Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act

Bill: 113-hr-2174
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Israel, Steve [D-NY-3]
Introduced: 2013-05-23
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Connecticut

Ecology

Environmental assessment, monitoring, research

Long Island Sound

Marine and coastal resources, fisheries

New York State

Water quality

Watersheds

Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Latest action: action_date: 2013-06-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-05-23
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to expand the duties of the Office of Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study by requiring the Office to: (1) conduct or commission studies to strengthen the implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Long Island Sound, including studies on environmental impacts on the Sound watershed and studies on planning initiatives for the Sound that identify the areas that are most suitable for various types of activities in order to reduce conflicts among uses, reduce environmental impacts, facilitate compatible uses, or preserve critical ecosystem services to meet economic, environmental, security, or social objectives; (2) develop and implement strategies to increase public education and awareness with respect to the ecological health and water quality conditions of the Sound; (3) make publicly available on the Internet information relating to the environmental quality of the Sound; and (4) monitor the progress made toward meeting the identified goals, actions, and schedules of the Plan.</p> <p>Limits the federal share for grants for projects and studies which will help implement the Plan, other than citizen involvement and citizen involvement grants, to 60%.</p> <p>Requires the Office's Director to submit a report that includes: (1) an assessment of the progress made by the Office and the Long Island Sound states in implementing the plan, (2) an assessment of the key ecological attributes that reflect the health of the ecosystem of the Sound watershed, (3) a description of any substantive modifications to the Plan made during the preceding two years, (4) recommendations to improve progress in restoring and protecting the Sound watershed, (5) priority actions for implementation of the Plan for the next two years, and (6) a description of the means by which federal funding and actions will be coordinated with the actions of the Long Island Sound states and other entities.</p> <p>Requires the President to submit, together with the annual U.S. budget, information regarding each federal agency involved in the protection and restoration of the Sound watershed.</p> <p>Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Act (EPA) to coordinate the actions of federal agencies that impact water quality in the Sound watershed to improve the water quality and living resources of the watershed.</p> <p>Requires a federal agency that owns or occupies real property, or carries out activities, within the Sound watershed to: (1) participate in regional and subwatershed planning, protection, and restoration activities with respect to the watershed; and (2) ensure that the property and activities carried out by the agency are consistent with the Plan.</p> <p>Amends the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 to terminate the Long Island Sound Stewardship Advisory Committee on December 31, 2018 (currently 2011). Extends reporting requirements by requiring the Advisory Committee to submit to the Administrator and the decision making body of the Long Island Sound Study Management Conference an annual report through FY2018 on stewardship sites. Makes the amendments to such Act become effective on October 1, 2011.</p> <p>Extends through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations to the Administrator for the implementation of the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study, the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006, the Long Island Sound Grants, and Long Island Sound Stewardship Grants.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2174 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 23, 2013 Mr. Israel (for himself, Ms. DeLauro , Mr. Larson of Connecticut , Mr. Himes , Ms. Esty , Mr. Courtney , Mr. Bishop of New York , Mr. Crowley , Mr. Engel , Ms. Meng , Mr. Nadler , Mr. King of New York , and Mrs. McCarthy of New York ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure , and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources , 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 A BILL To amend and reauthorize certain provisions relating to Long Island Sound restoration and stewardship.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act . 2. Amendments (a) Long Island Sound restoration program Section 119 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection designation and heading and all that follows through The Office shall and inserting the following: (b) Office (1) Establishment The Administrator shall— (A) continue to carry out the conference study; and (B) establish an office, to be located on or near Long Island Sound. (2) Administration and staffing The Office shall ; (2) in subsection (c)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study and inserting conference study ; (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) in each of subparagraphs (A) through (G), by striking the commas at the end of the subparagraphs and inserting semicolons; (ii) in subparagraph (H), by striking , and and inserting a semicolon; (iii) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (iv) by adding at the end the following: (J) environmental impacts on the Long Island Sound watershed, including— (i) the identification and assessment of vulnerabilities in the watershed; (ii) the development and implementation of adaptation strategies to reduce those vulnerabilities; and (iii) the identification and assessment of the impacts of sea level rise on water quality, habitat, and infrastructure in Long Island Sound; and (K) planning initiatives for Long Island Sound that identify the areas that are most suitable for various types or classes of activities in order to reduce conflicts among uses, reduce environmental impacts, facilitate compatible uses, or preserve critical ecosystem services to meet economic, environmental, security, or social objectives; ; (C) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following: (4) develop and implement strategies to increase public education and awareness with respect to the ecological health and water quality conditions of Long Island Sound; ; (D) in paragraph (5), by inserting study after conference ; (E) in paragraph (6)— (i) by inserting (including on the Internet) after the public ; and (ii) by inserting study after conference ; and (F) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following: (7) monitor the progress made toward meeting the identified goals, actions, and schedules of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, including through the implementation and support of a monitoring system for the ecological health and water quality conditions of Long Island Sound; and ; (3) in subsection (d)(3), in the second sentence, by striking 50 per centum and inserting 60 percent ; (4) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (i); and (5) by inserting after subsection (e) the following: (f) Report (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act , and biennially thereafter, the Director of the Office, in consultation with the Governor of each Long Island Sound State, shall submit to Congress a report that— (A) summarizes and assesses the progress made by the Office and the Long Island Sound States in implementing the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, including an assessment of the progress made toward meeting the performance goals and milestones contained in the Plan; (B) assesses the key ecological attributes that reflect the health of the ecosystem of the Long Island Sound watershed; (C) describes any substantive modifications to the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan made during the 2-year period preceding the date of submission of the report; (D) provides specific recommendations to improve progress in restoring and protecting the Long Island Sound watershed, including, as appropriate, proposed modifications to the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan; (E) identifies priority actions for implementation of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the 2-year period following the date of submission of the report; and (F) describes the means by which Federal funding and actions will be coordinated with the actions of the Long Island Sound States and other entities. (2) Public availability The Administrator shall make the report described in paragraph (1) available to the public, including on the Internet. (g) Annual budget plan The President shall submit, together with the annual budget of the United States Government submitted under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, information regarding each Federal department and agency involved in the protection and restoration of the Long Island Sound watershed, including— (1) an interagency crosscut budget that displays for each department and agency— (A) the amount obligated during the preceding fiscal year for protection and restoration projects and studies relating to the watershed; (B) the estimated budget for the current fiscal year for protection and restoration projects and studies relating to the watershed; and (C) the proposed budget for succeeding fiscal years for protection and restoration projects and studies relating to the watershed; and (2) a summary of any proposed modifications to the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the following fiscal year. (h) Federal entities (1) Coordination The Administrator shall coordinate the actions of all Federal departments and agencies that impact water quality in the Long Island Sound watershed in order to improve the water quality and living resources of the watershed. (2) Methods In carrying out this section, the Administrator, acting through the Director of the Office, may— (A) enter into interagency agreements; and (B) make intergovernmental personnel appointments. (3) Federal participation in watershed planning A Federal department or agency that owns or occupies real property, or carries out activities, within the Long Island Sound watershed shall participate in regional and subwatershed planning, protection, and restoration activities with respect to the watershed. (4) Consistency with comprehensive conservation and management plan To the maximum extent practicable, the head of each Federal department and agency that owns or occupies real property, or carries out activities, within the Long Island Sound watershed shall ensure that the property and all activities carried out by the department or agency are consistent with the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (including any related subsequent agreements and plans). . (b) Long Island Sound stewardship program (1) Long Island Sound Stewardship Advisory Committee Section 8 of the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 note; Public Law 109–359 ) is amended— (A) in subsection (g), by striking 2011 and inserting 2018 ; and (B) by adding at the end the following: (h) Nonapplicability of FACA The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to— (1) the Advisory Committee; or (2) any board, committee, or other group established under this Act. . (2) Reports Section 9(b)(1) of the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 note; Public Law 109–359 ) is amended in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) by striking 2011 and inserting 2018 . (3) Authorization Section 11 of the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 note; Public Law 109–359 ) is amended— (A) by striking subsection (a); (B) by redesignating subsections (b) through (d) as subsections (a) through (c), respectively; and (C) in subsection (a) (as so redesignated), by striking under this section each and inserting to carry out this Act for a . (4) Effective date The amendments made by this subsection take effect on October 1, 2011. 3. Reauthorization (a) In general There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 for the implementation of— (1) section 119 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 ), other than subsection (d) of that section; and (2) the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 note; Public Law 109–359 ). (b) Long Island Sound grants There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out subsection (d) of section 119 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 ) $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018. (c) Long Island Sound stewardship grants There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 ( 33 U.S.C. 1269 note; Public Law 109–359) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.