Chesapeake Bay Restoration Enhancement Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-16
Sponsor: Rep. Gilchrest, Wayne T. [R-MD-1]
Introduced: 2007-01-04 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Accounting
Agricultural conservation
Agricultural subsidies
Agriculture and Food
Animals
Authorization
Chesapeake Bay
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Delaware
District of Columbia
Droughts
Ecological research
Economics and Public Finance
Ecosystem management
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental technology
Estuaries
Eutrophication
Federal aid to water pollution control
Federal-local relations
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Habitat conservation
Law
Licenses
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine ecology
Marine resources conservation
Maryland
New York State
Nitrogen
Nonpoint source pollution
Nonprofit organizations
Pennsylvania
Performance measurement
Phosphorus
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Rain and rainfall
Restoration ecology
Revolving funds
Rivers
Science, Technology, Communications
Sediment control
Sedimentation
Sewage treatment
Social Welfare
Virginia
Water Resources Development
Water quality
Watersheds
West Virginia

Summary:
action_date: 2007-01-04
text: 
Chesapeake Bay Restoration Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to revise requirements for implementation and monitoring grants under the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and for reporting on federally-funded projects under such Agreement.
 
Requires federal agencies that carry out activities within the watershed to: (1) participate in planning and restoration programs; and (2) ensure that such activities comply with the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and the Federal Agencies Chesapeake Ecosystem Unified Plan.
 
Requires the President to submit as part of the annual federal budget information regarding each federal agency involved in Chesapeake Bay restoration.
 
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report on progress in achieving and maintaining nutrient and sediment reduction goals for each tributary basin. Sets forth the baseline for the report and reporting requirements.
 
Requires the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia to submit to the Administrator information relating to nutrient and sediment reduction for each Chesapeake Bay tributary basin. Prohibits the Administrator from making a grant to any state which fails to provide required information. 
 
Requires the Administrator to request the Local Government Advisory Committee to report to EPA on measurable goals for local governments for nutrient and sediment reduction.
 
Requires the Administrator: (1) to establish an implementation assistance program to support tributary strategies and other projects toward achievement of Chesapeake Bay Agreement goals; (2) to assist local governments and nonprofit organizations to implement tributary strategies and other complementary cooperative, locally based protection and restoration programs or projects under the technical assistance and assistance grants program; (3) in cooperation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to provide capacity building assistance to enhance local governments' capabilities to carry out protection and restoration programs or projects within a tributary basin; and (4) to provide grants to implement tributary strategies that accelerate the reduction of nonpoint source nutrient and sediment pollution.
 
Requires specified load allocations to be incorporated into discharge permits until applicable total maximum daily loads are established.
 
Updates reporting deadlines for the study of the Chesapeake Bay Program. 
 
Authorizes appropriations through FY2012.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-01-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
action_date: 2007-01-04
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2007-01-04
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-01-04
text: Introduced in House