zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Chesapeake Executive Council, the chief executive of each Chesapeake Bay state, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, to submit annually to Congress a financial report containing: (1) an interagency crosscut budget for restoration activities that protect, conserve, or restore living resources, habitat, water resources, or water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; (2) an accounting of amounts received and obligated by each federal agency for restoration activities; (3) an accounting from each state of all amounts received and obligated from a federal agency for restoration activities; and (4) a description of each of the proposed federal and state restoration activities. Requires: (1) such report to describe only federal restoration activities that have funding amounts of at least $100,000 and state recstoration activities that have funding amounts of at least $50,000; and (2) the Director to submit the report no later than 30 days after the submission of the President's annual budget to Congress. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop, implement, and update every three years an adaptive management plan for restoration activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that includes: (1) a description of specific and measurable objectives to improve water quality, habitat, and fisheries; (2) a process for stakeholder participation; (3) monitoring, modeling, experimentation, and other research and evaluation practices; (4) a process for modification of restoration activities that have not attained or will not attain such objectives; and (5) a process for prioritizing restoration activities and programs to which adaptive management shall be applied. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Administrator to report annually to Congress on the Plan. Requires an Independent Evaluator for the Chesapeake Bay watershed, who shall review and report to Congress every three years on restoration activities and the use of adaptive management in such activities and any related topics that are suggested by the Council. Requires the Evaluator to be appointed by the Administrator from among nominees submitted by the Chesapeake Executive Council.

Date: 2011-04-07
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Comprehensive Gulf of Mexico Recovery, Restoration, and Resiliency Act - Establishes the Gulf of Mexico Recovery Council, which shall be composed of members of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. Requires the Council, in coordination with the natural resource trustees designated with respect to natural resource damages relating to the Gulf oil spill in connection with the blowout and explosion of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010, to: (1) develop the Comprehensive Gulf of Mexico Recovery Plan to restore, revitalize, and increase the resiliency of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem; (2) provide grants to local political subdivisions affected by the oil spill for activities relating to Gulf coast economic development, ecosystem restoration, and public health rehabilitation; (3) establish the Gulf of Mexico Observation System, which shall be implemented through a Gulf of Mexico Exploration Research Center, to observe, monitor, and map the Gulf in a comprehensive manner; (4) establish a Fishery Endowment to ensure the long-term sustainability of fish stocks and the recreational, commercial, and charter fishing industry in the Gulf; and (5) administer the Gulf of Mexico Recovery Fund established by this Act for activities relating to economic development, ecosystem restoration, and public rehabilitation. Establishes the Citizens' Advisory Committee to report on: (1) the achievement of safe operations in the Gulf of oil and gas activities; (2) unresolved problems and concerns with operations, activities, and plans; and (3) the operations and expenditures, needs, issues, and recommendations of such Committee. Establishes the Scientific Advisory Committee to: (1) provide advice to the Council regarding the science behind the Plan and the long-term monitoring and restoration of the Gulf Coast ecosystem; and (2) report to the Council on the science regarding the impacts to the Gulf and the Gulf coast from the oil spill; (3) the progress of restoration activities; and (4) the Plan's implementation.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Drinking Water Right to Know Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require a public water system that detects an unregulated contaminant included in EPA's list of unregulated contaminants to be monitored by public water systems and included in the national drinking water occurrence data base, to continue to monitor for the detected contaminant for such period, at such frequency, and at such levels of concentration as the Administrator determines to be appropriate. Authorizes the data contained in the national drinking water contaminant occurrence data base to be used by the public. Requires the Administrator to: (1) evaluate the extent to which such data is accessible to and useable by the public; and (2) make such data more accessible to and useable by the public.

Date: 2011-05-03
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act to define "Northwest Straits" as the marine waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and of Puget Sound from the Canadian border to the south end of Snohomish County, Washington. Sets forth the membership of the Northwest Straits Advisory Commission. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, to appoint an employee of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to serve as a liaison between the Commission and the Department of Commerce and to attend the Commission's meetings and events as a nonvoting participant. States the goal of the Commission as the protection and restoration of the marine waters, habitats, and species of the Northwest Straits region in Washington to achieve ecosystem health and sustainable resource use. Enumerates the duties of the Commission and establish benchmarks for its work. Requires the Commission to submit annual reports to Congress and the Under Secretary on its activities and its progress in achieving specified benchmarks. Authorizes the Manager of the Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program of Washington's Department of Ecology, upon the recommendation of the Commission and the Director of the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, to appoint and terminate a Director of the Commission. Requires the Director to be confirmed by the Commission. Provides for the establishment of marine resources committees in specified counties of Washington. Authorizes the Director of the Commission and the Director of the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve to establish the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Foundation as a nonprofit foundation to support the Commission and the marine resources committees established by this Act. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Endowment for the Oceans Act - Establishes in the Treasury the National Endowment for the Oceans which shall fund grants for programs to restore, protect, maintain, or understand living marine resources and their habitats, and ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources, including baseline scientific research, ocean observing, and other programs in coordination with federal and state agencies. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make grants for such purposes. Requires state matching funds for specified projects. States that programs funded in Great Lakes states shall also seek to attain the goals embodied in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Plan, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, or other collaborative planning efforts of the Great Lakes Region. Directs the Secretary to make grants to: (1) coastal states or affected Indian tribes, and (2) regional planning bodies to create and implement regional strategic plans. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Endowment for the Oceans Council.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for business-related expenses paid or incurred by a responsible party relating to an incident resulting in the discharge of oil into the navigable waters, other than an incident caused by an act of God or an act of war.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Taxation
Small System Safe Drinking Water Act of 2011 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) to convene a working group to study barriers to using specified treatments; (2) to develop model guidance to assist states in regulating and promoting such treatment options; and (3) when establishing affordability criteria for variance technology, to consider specified cost factors, to give extra weight to households below the poverty level and to communities that meet state affordability criteria, and to ensure that the criteria are not more costly, on a per-capita basis, to a small public water system than the per capita cost to a large water system of acquiring feasible technology. Requires the Administrator or a state, before initiating any enforcement action, to ensure that sufficient funds have been made available to assist each public water system that serves fewer than 10,000 individuals in meeting regulation requirements.Revises provisions allowing an exemption of a system from maximum containment level and treatment technique requirements to: (1) increase the population threshold; and (2) allow state determinations of a renewal period. Revises technical assistance provisions to require water systems serving fewer than 10,000 individuals to receive adequate technical assistance and training to meet requirements of final rules. Gives priority to systems not in compliance with specified rules concerning disinfectants and disinfection byproducts, arsenic and compliance and new source monitoring, or groundwater or any other final rule promulgated by the Administrator after this Act's enactment. Establishes pilot programs to: (1) explore new technologies or approaches to comply with a drinking water standard; and (2) research technology transfer issues and disinfection strategies relating to drinking water.

Date: 2011-05-16
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Replaces the map subtitled "Sachuest Point Unit RI-04P, Easton Beach Unit RI-05P, Almy Pond Unit RI-06, Hazards Beach Unit RI-07," included in the set of maps entitled "John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System" (referred to in the Coastal Barrier Resources Act as the set of maps entitled "Coastal Barrier Resources System") relating to certain units in Rhode Island, with the map entitled "John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Sachuest Point Unit RI-04P, Easton Beach Unit RI-05P, Almy Pond Unit RI-06, and Hazards Beach Unit RI-07" and dated September 30, 2009.

Date: 2011-06-29
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring a permit under national pollutant discharge elimination system permitting requirements for a discharge resulting from the conduct of any silvicultural activity, such as nursery operations, site preparation, reforestation, thinning, prescribed burning, pest and fire control, harvesting operations, surface drainage, or road use, construction, and maintenance, from which there is runoff. Specifies that nothing in this Act exempts silvicultural activity from permit requirements for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters.

Date: 2011-07-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
End Unnecessary Mailers Act of 2011 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to give community water systems for which there were no violations of the maximum contaminant level for any regulated contaminant during the year the option to: (1) mail the annual consumer confidence report on the level of contaminants in the drinking water purveyed by that system to each customer (required under current law); or (2) make such report available on the system's website and, upon request, by mail. Requires a system that elects the latter to provide customers notice, in the manner elected by the customers to pay their bill, of such report's availability and that the system has remained in compliance with maximum contaminant levels.

Date: 2011-09-19
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2011 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program to provide grants to owners or operators of water systems for programs or projects to increase the resiliency or adaptability of the systems to any ongoing or forecasted changes to the hydrologic conditions of a U.S. region; and (2) give priority to owners or operators of water systems that are at the greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant negative impacts due to changing hydrologic conditions. Requires the Administrator to ensure that the list of grant applications funded include a substantial number that propose to use innovative approaches that: (1) promote more efficient water use, water conservation, water reuse, or recycling; (2) use decentralized, low-impact development technologies and nonstructural approaches, including practices that use, enhance, or mimic the natural hydrological cycle or protect natural flows; (3) reduce stormwater runoff or flooding by protecting or enhancing natural ecosystem functions; (4) modify, upgrade, enhance, or replace existing water system infrastructure in response to changing hydrologic conditions; (5) improve water quality or quantity for agricultural and municipal uses, including through salinity reduction; and (6) provide multiple benefits, including to water supply enhancement or demand reduction, water quality protection or improvement, increased flood protection, and ecosystem protection or improvement.

Date: 2011-10-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2011 - Amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to include the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia. Requires such Task Force to: (1) establish a national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program; (2) develop and publish a national harmful algal blooms and hypoxia action strategy; (3) assess interagency work and spending plans for implementing such program's activities; (4) review such program's distribution of federal grants and funding to address research priorities; (5) promote the development of new technologies for predicting, monitoring, and mitigating harmful algal blooms and hypoxia conditions; and (6) report on hypoxia. Gives primary responsibility for administering such program to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to: (1) develop a national strategy to understand, detect, predict, control, mitigate, and respond to marine and freshwater hypoxia events; (2) prepare work and spending plans for implementing such program and develop and implement the regional research and action plans; (3) identify additional research, development, and demonstration needs and priorities relating to monitoring, prevention, control, mitigation, and response to marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms and hypoxia; (4) integrate and augment existing education programs to improve public understanding of the causes, impacts, and mitigation efforts for such blooms and hypoxia; (5) provide resources to train state and local coastal and water resource managers in the methods and technologies for monitoring, controlling, and mitigating such blooms and hypoxia; (6) support regional efforts to control and mitigate outbreaks; (7) maintain and enhance NOAA's competitive programs relating to such blooms and hypoxia; (8) carry out marine and Great Lakes harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events response activities; and (9) increase the availability to entities of analytical facilities and technologies, operational forecasts, and reference and research materials. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Task Force, with respect to such program's freshwater aspects (except for those aspects occurring in the Great Lakes), to: (1) research the ecology of freshwater harmful algal blooms; (2) monitor and respond to such blooms events in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; and (3) mitigate and control such blooms. Sets forth reporting requirements for the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force. Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015 for developing such regional research and action plans and related reports.

Date: 2011-10-13
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Foreign Oil Pollution Act - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to make each responsible party for a foreign offshore unit from which oil is discharged outside the navigable waters or the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) before entering or posing a substantial threat to enter the navigable waters or EEZ liable for specified removal costs and damages that result from such incident. Redefines "foreign offshore unit" to include a facility which is located within the EEZ. Prohibits a limit on liability under such Act for any incident involving a foreign offshore unit in which oil is discharged and enters or poses a substantial threat to enter such waters or EEZ. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the $1 billion per incident limitation on expenditures from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for incidents involving a foreign offshore unit in which oil is discharged and enters or poses a substantial threat to enter such waters or the EEZ.

Date: 2011-11-09
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
State Waters Partnership Act of 2012 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) should take into account the effect of numeric nutrient criteria for nitrogen or phosphorus developed to meet the water quality requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) on the economy, job creation, consumers, municipalities, agriculture, small business, and other affected sectors; and (2) should not promulgate or enforce nutrient criteria that would result in a negative economic impact of at least 15% on any such sector. Prohibits the Administrator from proposing, promulgating, or enforcing numeric nutrient criteria for any stream, lake, spring, canal, estuary, or marine water of Florida until the Administrator makes a final determination in accordance with such Act regarding the Florida amended rule approved for adoption by the Environmental Regulation Commission on December 8, 2011. Provides that if the Administrator determines that such rule meets the requirements of such Act: (1) the Adminstrator shall withdraw specified regulations concerning site-specific alternative criteria, and (2) the Administrator shall be prohibited from proposing or promulgating numeric nutrient criteria for streams, lakes, springs, canals, estuaries, or marine waters of Florida based on EPA's January 14, 2009, determination regarding numeric nutrient criteria.

Date: 2012-02-16
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Upper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection Act of 2012 or the Upper Mississippi CARP Act - Directs the Chief of Engineers to: (1) study the feasibility of temporarily closing the lock at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, or implementing control measures at the lock, including permanently closing the lock, modifying lock operations, or using an alternative technology barrier, to manage the threat of Asian carp traveling up the Mississippi River in Minnesota; and (2) assess the potential impacts, including environmental and economic impacts, of temporarily closing the lock or continuing to operate it and of implementing the control measures or not implementing such measures. Authorizes the Chief to close the lock upon determining that closure is justified based on the assessment of potential impacts. Requires the Chief to close the lock upon determining that a live adult Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 2 or that a juvenile Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 4. Allows the Chief to reopen the lock upon determining that adequate measures are in place to manage the threat. Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to incorporate the Upper Mississippi River and tributaries, the Minnesota River, and the St. Croix River into the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework of the Council. Expresses the sense of Congress that federal agencies researching Asian carp control technologies should partner with state and local shareholders, giving priority to collaborative partnerships in which such shareholders contribute to the cost of the research.

Date: 2012-03-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act - Calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the types of technical assistance to enable small public water systems to comply with national primary drinking water regulations that are the most beneficial to small and rural communities, based on their input. Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to: (1) authorize appropriations to the Administrator of EPA for FY2012-FY2017 for such assistance; and (2) allow the Administrator to use such funds to provide technical assistance to nonprofit organizations that provide to small public water systems onsite technical assistance, circuit-rider technical assistance programs, onsite and regional training, assistance with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance with implementation monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and water security enhancements. Directs the Administrator to give preference to nonprofit organizations that are determined to be the most qualified and experienced and that the small community water systems find to be the most beneficial and effective.

Date: 2012-03-07
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act of 2012 - Amends the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to extend through FY2017 the authorization of appropriations for allocations to carry out approved wetlands conservation projects.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Fairness Act of 2012 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide technical assistance to a Chesapeake Bay state (Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia) to: (1) assist in developing water quality goals that reduce losses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from agricultural or nonindustrial private forest land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; (2) assist in developing protocols to confirm producer or owner compliance with water quality laws; and (3) harmonize water quality trading technical guidelines in preparation for interstate trading. Authorizes the Secretary to provide: (1) financial and technical assistance to a Chesapeake Bay state to assist agricultural producers or owners promote water quality goals or conduct water quality trading preparation activities, and (2) technical assistance to agricultural producers and owners of nonindustrial private forest land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for conservation services. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to set aside certain watershed funds for projects located within the watershed of any water for which the federal government has established a multi-state maximum daily pollutant load, with priority given to projects that address agricultural and silvicultural sources. Directs the Secretary to coordinate with each federal agency owning or operating a facility within the Chesapeake Basin the development of plans that maximize forest cover at the facility.

Date: 2012-04-18
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program to: (1) limit grants by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to no more than 75% of project costs; and (2) authorize the appropriation of $20 million or the lowest amount appropriated to carry out such Program for any of the preceding five fiscal years, whichever is less, for each of FY2013-FY2017.

Date: 2012-06-05
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2012 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to replace provisions establishing the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research with provisions establishing a Federal Oil Spill Research Committee for the same purpose. Requires the Committee to: (1) submit to Congress within 180 days and update every five years a report on the state of oil discharge prevention and response capabilities; (2) establish an oil pollution research and development program that provides for research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods that are effective in preventing, detecting, responding to, mitigating, and restoring damage from oil discharges and that protect the environment; and (3) submit a plan for the implementation of such program to Congress within 180 days after submitting such report. Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to: (1) designate a Chairperson from among committee members, and (2) manage a program of competitive grants to universities or research institutions for conducting such program. Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require vessel and facility response plans for responding to a worst case discharge of oil or a hazardous substance to: (1) be updated at least every five years and resubmitted for approval upon each update; (2) require the use of the best available technology and methods to contain and remove a worst-case discharge and to mitigate or prevent a substantial threat of such a discharge; and (3) include investments in research relating to oil discharges, risk assessment, and development of technologies for oil discharge response and prevention. Requires: (1) the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to establish a program for the formal evaluation and validation of oil pollution containment and removal methods and technologies, and (2) each technology and method validated to be included in the comprehensive list of discharge removal resources maintained through the Coast Guard's National Response Unit.

Date: 2012-06-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require owners or operators of publicly owned treatment works to: (1) institute monitoring systems to provide timely alerts of sewer overflows, (2) notify the public not later than 24 hours after receiving knowledge of such overflows in areas where human health is potentially affected, (3) notify public health authorities and other affected entities immediately of an overflow that may imminently and substantially endanger human health, (4) report each overflow on discharge monitoring reports to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the state, and (5) annually report to the Administrator or the state on the total number of overflows in a calendar year. Makes specified exceptions to notification and reporting requirements for backups into single-family residences and for overflows that occur in the course of treatment works maintenance, respectively. Requires annual summary reports by states to the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations, including to establish overflow assessment guidance and develop communications measures to provide notification under this Act. Makes the monitoring systems eligible for state water pollution control revolving fund assistance.

Date: 2012-07-16
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Restoring Effective Environmental Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state from requiring a permit under CWA for a discharge from a point source into navigable waters of: (1) a pesticide authorized for sale, distribution, or use under FIFRA; or (2) the residue of the pesticide, resulting from the application of the pesticide. Excepts: (1) a discharge resulting from the application of a pesticide in violation of a provision of FIFRA is relevant to protecting water quality if the discharge would not have occurred without the violation or if the amount of pesticide or pesticide residue in the discharge is greater than would have occurred without the violation; (2) stormwater discharges regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); and (3) discharges of manufacturing or industrial effluent, treatment works effluent, and discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. Directs the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the status of intra-agency coordination between the Office of Water and the Office of Pesticide Programs of EPA regarding streamlining information collection, standards of review, and data use relating to water quality impacts from the registration and use of pesticides; (2) an analysis of the effectiveness of current regulatory actions relating to pesticide registration and use aimed at protecting water quality; and (3) recommendations on how FIFRA can be modified to better protect water quality and human health.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act - Calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the types of technical assistance to enable small public water systems to comply with national primary drinking water regulations that are the most beneficial to small and rural communities, based on their input.

Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to: (1) authorize appropriations to the Administrator of EPA for FY2014-FY2019 for such assistance; and (2) allow the Administrator to use such funds to provide technical assistance to nonprofit organizations that provide to small public water systems onsite technical assistance, circuit-rider technical assistance programs, onsite and regional training, assistance with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance with implementation monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and water security enhancements. Directs the Administrator to give preference to nonprofit organizations that are determined to be the most qualified and experienced and that the small public water systems find to be the most beneficial and effective.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Amends the Water Desalination Act of 1996 to extend through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) grants and contracts for research to develop processes for converting saline water into water suitable for beneficial uses, and (2) the demonstration and development program for water desalination and related activities.

Date: 2013-02-15
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2013 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption from restrictions on underground injection of fluids or propping agents granted to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under such Act.

Requires: (1) state underground injection programs to direct a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations to disclose to the state (or the Administrator if the Administrator has primary enforcement responsibility in such state) the chemicals intended for use in underground injections prior to the commencement of such operations and the chemicals actually used after the end of such operations, and (2) a state or the Administrator to make such disclosure available to the public.

Requires a person conducting hydraulic fracturing operations, when a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in such operations is necessary for medical treatment, to disclose such formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the Administrator, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Authorizes such person to require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.

Date: 2013-05-09
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2013 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require states, in order to obtain primary enforcement responsibility for a state underground injection control program, to prohibit the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities unless the person proposing to conduct the hydraulic fracturing operations agrees to conduct testing and report data in accordance with this Act.

Directs regulations under such Act for state underground injection control programs to require any person conducting such hydraulic fracturing operations to: (1) conduct testing of underground sources of drinking water in accordance with sampling and testing requirements described in this Act, and (2) report to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the results of such testing.

Exempts hydraulic fracturing operations from such testing and reporting requirements if there is no accessible underground source of drinking water within a radius of one mile of the site where the operations occur.

Requires the Administrator to establish and maintain a publicly accessible and searchable database of such results.

Date: 2013-08-02
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Community Fire Safety Act of 2013 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt fire hydrants from certain prohibitions against the use of lead pipes, solder, and flux.

Date: 2013-11-19
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Community Fire Safety Act of 2013 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt fire hydrants from certain prohibitions against the use of lead pipes, solder, and flux.

Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) consult with and seek the advice of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council on potential changes to federal regulations pertaining to lead; and (2) request the Council to consider sources of lead throughout drinking water distribution systems, including through components used to reroute drinking water during distribution system repairs.

Date: 2013-11-21
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Bottled Water Quality Information Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue regulations requiring each bottled water manufacturer or distributor to annually prepare a report that includes the following:

 the manufacturer’s or distributor’s name and contact information; type of water source; a plainly worded definition of “Standard of Identity” and “Standard of Quality” as prescribed in current bottled water regulations; a brief description of primary treatment methods used; and test results for the water’s microbiological, physical, chemical, and radiological quality. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring each bottled water label to include the following:

 the manufacturer’s or distributor’s name and contact information, a statement notifying consumers how to obtain the quality report required by this Act, and type of water source. Prescribes means by which refillable and reusable multiservice containers may fulfill this Act’s requirements.

Preempts inconsistent state or local reporting or labeling requirements.

Prohibits the distribution of bottled water products not in compliance with this Act.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Safe and Secure Drinking Water Act of 2014 - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and publish within 90 days a health advisory including recommendations on: (1) the level of microcystins (toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae) in drinking water that is safe for human consumption; (2) feasible treatment techniques and other means for achieving a safe level; and (3) standardized procedures for testing for microcystins in drinking water.

Directs the EPA, until it makes a determination on whether to regulate microcystins in drinking water, to report within 120 days and every year thereafter on: (1) the status of the determination, (2) the steps taken by the EPA to promote testing of drinking water for microcystins in areas that have been affected by harmful algal blooms, and (3) an analysis of available treatment techniques and other means for addressing microcystins in drinking water.

Date: 2014-09-10
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2014 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize, revise, and increase funding for the drinking water state revolving fund (SRF) for FY2015-FY2017. (The Drinking Water SRF program awards capitalization grants to states, which in turn provide financial assistance to public water systems for infrastructure improvements.) Expands the list of activities for which the SRF may be used and revises the process for prioritizing applications for SRF funds.

 Sets forth requirements concerning SRF funded projects using goods produced in the United States and giving prevailing wages to laborers and mechanics.

 Revises requirements for state Intended Use Plans for SRF funds, in part by requiring the plans to list systems that are not in compliance with national primary drinking water regulation and reserve a specified amount of funding for assistance for disadvantaged communities.

 Raises the cap on SRF funding that may be used for projects in American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.

 Repeals requirements for regulations on variance technologies. Repeals state authority to grant variances for compliance with a drinking water regulation requirement specifying a maximum contaminant level or treatment technique.

 Directs the EPA to:

 study the presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water sources, establish requirements for electronic submission of compliance monitoring data by public water systems, collect data on best practices for administration of SRF programs, and implement a voluntary certification program for effective water loss and leak control technology. Reauthorizes a program to provide technical assistance to enable small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with applicable national primary drinking water regulations for FY2015-FY2019.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Water Supply Cost Savings Act or the Savings Act - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to: (1) update their programs that provide drinking water technical assistance by including information on cost-effective, innovative, and alternative drinking water delivery systems; and (2) disseminate information on the cost effectiveness of wells and well systems to communities and nonprofit organizations seeking federal funding for drinking water systems serving small communities (3,300 or fewer persons).

Requires applicants for federal grants or loans for those drinking water systems to certify that wells have been considered as an alternative drinking water supply.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Drinking Water Protection Act - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and submit to Congress a strategic plan for assessing and managing risks associated with cyanotoxins in drinking water provided by public water systems. (Cyanotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.)

Requires the plan to include steps and time lines to:

 evaluate the risk to human health from drinking water contaminated with cyanotoxins; establish, publish, and update a comprehensive list of cyanotoxins that are harmful to human health; summarize the known adverse human health effects of cyanotoxins and the factors that cause cyanobacteria to grow rapidly and make toxins; determine whether to publish health advisories for harmful cyanotoxins and establish relevant guidance; recommend feasible treatment options; and enter into cooperative agreements with, and provide technical assistance to, affected states and public water systems to manage risks associated with cyanotoxins.

Date: 2014-11-20
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

San Francisco Bay Restoration Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide funding for activities, studies, or projects, including restoration projects and habitat improvement for fish, waterfowl, and wildlife, that are identified in an annual priority list and that advance the goals and objectives of the comprehensive management plan for the San Francisco estuary.

Authorizes funding to be provided through cooperative agreements, grants, or other means to state and local agencies, special districts, public or nonprofit agencies, institutions, and organizations. Prohibits funding from being used for the administration of a management conference for the San Francisco estuary under the National Estuary Program.

Requires the Administrator, in developing the priority list, to consult with and consider the recommendations of: (1) the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, (2) the state of California and affected local governments in the San Francisco Bay estuary watershed, and (3) any other relevant stakeholder involved with the protection and restoration of such estuary.

Limits funding amounts under this Act to 75% of the total cost of eligible activities to be carried out using those amounts.

Authorizes the Administrator to carry out this Act for each of FY2013-FY2017.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act - Calls for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the types of technical assistance to enable small public water systems to comply with national primary drinking water regulations that are the most beneficial to small and rural communities, based on their input.

Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to: (1) authorize appropriations to the Administrator of EPA for FY2014-FY2019 for such assistance; and (2) allow the Administrator to use such funds to provide grants or cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations that provide to small public water systems onsite technical assistance, circuit-rider and multistate regional technical assistance programs, onsite and regional training, assistance with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance with implementing monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and water security enhancements. Directs the Administrator to give preference to nonprofit organizations that are determined to be the most qualified and experienced and that the small community water systems find to be the most beneficial and effective.

Prohibits the use of such grants or cooperative agreements under the Act's research and technical assistance provisions for citizens' civil actions.

Date: 2013-05-06
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Community Fire Safety Act of 2013 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt fire hydrants from certain prohibitions against the use of lead pipes, solder, and flux.

Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) consult with and seek the advice of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council on potential changes to federal regulations pertaining to lead; and (2) request the Council to consider sources of lead throughout drinking water distribution systems, including through components used to reroute drinking water during distribution system repairs.

Date: 2013-12-09
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
WaterSense Efficiency, Conservation, and Adaptation Act of 2014 - Establishes within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a WaterSense program to identify and promote water efficient products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services so as to:

 reduce water use; reduce the strain on water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure; conserve energy used to pump, heat, transport, and treat water; and preserve water resources through the voluntary labeling of, or other forms of communications about, products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services that meet the highest water efficiency and performance criteria. Requires the Administrator of EPA to identify other voluntary approaches to encourage recycling and reuse technologies to improve water efficiency or lower water use and to implement those approaches, if appropriate.

Establishes a State Residential Water Efficiency and Conservation Incentives Program to provide financial incentives for consumers to purchase and install products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services labeled under the WaterSense program.

Requires the Administrator to make grants to owners or operators of water systems to address, mitigate, and adapt to address any ongoing or forecasted impact of climate change on the water quality or quantity of a U.S. region.

Date: 2014-04-09
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection