Great Lakes Coordination and Oversight Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-2912
Sponsor: Sen. DeWine, Mike [R-OH]
Introduced: 2006-05-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental monitoring
Executive reorganization
Government Operations and Politics
Great Lakes
Lakes
New York State
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Public meetings
Restoration ecology
Vermont
Water Resources Development
Watersheds

Summary:
action_date: 2006-05-19
text: 
Great Lakes Coordination and Oversight Act of 2006 - Establishes the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, as created by Executive Order 13340, as a task force within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 
 
Adds as duties of the Task Force: (1) to ensure that implementation of its programs is coordinated, effective, and cost-efficient; (2) to submit to Congress a biennial report that describes the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration's activities; (3) to establish a regular means of communication with the Collaboration's Executive Committee to exchange information and recommendations for action; and (4) to ensure that its activities are coordinated with Lake Chaplain Basin Program activities.
 
Establishes the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, which shall draft a strategy every three years to describe the Great Lakes' health and to identify Great Lakes restoration goals. 
 
 Requires the Collaboration's Executive Committee to: (1) submit to Congress and the Task Force a biennial report that includes an analysis in carrying out the restoration of the Great Lakes and meeting the goals and the Collaboration's recommendations and about contributions made by Great Lakes states, municipal partners, and Great Lakes Tribes; and (2) ensure that the Collaboration has balanced representation of stakeholder groups and that the strategy developed by the Collaboration is coordinated with the activities of the Lake Chaplain Basin Program. 
 
Requires the Administrator of the EPA to evaluate each committee and office that oversees a Great Lakes program to identify overlapping duties and to develop recommendations to improve the efficiency of those committees and offices.

action_date: 2006-09-20
text: 
Great Lakes Coordination and Oversight Act of 2006 - Establishes the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, as created by Executive Order 13340, within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 
 

 
Establishes the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, which shall draft a strategy every three years to describe the health of the Great Lakes and to identify Great Lakes restoration goals. 
 
 Requires the the Collaboration's Executive Committee to: (1) establish a process for communicating with Collaboration members; (2) work with the Collaboration to develop its strategy; (3) develop a list of goals, identify the level of government that is best able to achieve them, hold semiannual public meetings to discuss them, and receive input relating to them from stakeholder groups; (4) submit to Congress and the Task Force a biennial report on progress in carrying out the restoration and meeting the Collaboration's goals and recommendations and on contributions made by Great Lakes states, municipal partners, and Great Lakes Tribes; and (5) ensure that the Collaboration has balanced representation of stakeholder groups and that its strategy is coordinated with the activities of the Lake Chaplain Basin Program. 
 
Adds as duties of the Task Force to: (1) ensure that implementation of its programs is coordinated, effective, and cost-efficient; (2) submit to Congress a biennial report that describes the Collaboration's activities; (3) establish a regular means of communication with the Collaboration's Executive Committee to exchange information and recommendations for action; and (4) ensure that its activities are coordinated with Lake Chaplain Basin Program activities.
 
Requires the Administrator of the EPA to evaluate each committee of which the Administrator is a member and office within EPA's jurisdiction that oversees a Great Lakes program to identify overlapping duties and to develop recommendations to improve the efficiency of those committees and offices.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-09-20
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 618.
action_date: 2006-09-20
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Inhofe with an amendment. With written report No. 109-338.
action_date: 2006-09-20
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Inhofe with an amendment. With written report No. 109-338.
action_date: 2006-05-23
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
action_date: 2006-05-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2006-05-19
text: Introduced in Senate