER
SUPERFUND HAZARD RANKING SYSTEM.
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 60 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency shall by rule pro-
mulgate an amendment to the hazard ranking system
under section 105(c) of the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42
U.S.C. 9605(c)) to require that such system be applied
to areas under the Chesapeake Bay Program in the same
manner as the system is applied to areas under the Na-
tional Estuary Program by, at a minimum, considering
areas in the Chesapeake Bay Program to be environ-
mentally sensitive and by assigning such areas the same
rating value as areas under the estuary program.
(b) REEVALUATIONS.—After the amendment is pro-
mulgated under subsection (a), the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency shall reevaluate the
hazard ranking of any area in the Chesapeake Bay Pro-
gram which was evaluated in accordance with the criteria
under the hazard ranking system before the effective date
of the amendment required by subsection (a).
(c) CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM DEFINED.—For
purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Chesapeake Bay Pro-
gram’’ means the program referred to in section 117 of
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.
1267).
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