Clean Water Through Green Infrastructure Act

Bill: 115-hr-6944
Sponsor: Rep. Heck, Denny [D-WA-10]
Introduced: 2018-09-27 in the House
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
Public-private cooperation
Research administration and funding
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2018-09-27
text: 

Clean Water Through Green Infrastructure Act

 
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for innovative stormwater control infrastructure, which is any green stormwater management technique that: (1) uses natural systems or engineered systems that mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspire, or capture stormwater; and (2) preserves, enhances, or mimics natural hydrology to protect or restore water quality. One of the centers must be the national electronic clearinghouse center and operate a website and a public database on the infrastructure.
 
In addition, the EPA must provide grants to state, tribal, or local governments or entities that manage stormwater, drinking water resources, or wastewater resources for innovative stormwater control infrastructure projects.
 
The EPA must ensure that: (1) EPA's Office of Water, Office of Enforcement and Compliance, Office of Research and Development, and Office of Policy promote the use of the infrastructure in, and coordinate the integration of, permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; and (2) the Office of Water supports establishing innovative financing mechanisms in the implementation of the infrastructure. The EPA must: (1) direct each EPA regional office to promote and integrate the use of the infrastructure within the region, and (2) promote sharing information about the infrastructure approaches. 
 
The EPA must establish the innovative stormwater control infrastructure portfolio standard of voluntary, measurable goals to increase the percentage of annual water managed by entities that use the infrastructure.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-09-27
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 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.
action_date: 2018-09-27
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 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.
action_date: 2018-09-27
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2018-09-27
text: Introduced in House