zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Mortgage Origination Commission Act of 2008 - Establishes the Mortgage Origination Commission to develop criteria and a numerical rating system to evaluate, and periodically report to the public on, the effectiveness of: (1) state licensing, supervision, and enforcement systems regarding mortgage loan originators and mortgage companies; and (2) mechanisms to collect, evaluate, and respond to complaints against state-licensed mortgage loan originators and mortgage companies. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to declare that its consumer credit protections shall be enforced by: (1) the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act with respect to bank holding companies; and (2) the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision with respect to savings and loan holding companies. Authorizes state agencies to enforce compliance with respect to requirements for extensions of credit secured by a consumer's dwelling (including residential mortgage transactions) against state-regulated or -licensed mortgage companies and mortgage loan originators. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act to grant the Board examination authority over bank holding companies and their mortgage company subsidiaries.Amends the Home Owners Loan Act to grant the Director examination authority over savings and loan holding companies and their mortgage company subsidiaries.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Modifies the rate of accrual of annual leave for administrative law judges, contract appeals board members, and immigration judges to require accrual of one day of annual leave for each full biweekly pay period.

Date: 2008-10-01
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reestablish the Program Office of the Gulf of Mexico Program as an office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to be headed by a Director. Requires the Office to: (1) coordinate the actions of EPA and of other federal agencies and state and local authorities; (2) assist in developing specific action plans to carry out the program; (3) coordinate and implement priority state- and community-led restoration plans and projects and facilitate activities that support the program; (4) implement outreach programs to foster stewardship of the Gulf's resources; (5) develop and make available information about the environmental quality and living resources of the Gulf; and (6) serve as the liaison with the Mexican members of the Gulf of Mexico States Accord and Mexican counterparts of the EPA. Authorizes the EPA Administrator to enter into interagency agreements to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to provide grants for use in: (1) monitoring the water quality and living resources of the Gulf ecosystem; (2) researching the effects of environmental changes on such water quality and resources; (3) developing cooperative strategies that address the water quality and needs of Gulf resources; (4) developing locally-based protection and restoration programs or projects within a watershed that complement those strategies; and (5) eliminating or reducing point sources that discharge pollutants that contaminate the Gulf ecosystem.

Date: 4/17/2007
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Eradicating Asian Carp in the Great Lakes Study Act of 2009- Requires the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to study and report to Congress on methods for eradicating Asian carp from the Illinois Waterway System, including harvesting them from the Illinois River, and repopulating the River with native species.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Great Lakes Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) from intentionally diverting waste streams to bypass any portion of the treatment facility if the diversion results in a discharge into the Great Lakes unless: (1) the bypass is unavoidable to prevent loss of life, personal injury, or severe property damage; (2) there is no feasible alternative; and (3) the treatment works provides notice; or (4) the bypass does not cause effluent limitations to be exceeded and is for essential maintenance to ensure efficient operation of the treatment facility.Requires: (1) such notice to be provided to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (or to a state with an approved permit program) prior to an anticipated bypass or within 24 hours of becoming aware of an unanticipated bypass; and (2) follow-up notice regarding the cause and duration of, volume of discharge resulting from, and public access areas affected by an unanticipated bypass. Includes among prohibited bypasses those resulting in discharges from a POTW that consist of effluent routed around treatment units and blended with effluent from treatment units prior to discharge.Directs the Administrator to establish procedures to ensure that permits issued to POTWs under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System include requirements to implement this Act. Provides an increased maximum civil penalty for violations occurring on or after January 1, 2029. Applies the prohibition on diverting waste streams to a bypass occurring after the last day of the one-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment.Establishes the Great Lakes Cleanup Fund from which amounts shall be provided for improving wastewater discharges.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Removes the temporary reservation for park, scenic, or other public purposes of certain rocks, pinnacles, reefs, and islands in the Pacific Ocean within a mile of the coast of Orange County, California. Makes such rocks, pinnacles, reefs, and islands part of the California Coastal National Monument and requires that they be administered as part of the Monument. Repeals the lighthouse reservation with respect to the San Juan and San Mateo Rocks and the two rocks in the vicinity of Laguna Beach, off the coast of Orange County.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Drug Free Water Act of 2009 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to convene a task force to develop: (1) recommendations on the proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals to prevent or reduce the detrimental effects caused by introducing such materials into water systems and for limiting the disposal of unused pharmaceuticals through treatment works in accordance with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act); and (2) a strategy for educating the public on such recommendations. Requires a report by the task force to Congress containing the recommendations and strategy required by this Act.

Date: 2009-01-07
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2009 - Expands marine turtle conservation assistance under the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 to include the United States and its territories. Authorizes appropriations to the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund for FY2009-FY2014. Authorizes an increase in the amount available from the Fund for administrative expenses. Limits funds made available for projects relating to the conservation of marine turtles in the United States to no more than 20% of the Fund for any fiscal year.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Healthy Communities Water Supply Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize appropriations for the pilot program for alternative water source projects. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in making grants under the program, to consider whether a project is located in an area which is served by a public water system serving 10,000 individuals or fewer.

Date: 2009-01-27
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Georges Bank Preservation Act - Prohibits the issuance of any lease or other authorization by the federal government for exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in: (1) any marine national monument or national marine sanctuary; or (2) the fishing grounds known as Georges Bank in the waters of the United States.

Date: 2009-02-02
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Clean Water Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to define "fill material" to mean any pollutant that replaces portions of waters of the United States with dry land or that changes the bottom elevation of a water body for any purpose and to exclude any pollutant discharged into the water primarily to dispose of waste.

Date: 2009-03-04
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Water Accountability Tax Efficiency Reinvestment Act of 2009 or the WATER Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 30% of amounts paid for WaterSense program property certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Limits the lifetime dollar amount of such credit to $1,500. Terminates such credit after 2010.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Taxation
National Marine Mammal Research Program Act of 2009 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to require the Marine Mammal Commission to establish the National Marine Mammal Research Program and a National Marine Mammal Research Program Office for the Research Program. Includes in the Program's purposes: (1) undertaking research on marine mammals, the factors that affect their populations and habitats, and related mitigation; and (2) coordinating and strengthening scientific research by developing partnerships among federal agencies, academia, industry, and other members of the oceanographic and marine mammal scientific communities. Authorizes the Commission to enter into contracts, make grants, or enter other arrangements as necessary to carry out the Program. Directs the President to create a National Marine Mammal Research Coordinating Committee, including in its duties: (1) developing a national marine mammal research plan; and (2) seeking to enter into an agreement with the National Research Council to periodically evaluate the scientific content of the plan and the implementation of research conducted under the Program.

Date: 2009-04-22
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Grassroots Rural Water Systems Act - Calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the type of technical assistance that small communities find is the most beneficial. Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to authorize: (1) increased appropriations to the Administrator of EPA for FY2010-FY2015 for technical assistance to enable small public water systems to comply with national primary drinking water regulations; and (2) the Administrator to provide technical assistance to organizations providing on-site technical assistance, circuit-rider technical assistance programs, on-site and regional training, assistance with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance with implementation monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and water security enhancements and to give preference to nonprofit organizations determined to be qualified, effective, and to have the majority of support from small community water systems in the states.

Date: 2009-04-30
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment Implementation Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to work through the International Maritime Organization to establish agreements to promote coordinated action among the United States, Russia, Canada, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark and other seafaring and Arctic nations to ensure in the Arctic: (1) placement and maintenance of aids to navigation; (2) appropriate icebreaking escort, tug, and salvage capabilities; (3) oil spill prevention and response capability; (4) maritime domain awareness, including long-range vessel tracking; and (5) search and rescue. Directs the Committee on the Maritime Transportation System to coordinate the establishment of domestic transportation policies in the Arctic necessary to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to the availability of appropriations, to enter into cooperative agreements, contracts, or other agreements with, or make grants to, individuals and governments to carry out this Act or any agreements. Directs the Secretary to promote safe commercial maritime navigation by means of icebreaking when necessary. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into such agreements or contracts with, or make such grants to, individuals to conduct demonstration projects to reduce emissions or discharges from vessels operating in the Arctic.

Date: 2009-06-12
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Water System Adaptation Partnerships Act of 2009 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to water systems to assist in planning, designing, constructing, implementing, or maintaining any program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement to: (1) conserve water or increase water use efficiency; (2) carry out water metering to measure water efficiency effectiveness of a water efficiency program; (3) preserve or improve water quality; (4) enhance water management by increasing source water preservation and protection, or natural or engineered green infrastructure, in the management, conveyance, or treatment of water, wastewater, or stormwater; (5) increase energy efficiency or the use and generation of renewable energy in the management, conveyance, or treatment of water, wastewater, or stormwater; (6) support the adoption and use of advanced water treatment, water supply management, or water demand management technologies or processes that maintain or increase water supply or improve water quality; (7) complete studies or assessments to project how climate change may impact the future operations and sustainability of the water system; or (8) carry out any other activity or project to address any ongoing or forecasted climate-related impact on the water quality or quantity of a region of the United States that increases the resiliency of a water system to the impacts of climate change. Sets forth grant application requirements. Requires the Administrator to conduct a competitive process to select and fund applications, giving priority to applications that: (1) are submitted by water systems that are at the greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant climate-related negative impacts; (2) will impact the largest numbers of water users; and (3) will provide the greatest benefit per dollar expended. Limits the federal share to 50% of the cost.

Date: 2009-06-19
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, with respect to abatement actions because of the release of recycled oil and liability for costs or damages resulting from such oil's release in the course of disposal or transport, to limit liability of a service station dealer with respect to any period between November 8, 1986, and the effective date of certain corrective action regulations or standards promulgated under the Solid Waste Disposal Act if the dealer complied with all applicable laws and regulations relating to disposal.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Safe Drinking Water for Healthy Communities Act of 2009 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate.

Date: 2009-07-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require, by January 1, 2009, that each local governmental unit within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that discharges stormwater through a storm sewer system obtain and comply with a permit for municipal or industrial stormwater discharges under such Act. Requires such permit to include requirements to ensure that a project to develop land within that unit's jurisdiction, which affects land more than one acre in size and less than 5% covered by impervious surfaces prior to the project, is carried out in a manner that not less than the volume of the 95th percentile precipitation event (the event whose precipitation total is greater than or equal to 95% of all 24-hour storm events on an annual basis) shall infiltrate, evapotranspirate from, or be harvested and used on such site after the project is completed. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to a local governmental unit with such a permit, which may be used for costs associated with: (1) complying with such permit; and (2) implementing a project designed, constructed, and maintained to meet the relevant performance standard. Prohibits a grant for costs associated with implementing a low impact development project from exceeding 75% of such costs. Requires the Administrator, by: (1) June 1, 2010, to issue guidance regarding the implementation of practices that retain stormwater on-site through infiltration, evapotranspiration, or harvesting, to assist entities affected by the permit to meet its requirements; and (2) January 1, 2012, to coordinate with heads of other federal agencies to develop plans to maximize forest cover on government-owned land in the watershed through the preservation of existing forest cover and the development of reforestation plans for land that has previously been disturbed or developed.

Date: 2009-07-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to allow the non-federal share of the U.S. contribution to the costs of wetlands conservation projects carried out in Canada to include cash contributions from non-U.S. sources and allow funds from Canadian sources to comprise up to 50% of the non-federal share of such project costs.

Date: 2009-07-30
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Wetlands Conservation Investment Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat gain or loss from the sale or exchange of a mitigation bank credit by the sponsor of the mitigation bank (i.e., the wetland, stream, or other aquatic resource area that has been restored, established, enhanced, or preserved for the purpose of providing compensation for unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources) who earned such credit as the sale or exchange of a capital asset held for more than one year (thus allowing preferential tax treatment of such gain or loss).

Date: 2009-09-21
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Taxation
Drinking Water Adaptation, Technology, Education, and Research (WATER) Act - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and provide funding for a program of directed and applied research, to be conducted through a nonprofit water research foundation and sponsored by drinking water utilities, to assist the utilities in adapting to the effects of climate change. Requires research areas to include: (1) water quality impacts and solutions; (2) impacts on groundwater supplies from carbon sequestration; (3) water quantity impacts and solutions; (4) infrastructure impacts and solutions for water treatment and wastewater treatment facilities and underground pipelines; (5) desalination, water reuse, and alternative supply technologies; (6) energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization; (7) regional and hydrological basin cooperative water management solutions; (8) utility management, decision support systems, and water management models; (9) greenhouse gas emissions reduction and improvement of energy demand management; (10) water conservation and demand management; and (11) communications, education, and public acceptance.

Date: 2009-10-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2009 - Establishes a nutria eradication program under which the Secretary of the Interior may provide financial assistance to Maryland, Louisiana, Delaware, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington to eradicate or control nutria and restore nutria-damaged wetland. Requires that the Maryland program consist of management, research, and public education activities carried out in accordance with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's document "Eradication Strategies for Nutria in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay Watersheds."

Date: 2009-10-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) revise and expand definitions under the Chesapeake Bay Program; (2) expand the implementation and monitoring grant programs; and (3) require that at least 10% of funds for implementation grants be made available to the states of Delaware, New York, and West Virginia, and that at least 20% of such funds be made available to Chesapeake Bay States (i.e., Delaware, Maryland, New York, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia) to provide technical assistance to agricultural producers and foresters. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) make public by March 31 of each year a Chesapeake Bay action plan to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay; (2) establish a Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Grants Program; (3) establish minimum criteria for watershed implementation plans; (4) establish by December 31, 2010, a Chesapeake Bay-wide TMDL (total maximum daily load for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loading to the waters in the Chesapeake Bay); (5) establish by May 12, 2012, an interstate nitrogen and phosphorus trading program for the Chesapeake Bay; (6) designate the Asian oyster (species Crassostrea ariakensis) as a biological pollutant in the Chesapeake Bay; and (7) conduct a study on the impacts of the commercial harvesting of Menhaden (species Brevoortia tyrannus) on Chesapeake Bay water quality. Requires each Chesapeake Bay State to: (1) submit to the Administrator by May 12, 2011, a watershed implementation plan to be fully implemented by May 12, 2025; and (2) institute a ban on phosphorus cleaning agents within three years after the enactment of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide funds to the states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia to carry out a program to eradicate or control nutria (species Myocaster coypus) and restore marshland destroyed by nutria. Authorizes appropriations for FY2010-FY2015 for nonpoint source management programs (reduction of water pollution from land use practices).

Date: 2009-10-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2009 - Declares the purpose of this Act to be the establishment of national standards and prohibitions for discharges from cruise vessels. Defines "cruise vessel" as a passenger vessel that is authorized to carry at least 250 passengers and has onboard sleeping facilities for each passenger. Excludes vessels owned or operated by federal, state, or local governments. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit cruise vessels departing from, or calling on, a U.S. port from discharging effluents, including sewage or sewage sludge, incinerator ash, hazardous waste, graywater, or bilge water, into navigable waters. Allows an exception for discharges made solely to secure the safety of a cruise vessel or to save a human life at sea. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) promulgate effluent limits for sewage, graywater, and bilge water discharges from cruise vessels; (2) establish dates for compliance with such limits; (3) require sampling, monitoring, and reporting to ensure compliance with such limits and other applicable requirements; and (4) establish an inspection program to ensure the compliance of cruise vessels with the requirements of this Act. Requires the Commandant of the Coast Guard, in consultation with the Administrator, to establish and carry out a program for hiring and placing trained, independent, observers on cruise vessels to monitor and inspect vessel operations, equipment, and discharges. Establishes in the Treasury the Cruise Vessel Pollution Control Fund. Requires the Commandant and the Administrator to collect fees from cruise vessels and deposit such fees in the Fund for use in carrying out this Act.

Date: 2009-10-21
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2009 - 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) establish a Puget Sound Program Office, to be co-located with the Puget Sound Partnership in Washington; and (2) appoint a Director of the Office. Requires the Administrator, acting through the Director, to: (1) assist and support the implementation of the Puget Sound Action Agenda; (2) provide funding and make grants for implementation of the Agenda and related projects; (3) promote methodologies and technologies that are cost-effective and consistent with the goals and objectives of the Agenda and the EPA permitting processes; (4) coordinate the major functions of the federal government relating to the implementation of the Agenda; (5) coordinate the research and planning projects authorized under this Act with federal and state agencies, tribes, universities, and the Puget Sound Partnership's Science Panel; (6) track progress toward meeting the identified goals and objectives of the Agenda; (7) coordinate projects, programs, and studies for the protection of Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Canadian authorities; (8) collect and make available to the public publications and information relating to the environmental quality of Puget Sound; and (9) implement projects, programs, and studies to implement the Agenda. Requires the Administrator to establish a Puget Sound Program Advisory Council to provide advice on the implementation of the Agenda's goals and objectives. Requires the Administrator and the Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership to a report, biennially, to Congress on implementation of the Agenda. Allows the Administrator, acting through the Director, to make grants for projects, programs, and studies to implement the Agenda, including a comprehensive grant to the Partnership to manage such implementation. 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.

Date: 2009-11-05
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to eliminate the pilot program status of the Chesapeake Bay environmental restoration and protection program. Permits the nonfederal share of project costs of a local cooperation agreement to include in-kind services. Treats funds provided for a project by a federal agency other than the Corps of Engineers as nonfederal funds for purposes of cost sharing requirements.Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out projects under the program in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with the goal of carrying out projects in Delaware, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia (currently the Secretary is required to establish at least one project in each of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania).Directs the Secretary to establish a program, to be administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to provide small watershed grants for technical and financial assistance to local governments and nonprofit organizations in the Chesapeake Bay region. Permits the use of grant funds only for implementation of cooperative tributary basin and other Chesapeake Bay-wide strategies that address storm water management or the establishment, restoration, protection, or enhancement of natural habitat associated with the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.Increases the authorization of appropriations for the Cheasapeake Bay program.Directs the Secretary to develop at federal expense and submit to Congress a comprehensive plan to prioritize projects within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Date: 2009-12-02
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Small and Rural Communities Wastewater Infrastructure Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to allocate at least 5%, 10%, or 15% of funds received by a state in capitalization grants to provide assistance to publicly owned treatment works that serve populations of 5,000 or fewer persons, 5,001 to 20,000 persons, or 20,001 to 50,000 persons, respectively. Authorizes a state to use funds received in capitalization grants for making preloans (financial assistance from the state's water pollution control revolving loan fund) to municipalities or intermunicipal, interstate, or state agencies for costs incurred in connection with project development, environmental studies, legal and administrative expenses, and project design for construction of a public owned treatment works that will regularly serve 50,000 or fewer persons. Prohibits a preloan from being used for costs related to land acquisition. Authorizes a state agency to provide additional assistance in connection with a state water pollution control revolving loan if a project is to benefit a disadvantaged community with a population of 50,000 persons or fewer by: (1) forgiving all or a portion of the principal of the loan; (2) not requiring or reducing interest to be paid in connection with the loan; and (3) extending the loan repayment period to not to exceed 30 years. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify, implement, and make further recommendations regarding ways to expedite and improve the application and review process for obtaining financing from a state water pollution control revolving loan fund.

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today Act of 2010 - Requires the Secretary of the Army to take actions to ensure: (1) the immediate closure and ceasing of operation of the locks at the O'Brien Lock and Dam and the Chicago Controlling Works until a strategy relating to controlled lock operations is developed; (2) the installation of structures in the North Shore Channel and the Grand Calumet and Little Calumet Rivers to prevent the migration of bighead and silver carps into Lake Michigan; (3) the installation of interim barriers in the Chicago waterway system between the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to prevent bighead and silver carps from entering the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal during a flood event; (4) the operation of the Electrical Disbursal Barrier System at optimal operating power and the expedited completion of proposed barrier IIB of such system; (5) the comprehensive monitoring of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and all connected waterways for the presence and location of bighead and silver carps; (6) the eradication of any bighead or silver carps discovered in the Chicago waterway system; (7) the upgrading and making permanent of barrier I of the Electrical Disbursal Barrier System in a location and with the features and operations determined to be the most effective; (8) the implementation of measures recommended in the efficacy study authorized under the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 or provided in related interim reports; (9) the implementation of emergency measures to prevent bighead and silver carps from dispersing into the Great Lakes; and (10) the acquisition of real estate necessary for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Electrical Disbursal Barrier System. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on strategies for addressing any effects with respect to commerce and flood control resulting from such actions.

Date: 2010-01-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to expand the duties of the Great Lakes Program Office by requiring the Office to: (1) provide support for Great Lakes governance and management; and (2) coordinate with the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Establishes: (1) the Great Lakes Leadership Council to establish policy, goals, and priorities with respect to Great Lakes protection and restoration, determine a process for participating in international forums, and provide annual input regarding federal budget priorities and levels for Great Lakes protection and restoration; (2) the Great Lakes Management Committee within the Council to report to and provide direction for the Council, monitor and assist implementation activities relating to Great Lakes management, and engage in problem solving regarding Great Lakes management; and (3) the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report annually to Congress on budgets and restoration activities relating to EPA's organizational elements involved in Great Lakes activities and EPA's reasons for approving or disapproving the Council's recommendations. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern in the Great Lakes; and (2) the Great Lakes Program. Requires EPA, in coordination with federal partners, to implement a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative which will: (1) identify and support programs to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem; (2) be based on the work of the Task Force and the Council's stakeholders and nongovernmental partners; and (3) represent the government's commitment to significantly advance Great Lakes protection and restoration. Prohibits funding made available to implement the Initiative from being used for water infrastructure activity that is implemented using funds made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund program. Requires federal agencies to: (1) maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities; and (2) identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative.

Date: 2010-03-04
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Small Community Options for Regulatory Equity Act of 2010 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require states exercising primary enforcement responsibility for public water systems to exempt any nonprofit small public water system (serving 10,000 or fewer persons) that so requests in accordance with this Act from the requirements of any national primary drinking water regulation for naturally occurring contaminants, including arsenic, radon, radium, uranium, and specified disinfection byproducts. Requires exemption requests to include a finding that the system's compliance with applicable national primary drinking water regulations is not economically feasible. Precludes judicial or administrative review of such findings.

Date: 2010-03-09
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
San Francisco Bay Improvement 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) establish a San Francisco Bay Program Office, to be located at EPA's region nine headquarters; and (2) appoint a Director of the Office. Requires the Administrator, acting through the Director, to: (1) assist and support the implementation of the comprehensive conservation and management plan for the San Francisco Bay; (2) provide funding and make grants for implementation of the comprehensive plan and related projects; (3) promote methodologies and technologies that are cost-effective and consistent with the goals and objectives of the 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 research and planning projects authorized under this Act with the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, federal agencies, state agencies, local governments, federally recognized Indian tribes, universities, and other public or nonprofit private organizations; (6) track progress with respect to meeting the identified goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan; and (7) collect and make available to the public publications and information relating to the environmental quality of the San Francisco Bay. Requires the Administrator to establish a San Francisco Bay Program Advisory Committee to provide advice on the implementation of the comprehensive plan's goals and objectives. Requires the Administrator, in consultation with the Director of the Partnership, to a report, biennially, to Congress on implementation of the comprehensive plan. Requires the Administrator, acting through the Director and in consultation with the Partnership, to make grants for projects, programs, and studies to implement the comprehensive plan. Authorizes the Director to make: (1) a comprehensive grant to the Partnership to manage such implementation; and (2) grants to state and regional water pollution control agencies and entities for projects, programs, and studies that advance implementation of the comprehensive plan. Requires the President, as part of the annual budget, to submit information regarding expenditures and roles of each federal agency involved in San Francisco Bay protection and restoration.

Date: 2010-04-15
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Endocrine Disruptor Screening Enhancement Act of 2010 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in carrying out the Estrogenic Substances Screening Program: (1) not later than one year after this Act's enactment, to publish a list of at least 100 substances for testing of endocrine disrupting substances that may be in drinking water and a plan for the identification of additional substances for testing with the goal of testing all substances that have been placed on the Drinking Water Preliminary Contaminant Candidate List; (2) to give priority in selecting substances for listing to substances that pose the greatest public health concern; (3) not later than two years after enactment of this Act, to publish guidance on developing and updating protocols for testing of possible endocrine disruptors; (4) within four years after this Act's enactment, to issue test orders for all substances on the list; (5) not later than 180 days after this Act's enactment, to publish an electronic, publicly searchable database that contains information regarding the testing program; and (6) within six months after receipt of testing results, to determine whether to take administrative action related to the substance. Authorizes the Administrator to accelerate testing for a substance if: (1) such substance is known to be found in sources of drinking water; (2) a substantial population is known to be exposed to the substance; and (3) the substance is either suspected to be an endocrine disruptor or has a structural similarity to a substance known to be an endocrine disruptor. Requires the Administrator, not later than one year after this Act's enactment, to publish guidance on how the Administrator will make determinations on whether to require accelerated testing for such substances. Authorizes any person to petition the Administrator to add a substance to the list or the plan and to issue an order requiring the substance to be tested on an accelerated basis.

Date: 2010-05-05
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Health
BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Inquiry Commission Act of 2010 - Establishes the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Inquiry Commission to investigate: (1) the performance of BP Exploration and Production, Inc., Transocean, Ltd., and other entities affiliated with the Mobile Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon; (2) their compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations (including their conformance with their own practices and industry practices); (3) the performance of federal, state, and local agencies responsible for oversight, inspection, and enforcement; and (4) the compliance of such agencies with federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing their actions. Requires the Commission to evaluate: (1) current and future impact of the oil disaster on the environment, economy, and public health; (2) the adequacy of the response to the oil disaster; (3) the implications of the oil disaster, and any risk of other such disasters, for offshore oil and gas activities by the United States; and (4) the availability and accuracy of baseline data against which the impact of the oil disaster may be measured. Requires the Commission to develop recommendations to: (1) improve the response to the oil disaster, including through modification of proposed plans to mitigate and monitor its impact; and (2) minimize the risk and mitigate the impact of future such disasters (including changes to federal law and regulations and improvements in industry practices). Sets forth powers of the Commission, including subpoena powers.

Date: 2010-05-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Energy
Get the Lead Out Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt from prohibitions on the use or sale of lead pipes, solder, and flux: (1) pipes or pipe or plumbing fittings or fixtures, including backflow preventers, that are used exclusively for nonpotable services such as manufacturing, industrial processing, irrigation, outdoor watering or any other uses where the water is not anticipated to be used for human consumption; or (2) toilets, bidets, urinals, fill valves, flushometer valves, tub fillers, shower valves, service saddles, or water distribution main gate valves that are two inches in diameter or larger. Redefines "lead free" under such Act to mean: (1) not containing more than 0.2% lead when used with respect to solder and flux (current law); and (2) not more than a weighted average of 0.25% when used with respect to the wetted surfaces of pipes and pipe and plumbing fittings and fixtures. Establishes a formula to calculate the weighted average lead content of a pipe or pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture.

Date: 2010-05-12
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to repeal the limitation on the liability (currently, the total of all removal costs plus $75 million) of the party responsible for an offshore facility, except a deepwater port, from which oil is discharged (or which poses a substantial threat of discharge) into or upon navigable waters or adjoining shorelines or the exclusive economic zone.

Date: 2010-05-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Oil Spill Response and Assistance Act - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to direct the Secretary of Energy, within two years, to require the development and deployment of certain technology for use in the event of a breach or explosion at, or a significant discharge of oil from, a deepwater port, offshore facility, or tank vessel (covered event), including: (1) technology for use in capping underwater oil wells that is effective at water depths at least 2,000 feet deeper than the limits of oil and gas production on the outer continental shelf as of the date of enactment of this Act; (2) flameproof booms capable of functioning in the open ocean with six-foot waves; and (3) remote operated vehicles for use in the open ocean that are capable of welding and cutting or torching below 15,000 feet of water. Requires the purchase and deployment of such technologies in such locations throughout the United States as would permit their use within 24 hours of a covered event. Doubles the limits on the total of the liability of, and the removal costs incurred by or on behalf of, the party responsible for a vessel or a facility from which oil is discharged into or upon navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the exclusive economic zone. Increases such a limit to the amount of a party's aggregate net after-tax profits generated during the four full financial reporting quarters preceding the date of an incident if that amount exceeds the limit otherwise applicable. Makes this Act effective on April 15, 2010. Requires the head of a federal agency that has carried out an activity with respect to the oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of the coordination of, and the success of, federal government actions relating to the spill.

Date: 2010-05-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Prohibits the Minerals Management Service of the Department of the Interior from issuing any permit or granting any waiver of any environmental or safety requirement or restriction under any federal law for any deepwater drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico before the date on which: (1) the discharge of oil from the last well drilled by the semi-submersible drilling rig Deepwater Horizon has stopped; and (2) a Committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate has issued a report that includes a finding of the cause of the explosion on and sinking of that drilling rig.

Date: 2010-05-27
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to exempt advances to the Coast Guard in connection with the explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon from the requirement that amounts in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund shall be available only as provided in annual appropriations. Limits such advances to a maximum of $100 million each, with the total amount for all advances not to exceed $1 billion for any single incident and $500 million for natural resource damage assessments and claims for any single incident, provided that, except in the case of payments of removal costs, an advance may be made only if the amount in the Fund after such advance will not be less than $30 million. Requires the Coast Guard to notify Congress of the amount advanced and the facts and circumstances necessitating the advance within seven days of the advance. Requires the budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010, to be determined by reference to the latest statement titled "Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation" for this Act submitted by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

Date: 2010-06-10
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection