Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010

Bill: 112-s-1115
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2011-05-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Advanced technology and technological innovations
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental technology
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Higher education
Hydrology and hydrography
Infrastructure development
Research administration and funding
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-26
text: 
Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010 [
sic
] - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide competitive grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for green infrastructure. Defines &quot;green infrastructure&quot; as a stormwater management technique that preserves, restores, enhances, or mimics natural hydrology.
 
Establishes the duties of each center, including: (1) researching green infrastructure; (2) developing manuals and establishing industry standards on best management practices relating to state, tribal, local, and commercial green infrastructure; (3) providing information about its research and manuals to the national electronic clearinghouse center; (4) providing technical assistance and training on green infrastructure; and (5) evaluating regulatory and policy issues relating to green infrastructure.
 
Requires one of the centers to be designated as the national electronic clearinghouse center, which shall, in addition to its other duties, operate a website and a public database on green infrastructure.
 
Requires the Administrator to provide competitive grants to eligible entities that manage stormwater, water resources, or waste water resources to: (1) plan and design and install green infrastructure projects; (2) develop standards and revisions to local zoning, building, or other local codes necessary to accommodate such projects; (3) develop fee structures to provide financial support for green infrastructure; (4) develop training and educational materials regarding green infrastructure; (5) develop and implement a green infrastructure portfolio standard program; (6) protect or restore interconnected networks of natural areas that protect water quality; (7) monitor and evaluate the environmental, economic, or social benefits of green infrastructure; and (8) implement a best practices standard for a green infrastructure program. Requires the Administrator to give priority to applications from: (1) a community that has combined storm and sanitary sewers in its collection system or is low-income or disadvantaged; or (2) an eligible entity that will use at least 10% of the grant for a low-income or disadvantaged community. 
 
Requires the Administrator to: (1) ensure that EPA's Office of Water, Office of Enforcement and Compliance, Office of Research and Development, and Office of Policy promote the use of green infrastructure in, and coordinate the integration of green infrastructure into, permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; (2) direct each EPA regional office to promote and integrate the use of green infrastructure within the region; (3) promote information-sharing with state, tribal, and local governments, tribal communities, the private sector, and the public regarding green infrastructure approaches for reducing water pollution, protecting water resources, complying with regulatory requirements, and achieving other environmental, public health, and community goals; and (4) establish voluntary, measurable goals, to be known as the green infrastructure portfolio standard, to increase the percentage of annual water managed by eligible entities that use green infrastructure.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2011-05-26
text: Introduced in Senate