Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Act

Bill: 109-s-508
Sponsor: Sen. DeWine, Mike [R-OH]
Introduced: 2005-03-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Animals
Authorization
Biological diversity
Canada
Coastal zone
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Earth resources satellites
Economics and Public Finance
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental monitoring
Environmental research
Executive reorganization
Exotic animals
Exotic plants
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to water pollution control
Fishery management
Government Operations and Politics
Great Lakes
Habitat conservation
Illinois
Indiana
International Affairs
International environmental cooperation
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Michigan
Minnesota
New York State
Non-native species
Nonpoint source pollution
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Performance measurement
Restoration ecology
Science, Technology, Communications
Sedimentation
Space activities
Sustainable fisheries
Water Resources Development
Water quality
Water use
Watersheds
Wetlands
Wisconsin

Summary:
action_date: 2005-03-03
text: 
Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Act - Establishes a Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Grant Program in the Great Lakes National Program Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to States, municipalities, and other applicants for: (1) contaminated sediment buildup; (2) wetland restoration; (3) invasive species control and prevention; (4) coastal wildlife and fisheries habitat improvement; (5) public access improvement; (6) water quality improvement; (7) sustainable water use; or (8) nonpoint source pollution reduction.
 
Allocates funds among the Great Lakes States, requiring the funding of at least one project or activity per Great Lakes State per fiscal year. Stipulates that projects result in tangible improvements in the Great Lakes watershed and address at least one of the priority issues identified by the Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Advisory Board.
 
Prohibits the use of restoration grant funds for: (1) roads not connected with sewer upgrades; (2) research, monitoring, or beautification projects unrelated to tangible watershed improvements; or (3) litigation and lobbying expenses.
 
Establishes the Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Advisory Board which includes Federal, State, and local members as well as specified observers.
 
Establishes the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force.
 
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the EPA to: (1) develop and implement science-based indicators of water quality and related environmental factors in the Great Lakes, including measures of accumulated toxic pollutants; (2) establish a Federal network to regularly monitor and collect this data; and (3) report its findings to Congress and identify in such report any emerging problems. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-03-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2012-2014)
action_date: 2005-03-03
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2011-2012)
action_date: 2005-03-03
text: Introduced in Senate