Clean Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3751 | Sponsor: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. (D-CA)
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Clean Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Act of 2021
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a grant program for increasing the resilience of publicly owned treatment works (e.g., systems used to treat wastewater or sewage) to natural hazards, such as extreme weather events. Under the program, the EPA must award grants to (1) a municipality; or (2) an intermunicipal, interstate, or state agency.

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a program 
   to make grants to eligible entities to increase the resilience of 
  publicly owned treatment works to natural disasters, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clean Water Infrastructure 
Resilience and Sustainability Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. CLEAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY 
              PROGRAM.

    Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 222. CLEAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a municipality; or
                    ``(B) an intermunicipal, interstate, or State 
                agency.
            ``(2) Natural hazard.--The term `natural hazard' means a 
        natural event that threatens the functioning of a publicly 
        owned treatment works, including extreme weather events and 
        hydrological changes.
            ``(3) Program.--The term `program' means the clean water 
        infrastructure resilience and sustainability program 
        established under subsection (b).
            ``(4) Resilience.--The term `resilience' means the ability 
        of a publicly owned treatment works or an asset of a publicly 
        owned treatment works--
                    ``(A) to adapt to, or withstand the effects of, a 
                natural hazard, without interruption to the function of 
                the plant or asset; or
                    ``(B) if the function is interrupted due to a 
                natural hazard, to rapidly return to a normal operating 
                condition.
    ``(b) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish a clean 
water infrastructure resilience and sustainability program under which 
the Administrator shall award grants to eligible entities for the 
purpose of increasing the resilience of publicly owned treatment works 
to a natural hazard.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
the program shall use the grant funds for planning, designing, or 
constructing projects (on a system-wide or area-wide basis) that 
increase the resilience of a publicly owned treatment works to a 
natural hazard through--
            ``(1) the conservation of water;
            ``(2) the enhancement of water use efficiency;
            ``(3) the enhancement of wastewater and stormwater 
        management by increasing watershed preservation and protection, 
        including through the use of--
                    ``(A) natural and engineered green infrastructure; 
                and
                    ``(B) reclamation and reuse of wastewater and 
                stormwater, such as aquifer recharge zones;
            ``(4) the modification or relocation of an existing 
        publicly owned treatment works that is at risk of being 
        significantly impaired or damaged by a natural hazard;
            ``(5) the development and implementation of projects to 
        increase the resilience of publicly owned treatment works to a 
        natural hazard; or
            ``(6) the enhancement of energy efficiency or the use and 
        generation of recovered or renewable energy in the management, 
        treatment, or conveyance of wastewater or stormwater.
    ``(d) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under the 
program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Administrator an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Administrator may require, including--
            ``(1) a proposal of the project to be planned, designed, or 
        constructed using funds under the program;
            ``(2) an identification of the natural hazard risk to be 
        addressed by the proposed project;
            ``(3) documentation prepared by a Federal, State, regional, 
        or local government agency of the natural hazard risk of the 
        area where the proposed project is to be located;
            ``(4) a description of any recent natural hazard events 
        that have affected the publicly owned treatment works;
            ``(5) a description of how the proposed project would 
        improve the performance of the publicly owned treatment works 
        under an anticipated natural hazard; and
            ``(6) an explanation of how the proposed project is 
        expected to enhance the resilience of the publicly owned 
        treatment works to an anticipated natural hazard.
    ``(e) Grant Amount and Other Federal Requirements.--
            ``(1) Cost share.--A grant under the program shall not 
        exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the proposed project.
            ``(2) Requirements.--The requirements of section 608 shall 
        apply to a project funded with a grant under the program.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026.''.
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