Title: Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2017
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2017
This bill amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency or a state from requiring a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for a discharge of a pesticide from a point source into navigable waters if the discharge is approved under FIFRA. Point source pollution is waste discharged from a distinct place, such as a pipe, channel, or tunnel. The bill establishes exemptions from this prohibition.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 953 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 953

 To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and 
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Congressional intent 
regarding the regulation of the use of pesticides in or near navigable 
                    waters, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2017

   Mr. Gibbs (for himself, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Bost, Mr. 
 Marshall, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Abraham, Mr. DesJarlais, 
Mr. Grothman, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Yoho, Mr. Jones, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, 
  Mr. Babin, Mr. Cole, Mr. Schweikert, Mr. Kustoff of Tennessee, Mr. 
 Crawford, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Gosar, Mrs. Comstock, Mr. Allen, Mr. 
 Schrader, and Mr. Wenstrup) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 
     addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and 
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Congressional intent 
regarding the regulation of the use of pesticides in or near navigable 
                    waters, 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 ``Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. USE OF AUTHORIZED PESTICIDES.

    Section 3(f) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide 
Act (7 U.S.C. 136a(f)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Use of authorized pesticides.--Except as provided in 
        section 402(s) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the 
        Administrator or a State may not require a permit under such 
        Act for a discharge from a point source into navigable waters 
        of a pesticide authorized for sale, distribution, or use under 
        this Act, or the residue of such a pesticide, resulting from 
        the application of such pesticide.''.

SEC. 3. DISCHARGES OF PESTICIDES.

    Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
1342) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(s) Discharges of Pesticides.--
            ``(1) No permit requirement.--Except as provided in 
        paragraph (2), a permit shall not be required by the 
        Administrator or a State under this Act for a discharge from a 
        point source into navigable waters of a pesticide authorized 
        for sale, distribution, or use under the Federal Insecticide, 
        Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, or the residue of such a 
        pesticide, resulting from the application of such pesticide.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the 
        following discharges of a pesticide or pesticide residue:
                    ``(A) A discharge resulting from the application of 
                a pesticide in violation of a provision of the Federal 
                Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act that is 
                relevant to protecting water quality, if--
                            ``(i) the discharge would not have occurred 
                        but for the violation; or
                            ``(ii) the amount of pesticide or pesticide 
                        residue in the discharge is greater than would 
                        have occurred without the violation.
                    ``(B) Stormwater discharges subject to regulation 
                under subsection (p).
                    ``(C) The following discharges subject to 
                regulation under this section:
                            ``(i) Manufacturing or industrial effluent.
                            ``(ii) Treatment works effluent.
                            ``(iii) Discharges incidental to the normal 
                        operation of a vessel, including a discharge 
                        resulting from ballasting operations or vessel 
                        biofouling prevention.''.
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