zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Water Efficiency, Conservation, and Adaptation Act of 2009 - Establishes within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a WaterSense program to identify and promote water efficient products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services (products, facilities, and services) so as to: (1) reduce water use and the strain on water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure; (2) conserve energy used to pump, heat, transport, and treat water; and (3) preserve water resources through voluntary labeling of, or other forms of communications about, products, facilities, and services that meet the highest water efficiency and performance criteria. Sets forth the duties of Administrator of the EPA under the program, including to: (1) establish a WaterSense label and certification procedures and to promote labeled products, facilities, and services for reducing water use and ensuring performance; (2) review and update WaterSense criteria for categories of products, facilities, and services; (3) estimate and make available the production and relative market shares of, and the savings of water, energy, and capital costs of water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure attributable to, labeled products, facilities, and services; (4) notify the public of any changes on the adoption of a new or revised WaterSense category, specification, installation criterion, or other criterion and explain such changes; (5) implement other voluntary approaches in commercial, institutional, residential, industrial, and municipal sectors to encourage recycling and reuse technologies to improve water efficiency or lower water use; and (6) apply the WaterSense label as appropriate to water-using products that are labeled by the Energy Star program. Requires the Administrator to: (1) allocate funds to establish and implement a program of financial incentives for consumer purchase and installation of water-efficient products, facilities, and services; and (2) make grants to owners or operators of specified water systems to address any ongoing or forecasted climate-related impact on the water quality or quantity of a region of the United States for the purposes of mitigating or adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Date: 2009-10-07
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Columbia River Restoration Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish within EPA a Columbia River Program Team, located within the Oregon Operations Office for EPA's Region 10; and (2) appoint a Team Leader who shall be highly qualified to support the development and implementation of projects, programs, and studies necessary to implement the Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan developed by EPA and the Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group in 2010. Directs the Administrator, acting through the Team Leader, to: (1) assist and support the implementation of the Action Plan and the Estuary Partnership Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan adopted by EPA and the Governors of Oregon and Washington on October 20, 1999; (2) coordinate the implementation of, and the development of any updates to, those Plans, with programs and projects in the Middle and Upper Columbia River Basin; (3) make other appropriate updates; (4) provide funding and make grants for implementation consistent with Plan priorities; (5) promote innovative methodologies and technologies that are cost effective and consistent with Plan goals and objectives and EPA's permitting processes; (6) coordinate the major functions of the federal government related to Plan implementation; (7) coordinate authorized research and planning projects; (8) track progress toward meeting Plan goals and objectives; and (9) collect and make available to the public information regarding the environmental quality of the Lower Columbia River and Estuary. Requires the Administrator, through the Team Leader, to carry out projects, programs, and studies to implement the Plans. Authorizes the Administrator to give special emphasis to those projects, programs, and studies identified as priorities by the Estuary Partnership in the Plans. Authorizes the Administrator, through the Team Leader, to make grants to implement the Plans. Sets forth requirements regarding grant allocations and the federal share of costs. Directs the President, as part of his annual budget submission to Congress, to submit information regarding each federal agency involved in protection and restoration of the Columbia River Basin.

Date: 2010-02-23
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
America's Commitment to Clean Water Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to replace the term "navigable waters," for waters subject to the Act, with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean: (1) all waters that are currently used, were used in the past, or may be susceptible to use in interstate or foreign commerce including all waters that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide; (2) all interstate and international waters, including interstate and international wetlands; (3) all other waters, including intrastate lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, or natural ponds, the use, degradation, or destruction of which does or would affect interstate or foreign commerce, U.S. obligations under a treaty, or U.S. territory or property; (4) all impoundments of waters otherwise defined as waters of the United States; (5) tributaries of such waters; (6) the territorial seas; and (7) waters, including wetlands, adjacent to such waters. Excludes from such definition: (1) waters that are all or part of a waste treatment system, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to meet the requirements of the Act; or (2) prior converted cropland. Declares that the final authority regarding jurisdiction under this Act remains with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notwithstanding the Secretary of Agriculture's determination that an area is prior converted cropland. Sets forth provisions defining waste treatment systems and prior converted farmland. Prohibits a system or structure that is created in waters of the United States or results from the impoundment of such waters from being documented as a waste treatment system. Authorizes a waste treatment system in existence and documented before this Act's enactment to include a waste treatment system that was either originally created in or resultant from the impoundment of such waters if the system's discharge meets applicable standards and limitations at the point of discharge.

Date: 2010-04-21
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Onondaga Lake Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Onondaga Lake Watershed Council to: (1) develop and periodically revise an Adaptive Management Plan for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake; (2) establish and implement a program for the public's participation in the Plan's development and revision; and (3) establish and direct the Onondaga Lake Scientific Center to advise the Council on development and implementation of the Plan. Requires the Plan to: (1) identify measurable goals for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake and for compliance with all laws affecting the restoration and conservation of the Lake; and (2) incorporate and update the recommendations of the Onondaga Lake Management Plan to recommend strategies for management of the biological makeup of the Lake, the physical development of the Lake and its surroundings, and the use of the Lake for recreational and other purposes. Prohibits the Plan's recommendations from being carried out before it is approved by the Administrator and the governor of New York. Authorizes the Administrator to make funds available to members of the Council and the Center to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to specified governmental officials in New York and members of the Center: (1) to implement Plan strategies; (2) for research, surveys, administrative services, and studies; and (3) to gather data in support of litigation undertaken by New York or the Onondaga Nation to compel cleanup or obtain cleanup and damage costs from parties responsible for the pollution of Onondaga Lake. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 to revoke provisions that require the Secretary of the Army to plan and construct projects that are consistent with the Onondaga Lake Management Plan and to provide financial assistance for the development and implementation of projects to restore, conserve, and manage the lake.

Date: 2010-06-29
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to repeal the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prohibit the specification of, or to deny or restrict the use of, a defined area as a disposal site for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide payments to owners and operators of qualifying muck land (as determined by the Secretary) in agricultural production to conserve and improve such land's soil, water, and wildlife resources.

Date: 2010-09-22
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Western Water Supply Enhancement Act - Amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to direct the Secretary of the Interior, in calculating the non-federal share of the cost of an infrastructure improvement or activity proposed by an eligible applicant for a water management improvement grant or agreement, to consider: (1) non-federal funds secured and committed to the planning, design, or construction of improvements authorized for research activity funding, even if such funds are secured and committed in advance of an application for such a grant or agreement; and (2) amounts that the applicant receives from federal power marketing agencies. Directs the Secretary to provide such a grant or agreement to assist any eligible applicant in planning, designing, or constructing any water management improvements as part of a multiyear regional, integrated, and coordinated water conservation and management plan. Requires an applicant, in order to be eligible for such a grant or agreement, to: (1) be located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands; and (2) submit to the Secretary an application that includes a long-term (minimum of five years) water conservation and management plan based on a regional, coordinated, and integrated water conservation and management model for either an entire watershed or river basin or a regional effort that includes multiple partnering irrigation or municipal entities and a proposed budget and schedule for improvements or activities to be planned, designed, constructed, or implemented by the applicant consistent with the plan submitted. Limits the amount provided to a grant or agreement applicant to $15 million for each five-year period. Directs the Secretary to consider providing at least one grant to two of the five Reclamation Regions having submitted a valid grant application.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Water resources development
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Establishment Act - Establishes the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area in California. Designates the Delta Protection Commission as the management entity for the Heritage Area. Requires the Commission to submit a proposed management plan for the Heritage Area to the Secretary of the Interior for approval. Bars approval of the management plan until the Secretary has received certification from the Commission that the Delta Stewardship Council has reviewed such plan for consistency with the plan adopted by the Council pursuant to state law.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Onondaga Lake Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Onondaga Lake Watershed Council to: (1) develop and periodically revise an Adaptive Management Plan for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake; (2) establish and implement a program for the public's participation in the Plan's development and revision; and (3) establish the Onondaga Lake Scientific Center to advise the Council on development and implementation of the Plan. Requires the Plan to: (1) identify measurable goals for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake and for compliance with all laws affecting the restoration and conservation of the Lake and the Amended Consent Judgment entered January 20, 1998, in the case of Atlantic States Legal Foundation v. The Onondaga County Department of Drainage and Sanitation; and (2) incorporate and update the recommendations of the Onondaga Lake Management Plan to recommend strategies for management of the biological makeup of the Lake, the physical development of the Lake and its surroundings, and the use of the Lake for recreational and other purposes. Prohibits the Plan's recommendations from being carried out before it is approved by the Administrator and the governor of New York. States that this Act shall not affect any other provision of federal or state law or responsibility assigned thereunder, including provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) or the New York State Environmental Conservation Law that require, and assign responsibility for, the performance of cleanup activities or other activities affecting the restoration or conservation of Onondaga Lake. Authorizes the Administrator to make funds available to members of the Council and the Center to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to specified governmental officials in New York and members of the Center: (1) to implement Plan strategies; (2) for research, surveys, administrative services, and studies; and (3) to gather data. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 to revoke provisions that require the Secretary of the Army to plan and construct projects that are consistent with the Onondaga Lake Management Plan and to provide financial assistance for the development and implementation of projects to restore, conserve, and manage the lake.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Save the Chesapeake Bay Homeowner Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) develop and implement the Save the Chesapeake Bay Home program, which shall designate as program participants property owners in the Chesapeake Bay watershed who perform a specified number of actions on a list of actions developed by the Administrator to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into the Bay; and (2) determine an appropriate amount of credit for compliance with total maximum daily load requirements to award to a state based on the number of property owners in the state who have been designated as program participants.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Energy and Water Integration Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an in-depth analysis of the impact of energy development and production on U.S. water resources. Requires the study to include a lifecycle assessment of the quantity of water withdrawn and consumed in the production of transportation fuels or electricity. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study to identify the best available technologies and related strategies to maximize water and energy efficiency in the production of electricity by each type of generation (coal, oil and natural gas, hydropower, thermal solar, and nuclear). Directs the Secretary of the Interior: (1) acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to conduct a study to evaluate the quantities of energy used in water storage and delivery operations in major reclamation projects; and (2) to operate, manage, and maintain the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Otero County, New Mexico, to carry out research, development, and demonstration activities to develop technologies and methods that promote brackish groundwater desalination as a viable method to increase water supply in a cost-effective manner. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to require the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to conduct an assessment of energy consumption in various sectors of the economy that are associated with the acquisition, treatment, or delivery of water. Requires the Secretary to develop an Energy-Water Research and Development Roadmap.

Date: 2009-03-05
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Energy
Clean Water Restoration Act - Reaffirms federal jurisdiction over all waters of the United States and overturns the decisions of the United States Supreme Court in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers and Rapanos v. United States. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to replace the term "navigable waters" that are subject to such Act with the term "waters of the United States," defined to mean all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, and natural ponds, all tributaries of any of such waters, and all impoundments of the foregoing. Excludes from such term: (1) prior converted cropland; and (2) waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to meet the requirements of such Act (other than cooling ponds). Applies the waste treatment systems exclusion only to manmade bodies of water which neither were originally created in waters of the United States (such as disposal areas in wetlands) nor resulted from the impoundment of waters of the United States. Declares that nothing in such Act affects the authority of the Secretary of the Army or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the provisions of the Clean Water Act related to discharges: (1) composed entirely of return flows from irrigated agriculture; (2) of stormwater runoff from certain oil, gas, and mining operations composed entirely of flows from precipitation runoff conveyances, which are not contaminated by or in contact with specified materials; (3) of dredged or fill materials resulting from normal farming, silviculture, and ranching activities, from upland soil and water conservation practices, or from activities with respect to which a state has an approved water quality regulatory program; or (4) of dredged or fill materials for the maintenance of currently serviceable structures, the construction or maintenance of farm or stock ponds, irrigation ditches, or farm, forest, or temporary roads for moving mining equipment in accordance with best management practices, or the construction of temporary sedimentation basins on construction sites for which discharges do not include placement of fill material into the waters of the United States. Requires the Administrator and the Secretary to promulgate regulations to implement this Act within 18 months.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Water Efficiency and Conservation Investment Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow, through 2014, individual taxpayers a tax credit for 50% of the cost, up to $750 per year, of installing qualified water efficiency property in a residence; (2) allow building contractors, through 2014, a $1,500 tax credit for each qualified, new, water efficient home constructed and sold to a homeowner; (3) allow the issuance of tax-exempt water conservation bonds; and (4) exempt prepayments under a qualified electricity supply contract from tax-exempt bond arbitrage rules.

Date: 2009-09-24
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Taxation
Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to delegate to the Regional Administrator for Region 10 of EPA such authority, and provide such additional staff, as are necessary to carry out this Act. Requires the Administrator, acting through the Regional Administrator, to: (1) carry out the duties assigned to the Administrator under the National Estuary program as a member of the management conference; (2) assist in the development and evaluation of the priority list compiled by the Puget Sound Partnership; (3) promote methodologies and technologies that are cost-effective and able to meet the goals and objectives of the Puget Sound comprehensive conservation and management plan approved by EPA (comprehensive plan) and the EPA permitting processes; (4) coordinate the major functions of the federal government relating to the implementation of the comprehensive plan; (5) coordinate the scientific research and planning projects authorized under this Act with activities of federal and state agencies, tribes, institutions of higher learning, and the Puget Sound Partnership's Science Panel; (6) assist the Partnership in tracking progress toward meeting the identified goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan; and (7) coordinate activities, projects, programs, and studies for the protection of Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Canadian authorities. Requires: (1) the identification and determination of the priority of activities, projects, programs, and studies to be made by the Partnership annually, subject to approval by the Administrator; and (2) the Administrator to compile the priority list if the Partnership fails to compile it. Allows the Administrator, acting through the Regional Administrator, to make grants for activities, projects, programs, and studies to implement the comprehensive plan, including a comprehensive grant to the Partnership to track the implementation of the plan, monitor environmental outcomes, update the plan, and develop the annual priority list. Specifies the conditions for grant eligibility. Requires the President, as part of the annual budget, to submit information regarding expenditures and roles of each federal agency involved in Puget Sound protection and restoration. Requires the Administrator and the Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership to a report biennially to Congress on the implementation of the comprehensive plan, any modifications to the plan during the period covered by the report, and the roles and progress of each federal agency that has jurisdiction in the Puget Sound watershed toward meeting the plan's goals and objectives. Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015.

Date: 2009-11-05
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2009 - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Makes monies covered into the Fund available for expenditure to carry out the purposes of the Act without further appropriation.

Date: 2009-11-06
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Water Resources Research Amendments Act of 2010 - Amends the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to: (1) authorize appropriations for water resources research and technology institutes through FY2016; and (2) require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct his or her evaluation of each institute's research and effectiveness as an institution for planning, conducting, and arranging for research at least once every five (currently, three) years.

Date: 2010-05-13
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Water resources development
Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Act of 2010 - Amends the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to expand requirements for the operation and maintenance of the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel, Colorado, to require the Secretary of the Interior to take any action necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the Tunnel to maintain public safety and to prevent an uncontrolled release of water. Makes the Secretary responsible for the operation and maintenance of the water treatment plant, including authorized sludge disposal. Authorizes the Secretary to offer to enter into one or more contracts with any appropriate individual or entity for the conduct of any required service. Authorizes the Secretary: (1) to enter into an agreement with any other entity or government agency to provide funding for an increase in any operation, maintenance, replacement, capital improvement, or expansion cost that is necessary to improve or expand the Treatment Plant; and (2) upon entering into an agreement, to make any necessary capital improvement to or expansion of the water treatment plant and to treat flows that are conveyed to the Plant, including any surface water diverted into the Tunnel and water collected by the dewatering relief well installed in June 2008. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consult with the Secretary regarding each feature of the proposed new or amended Record of Decision for operable unit 6 of the California Gulch National Priorities List Site that may require any alteration to, or otherwise affect the operation and maintenance of, the Tunnel or the water treatment plant. Authorizes the Secretary to implement any improvement to, or new operation of, the Tunnel or water treatment plant only upon entering into an agreement with the EPA Administrator or other entity or agency to provide funding for the improvement or new operation. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2010-05-24
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Research in Aquaculture Opportunity and Responsibility Act of 2010 - Prohibits any executive agency or any Regional Fishery Management Council from developing or approving a rule, regulation, or fishery management plan to permit or regulate offshore aquaculture until the date that is three years after the date of the submission of the reports required by this Act. Applies such prohibition to existing offshore aquaculture permits issued by federal agencies. Directs the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to report to Congress regarding: (1) offshore aquaculture; and (2) the economic potential of land-based recirculating aquaculture systems. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide grants for research related to land-based recirculating aquaculture systems.

Date: 2010-05-25
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Columbia River Basin Restoration Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Columbia Basin Restoration Program to: (1) build on the work and collaborative structure of the existing Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group to develop a collaborative toxic contamination reduction approach for the Columbia River Basin; and (2) build on the work and collaborative structure of the Estuary Partnership in the Lower Columbia River Basin and Estuary. Requires the Administrator to establish a Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Working Group to: (1) assess trends in water quality and toxic contamination or toxics reduction; (2) collect, characterize, and assess data on toxics and water quality to identify possible causes of environmental problems; (3) develop periodic updates to the Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan and the Estuary Plan; (4) submit to the Administrator annually a prioritized list of projects that would implement such Plans for consideration for funding; and (5) monitor the effectiveness of actions taken. Requires the Estuary Partnership to function as the Working Group in the Lower Columbia River Estuary for such time as the Estuary Partnership is the management conference for the Lower Columbia River National Estuary Program. Transboundary Flathead River Basin Protection Act of 2010 - Requires the President to preserve and protect the unique, pristine area of the transboundary Flathead River, with a particular focus on the River's North Fork. Authorizes the President to: (1) engage in negotiations with the government of Canada to establish an executive agreement to ensure permanent protection for the North Fork of the Flathead River watershed and the adjacent area of Glacier-Waterton National Park; and (2) participate in cross-border collaborations with Canada on environmental assessments of any project of cross-border significance that has the potential to degrade land or water resources. Authorizes the President, acting through the Administrator, to provide grants to protect and preserve the natural resources, water quality, wildlife, and environmental conditions in the transboundary Flathead River Basin.

Date: 2010-06-29
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide payments to owners and operators of qualifying muck land (as determined by the Secretary) in agricultural production to conserve and improve such land's soil, water, and wildlife resources.

Date: 2010-09-21
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Onondaga Lake Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Onondaga Lake Watershed Council to: (1) develop and periodically revise an Adaptive Management Plan for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake; (2) establish and implement a program for the public's participation in the Plan's development and revision; and (3) establish the Onondaga Lake Scientific Center to advise the Council on development and implementation of the Plan. Requires the Plan to: (1) identify measurable goals for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake and for compliance with all laws affecting the restoration and conservation of the Lake and the Amended Consent Judgment entered January 20, 1998, in the case of Atlantic States Legal Foundation v. The Onondaga County Department of Drainage and Sanitation; and (2) incorporate and update the recommendations of the Onondaga Lake Management Plan to recommend strategies for management of the biological makeup of the Lake, the physical development of the Lake and its surroundings, and the use of the Lake for recreational and other purposes. Requires the Administrator, after providing an opportunity for public review and comment, to approve the Plan if the Administrator determines that it meets the requirements of this Act and the governor of New York concurs. States that this Act shall not affect any other provision of federal or state law or responsibility assigned thereunder, including provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) or the New York State Environmental Conservation Law that require, and assign responsibility for, the performance of cleanup activities or other activities affecting the restoration or conservation of Onondaga Lake. Authorizes the Administrator to make funds available to members of the Council and the Center to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to specified governmental officials in New York and members of the Center: (1) to implement Plan strategies; (2) for research, surveys, administrative services, and studies; and (3) to gather data. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 to revoke provisions that require the Secretary of the Army to plan and construct projects that are consistent with the Onondaga Lake Management Plan and to provide financial assistance for the development and implementation of projects to restore, conserve, and manage the lake.

Date: 2010-11-15
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Burn Area Flood Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act of 2009 to include within the purpose of FLAME Wildlife Suppression Reserve Funds to cover the costs of burn area responses, including flood prevention. Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to make the waiting period for coverage under a new contract for flood insurance coverage, and any modification to coverage under an existing flood insurance contract, inapplicable to the initial purchase of flood insurance coverage upon a determination by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that such period should be waived for private property affected by flooding on federal land affected by wildfire. Establishes the Schultz Fire Flooding Area Task Force. Designates the FEMA Administrator as the Chair of the Task Force. Directs the Task Force to: (1) coordinate the efforts of the entities represented on the Task Force (including FEMA, the Corps of Engineers, the Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the United States Geological Survey [USGS], state and local governments, and community-based organizations and other interested parties) to immediately implement interim flood protection systems, including the retention of water retention basins; (2) identify existing and potential funding, technical assistance, general investigations, and construction of short-term flood protection projects; and (3) carry out a detailed study of the affected area to evaluate the potential of integrating projects and programs of the Corps of Engineers, FEMA, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) into a comprehensive, long-term flood protection system for the affected area. Directs the Attorney General to report on court costs and legal fees and expenses awarded in connection with the Jack Smith/Schultz Fuels Reduction Healthy Forest Restoration Project.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Emergency management
Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2012 - Reauthorizes appropriations through FY2015 for, and revises provisions of, the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act. (Sec. 3) Renames such Act as the Marine Debris Act. Replaces provisions establishing within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Program with provisions establishing the Marine Debris Program to identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove the occurrence and adverse impacts of marine debris on the U.S. economy, the marine environment, and navigation safety. (Sec. 5) Revises Program components, including by requiring the Administrator of NOAA to provide national and regional coordination to assist states, Indian tribes, and regional organizations in identification, determination of sources, assessment, prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris. Amends the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 to repeal the plastic pollution public education program. (Sec. 7) Replaces provisions of the Marine Debris Program concerning interagency coordination with provisions establishing the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee under the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987. Requires such Committee to submit biennial (currently annual) progress reports. (Sec. 8) Requires the Administrator to ensure the confidentiality of information submitted into the federal information clearinghouse on marine debris. (Currently, the Administrator is required to take steps to ensure the confidentiality of only such information that is submitted by the fishing industry.) (Sec. 9) Defines the term "marine debris" as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Save the Chesapeake Bay Homeowner Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) develop and implement the Save the Chesapeake Bay Home program, which shall designate property owners in the Chesapeake Bay watershed as program participants if such owners perform a specified number of actions on a list of actions developed by the Administrator to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into the Bay, and (2) determine an appropriate amount of credit for compliance with total maximum daily load requirements to award to a state based on the number of property owners in the state who have been designated as program participants.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to modify the boundary of the Crooked River, Oregon. Requires the developer for any hydropower development at Bowman Dam to analyze any impacts to the Outstanding Remarkable Values of the Wild and Scenic River that may be caused by such development and propose mitigation for such impacts as part of any license application submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). (Sec. 3) Increases (from 10 to 17 cubic feet per second) the minimum release that shall be maintained from the Prineville Reservoir for the benefit of downstream fish life. Requires 7 of the 17 cubic feet per second release to serve as mitigation for the city of Prineville groundwater pumping, as determined necessary for any given year by the city, including any shaping of the release of the up to 7 cubic feet per second to coincide with the city's groundwater pumping as may be required by the state of Oregon. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to make applications to that state in conjunction with that city to protect these supplies instream. Directs the city to make payment to the Secretary for that portion of the minimum release that actually serves as mitigation under Oregon law. Authorizes the Secretary to contract exclusively with the city for additional amounts in the future at the city's request. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary, on a "first fill" priority basis, to store in and release from the Reservoir: (1) 68,273 acre feet of water annually to fulfill all 16 Bureau of Reclamation contracts existing as of January 1, 2011; (2) up to 2,740 acre feet of water annually to supply the McKay Creek lands; and (3) up to 10,000 acre feet of water annually to the North Unit Irrigation District, upon request, pursuant to a Temporary Water Service Contract. (Sec. 5) Authorizes any landowner within Ochoco Irrigation District, Oregon, to repay construction costs of project facilities allocated to that landowner's lands within that District. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, upon the request of a landowner who has repaid project construction costs, to provide certification of freedom from ownership and pricing limitations. Modifies the District's reclamation contracts, on approval of the District directors, to: (1) authorize the use of water for instream purposes in order for the District to engage in, or take advantage of, conserved water projects and temporary instream leasing as authorized by Oregon law; (2) include within the district boundary approximately 2,742 acres in the vicinity of McKay Creek; (3) classify approximately 685 of such acres as irrigable; and (4) provide the District with stored water from Prineville Reservoir for supplying such 685 acres, contingent on the transfer of existing appurtenant McKay Creek water rights to instream use and the state's issuance of water rights for the use of stored water.

Date: 2011-05-31
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Water resources development
Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to establish a Delaware River Basin restoration program, under which the Director shall: (1) draw on management plans for the four-state Delaware Basin region (defined as including all of Delaware Bay and portions of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania located in the Delaware River watershed) and work in consultation with applicable management entities, including representatives of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, the Delaware River Basin Commission, the federal government, other state and local governments, and regional and nonprofit organizations to identify, prioritize, and implement restoration and protection activities within the Basin; and (2) adopt an investment strategy that supports the implementation of such activities, targets cost-effective conservation projects, and supports measurable conservation efforts. Requires the Director to: (1) provide technical assistance to carry out the restoration program; and (2) establish the Delaware River Basin restoration grant program to provide competitive matching grants to carry out the restoration program. Requires the Director to develop criteria to ensure that funded activities: (1) restore or protect fish and wildlife species and their habitats; (2) improve or protect water quality by reducing nonpoint and point source pollutants; (3) reduce or improve management of water volume and flooding; (4) include priority needs or actions identified in the investment strategy; and/or (5) include restoration and protection activities with multiple benefits in the Basin, including habitat, water quality, and flood damage reduction. Limits the federal share of the total cost of a funded project to 75%. Authorizes the Director to contract with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or another organization with applicable expertise to manage the grant program.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Water resources development
Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Act - Authorizes as an eligible project cost for the construction of a federal-aid highway the cost of improving habitat for pollinators (i.e. bees, birds, bats, and butterflies) on rights-of-way adjacent to such highways. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), in conjunction with the states, to carry out programs that encourage: (1) integrated vegetation management practices on roadsides and other transportation rights-of-ways, including reduced mowing; (2) the development of habitat for pollinators through planting of native forbs and grasses; and (3) research and demonstration projects on economic and environmental benefits and best practices for integrated vegetation management, reduced mowing, and planting of native forbs and grasses for pollinator habitat. Authorizes the use of federal funds for the provision of habitat for pollinators that is related to a federally-funded transportation project.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Flood Control Facility Maintenance Clarification Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) include the removal of sediment, debris, and vegetation as "maintenance" of a currently serviceable structure for which the discharge of dredged or fill material into the navigable waters at specified disposal sites is not prohibited; and (2) include a channel or basin as such a structure.

Date: 2011-07-06
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Bringing Economic Advancement and Coastal Health Act - Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1976 to: (1) authorize the Chief of Engineers to provide periodic authorized beach nourishment for a water resources development project for such additional period as he or she determines necessary, but not beyond the 50th year that begins after the date of initiation of construction (current law) or after the date of the last estimated periodic nourishment as contemplated in the Chief's Report, whichever is later; and (2) require the Chief of Engineers, before the end of such 50-year period, to evaluate the feasibility of continuing federal participation in the beach nourishment project.

Date: 2011-07-08
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Water resources development
Preserving Marginal Lands and Protecting Farming Act of 2011 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to set forth the maximum number of acres that may be enrolled at any one time in the conservation reserve program through FY2017. Prohibits the enrollment of land in the conservation reserve that is classified as class I or class II land under the National Soil Survey Handbook's land capability classification system.

Date: 2011-11-17
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Agriculture and food
California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2012 - Expands the boundary of the California Coastal National Monument, established by Presidential Proclamation 7264, to include the Point Arena-Stornetta public lands in Mendocino County, California. Requires management of such lands: (1) under the provisions of such Proclamation, and (2) as part of the Monument. Instructs the Secretary of the Interior to finalize an amendment to the management of the Monument for the long-term protection and management of the lands added to the Monument under this Act. Permits the use of motorized and mechanized vehicles in the Monument only on roads and trails designated for their use. Specifies this Act's effect on: (1) aviation overflights, special use airspace, or military flight training routes; (2) low-level overflights above the adjacent Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; (3) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) law enforcement authorities; (4) the rights of Indian tribes and Indian religious communities; and (5) protective perimeters and buffer zones. Requires management of the Monument as part of the National Landscape Conservation System.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Environment (Conservation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources