Title: Residential Decentralized Wastewater System Improvement Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Residential Decentralized Wastewater System Improvement Act
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a grant program for constructing, refurbishing, or servicing decentralized wastewater systems of individuals with low or moderate income.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2771 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2771

    To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants 
    for the construction, refurbishing, and servicing of individual 
 household decentralized wastewater systems to individuals with low or 
                            moderate income.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2018

  Mr. Booker (for himself, Mrs. Capito, and Mr. Jones) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                      Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants 
    for the construction, refurbishing, and servicing of individual 
 household decentralized wastewater systems to individuals with low or 
                            moderate income.

    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 ``Residential Decentralized Wastewater 
System Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION, REFURBISHING, AND SERVICING OF 
              INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS FOR 
              INDIVIDUALS WITH LOW OR MODERATE INCOME.

    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. GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION, REFURBISHING, AND SERVICING OF 
              INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS FOR 
              INDIVIDUALS WITH LOW OR MODERATE INCOME.

    ``(a) Definition of Eligible Individual.--In this section, the term 
`eligible individual' means a member of a household, the members of 
which have a combined income (for the most recent 12-month period for 
which information is available) equal to not more than 60 percent of 
the median nonmetropolitan household income for the State or territory 
in which the household is located, according to the most recent 
decennial census.
    ``(b) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        program under which the Administrator shall provide grants to 
        private nonprofit organizations for the purpose of providing 
        subgrants to eligible individuals, in accordance with 
        subsection (c).
            ``(2) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this subsection, a private nonprofit organization shall submit 
        to the Administrator an application at such time, in such 
        manner, and containing such information as the Administrator 
        determines to be appropriate.
            ``(3) Priority.--In awarding grants under this subsection, 
        the Administrator shall give priority to applicants that have 
        substantial expertise and experience in promoting the safe and 
        effective use of individual household decentralized wastewater 
        systems.
            ``(4) Administrative expenses.--A private nonprofit 
        organization may use amounts provided under this subsection to 
        pay the administrative expenses associated with the provision 
        of subgrants under subsection (c), as the Administrator 
        determines to be appropriate.
    ``(c) Subgrants.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), a private 
        nonprofit organization shall use a grant provided under 
        subsection (b) to provide subgrants to eligible individuals for 
        the construction, refurbishing, and servicing of individual 
        household decentralized wastewater systems.
            ``(2) Public utility connection available.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In any case in which an eligible 
                individual who submits to a private nonprofit 
                organization an application for a subgrant under this 
                subsection resides in a household that could be 
                connected to an available public wastewater utility, 
                the private nonprofit organization shall conduct a cost 
                analysis to determine whether establishing such a 
                connection would be a more cost-effective use of 
                subgrant funds, as compared to the eligible uses 
                described in paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) Use of funds.--If a cost analysis under 
                subparagraph (A) demonstrates that the connection of 
                the applicable household to a public wastewater utility 
                is more cost-effective than the eligible uses described 
                in paragraph (1) with respect to the household, the 
                eligible individual may use a subgrant provided under 
                this subsection to establish the connection.
            ``(3) Application.--To be eligible to receive a subgrant 
        under this subsection, an eligible individual shall submit to 
        the private nonprofit organization serving the area in which 
        the individual household decentralized wastewater system of the 
        eligible individuals is, or is proposed to be, located an 
        application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the private nonprofit organization determines to 
        be appropriate.
            ``(4) Priority.--In awarding subgrants under this 
        subsection, a private nonprofit organization shall give 
        priority to any eligible individual who does not have access to 
        a sanitary sewage disposal system.
            ``(5) Maximum amount.--The amount of a subgrant provided 
        under this subsection shall not exceed $20,000.
    ``(d) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this section, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report 
describing the results of the program under this section with respect 
to the prevalence throughout the United States of low- and moderate-
income households without access to a sanitary sewage disposal system.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator such sums as are necessary to carry 
out this section.''.
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