zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation Act of 2008 - Directs the President to establish a National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System to: (1) support national defense, marine commerce, energy production, basic and applied research, ecosystem-based marine and coastal resource management, public safety and public outreach training and education; (2) promote awareness of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources; (3) improve the ability to measure, track, explain, and predict weather and climate change and natural climate variability; (4) fulfill the plan contained in the document entitled "Ocean.US Publication No. 9, The First Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Development Plan"; and (5) fulfill the nation's international obligations to contribute to the global earth and ocean observation systems. Makes the National Ocean Research Leadership Council responsible for coordination and long-term operations plans, policies, protocols, and standards for the System and for coordination with other earth observing activities. Makes the existing Interagency Working Group responsible for, among other things, implementation of operations plans and policies, budget development, identification of observation coverage gaps or capital improvements needs, data management and communication protocols and standards, observation data variables, and establishment of a competitive matching grant or other program to promote research and development of innovative observation technologies. Makes the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the lead federal agency for the System. Requires the Administrator to certify or establish Regional Information Coordination Entities to coordinate state, federal, local, and private interests at a regional level. Requires the Administrator to establish a System Advisory Committee. Authorizes member departments and agencies of the Council, subject to appropriations, to participate in interagency financing and share funds appropriated to any member agency to carry out this Act. Requires a biennial report to Congress on the status of the System. Requires the Council to develop a policy that defines processes for making decisions about the roles of the federal government, states, Regional Information Coordination Entities, the academic community, and the private sector in providing to end-user communities environmental information, products, technologies, and services related to the System. Requires the Interagency Working Group, through the Administrator and the Director of the National Science Foundation, to submit to Congress an independent cost estimate for certain aspects of the System.

Date: 2007-05-16
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act - (Sec. 2) Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish an integrated ocean and coastal mapping program for the Great Lakes and coastal state waters, the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and the U.S. continental shelf that enhances ecosystem approaches in decision-making for conservation and management of marine resources and habitats, establishes research priorities, supports the siting of research and other platforms, advances safety of navigation, and advances ocean and coastal science. (Sec. 3) Directs the Administrator to convene or use an existing interagency committee on ocean and coastal mapping to implement such program and to coordinate federal ocean and coastal mapping and surveying activities with other federal efforts (including the Digital Coast, Geospatial One-Stop, and the Federal Geographic Data Committee), international mapping activities, coastal states, user groups, and nongovernmental entities. Authorizes the Administrator to convene an ocean and coastal mapping advisory panel consisting of representatives from nongovernmental entities to provide input regarding activities of the committee. (Sec. 4) Directs the Administrator to develop a plan for an integrated ocean and coastal mapping initiative within NOAA that: (1) identifies all ocean and coastal mapping programs within NOAA, establishing priorities; (2) encourages the development of innovative ocean and coastal mapping technologies and applications through research and development (R&D) cooperative agreements at joint or cooperative research institutes or centers and with other nongovernmental entities; and (3) documents available and developing technologies, best practices in data processing and distribution, and leveraging opportunities with other federal agencies, coastal states, and nongovernmental entities. Authorizes the Administrator to establish joint ocean and coastal mapping centers (including a joint hydrographic center) of excellence in institutions of higher education to conduct specified activities, including: (1) research and development of innovative ocean and coastal mapping technologies, equipment, and data products; and (2) mapping of the U.S. outer continental shelf. Requires the Administrator to continue developing a strategy for expanding contracting with nongovernmental entities. (Sec. 5) Requires a biannual report from the Committee to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives on progress made in implementing this Act. (Sec. 6) Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2007-05-21
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Ballast Water Management Act of 2007 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to direct the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to issue regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of nonindigenous aquatic species in waters of the United States (under current law, of aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes). Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue regulations to establish national ballast water discharge standards that limit the number of living organisms contained in ballast water discharged from vessels into waters of the United States; and (2) determine whether one or more alternative ballast water management methods are available to achieve those standards. Requires vessel operators to conduct all ballast water management operations in accordance with a ballast water management plan designed to minimize the discharge of aquatic nuisance species. Regulates ballast tank sediment management. Removes provisions allowing, except in the Great Lakes, a vessel to exchange ballast water in a harbor if it has, because of safety, not done so at sea. Replaces a ballast water management demonstration program with a shipboard technology evaluation and demonstration program to evaluate alternative ballast water management methods aboard vessels to prevent aquatic nuisance species from being introduced into and spread through discharges of ballast water in waters of the United States. Requires a program to demonstrate and verify technologies and practices to monitor and control the introduction of aquatic invasive species by ship pathways other than the release of ballast water.

Date: 2007-05-22
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Recreational Boating Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (popularly known as the Clean Water Act) to redefine the term "pollutant" to exclude any deck runoff from a recreational vessel, any engine cooling water, gray water, bilge water effluent from properly functioning recreational marine engine, laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes from a recreational vessel, or any other discharge incidental to the normal operation of a recreational vessel. Declares that such exclusion does not apply to rubbish, trash, garbage, or any other such materials discharged overboard by a recreational vessel.Defines "recreational vessel" to mean a vessel that is: (1) manufactured for operation, or operated primarily for recreational purposes; or (2) leased, rented, or chartered to an individual for recreational purposes.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to exclude from wetlands reserve program enrollment land subject to a state or local setback requirement unless the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such land's enrollment is essential to restore or preserve wetlands.

Date: 2007-06-22
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
New Jersey/New York Clean Ocean Zone Act of 2007 - Designates the New York/New Jersey Bight as the New Jersey/New York Clean Ocean Zone. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the Army, and all states from issuing a permit for ocean dumping, or establishing any new disposal site in the Zone, including under specified provisions of existing law. Terminates all existing disposal site designations, subject to exception. Prohibits: (1) the discharge of a pollutant into the Zone from a point source constructed or put into use after enactment of this Act under specified provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act; and (2) permit issuance for such discharge. Prohibits a state or federal permit issued for the discharge of a pollutant into the Zone from being renewed, reissued, or modified to allow any increase of discharge capacity of any point source or to contain any effluent limitation less stringent than comparable effluent limitations in the permit. Prohibits the permanent extraction of any nonrenewable natural resource from the Zone for commercial or industrial use, except for the primary purpose of maintaining or establishing navigation channels. Prohibits the creation, licensing, leasing, easement granting, or right-of-way granting of certain facilities involving nonrenewable energy, including deepwater ports and pipelines. Prohibits categorically excluding leases, easements, or rights-of-way for renewable energy facilities from specified provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Prohibits underwater research or exploration in the Zone unless it meets certain requirements.

Date: 2007-06-25
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
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, 2027.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: 2007-06-28
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Puget Sound Watershed Comprehensive Conservation Project Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) carry out a competitive grant program for the Puget Sound area to provide comprehensive conservation planning to address water quality; and (2) enter into cooperative agreements with state and local governments, Indian tribes, or non-governmental entities with a history of working with agricultural producers to carry out projects under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide project demonstration grants, provide technical assistance, and carry out information and education programs to improve water quality in the area by reducing soil erosion and improving sediment control; and (2) provide a priority for projects and activities that directly reduce soil erosion or improve water quality. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2007-07-26
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Keep Our Waterfronts Working Act of 2007 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to establish a Working Waterfront Grant Program to make a grant, through a regionally equitable, competitive funding process, to any coastal state for a plan to preserve and expand access to coastal waters for persons engaged in commercial fishing, recreational fishing, or other water-dependent coastal-related business.

Date: 2007-07-30
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Bad Polluters Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny to a Great Lakes Polluter the taxpayer election to expense 50% of the cost of refinery property in the current taxpayer year. Defines "Great Lakes Polluter" as a refinery owner that holds a permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discharge a certain level of pollutants into the Great Lakes.

Date: 2007-08-01
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Taxation
Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to prohibit either the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or any Great Lakes state from issuing a permit for the discharge of a pollutant into a body of water that is part of the Great Lakes, or that is within the boundaries of two or more of such states, without the concurrence of all such states. Authorizes a state to concur only after providing notice in the vicinity of the portion of the body of water within its boundaries and an opportunity for public comment.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow holders of clean renewable water supply bonds a tax credit of 25% of the annual credit amount as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury. Defines "clean renewable water supply bond" as any bond issued by a governmental body or an entity qualified to issue tax-exempt bonds that is used for capital expenditures for projects involving a qualified desalination facility, a recycled water facility, or a groundwater remediation facility.Sets forth rules for maturity limitations, arbitrage, and expenditures, including a requirement that 95% of the proceeds of a bond issue be spent on one or more clean renewable water supply projects within five years from the date of a bond issuance.

Date: 2007-08-04
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Taxation
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: 2007-10-10
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
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 include Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, among locations that are given priority consideration in selecting estuaries of national significance and convening management conferences under the national estuary program.

Date: 2007-10-17
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Title I: The San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act - (Sec. 101) San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary), in cooperation with the state of California, to implement the Stipulation of Settlement dated September 13, 2006, in Natural Resources Defense Council, et al. v. Kirk Rodgers, et al., United States District Court, Eastern District of California. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into agreements with California to facilitate or expedite Settlement implementation; and (2) identify impacts and measures to mitigate impacts on adjacent and downstream water users and landowners. Provides that Settlement implementation and the reintroduction of Chinook salmon shall not result in the involuntary reduction in contract water allocations to Central Valley Project long-term contractors apart from Friant Division contractors.(Sec. 105) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) purchase property needed to implement the Settlement from willing sellers; and (2) dispose of such property and deposit proceeds into the San Joaquin River Restoration Fund.(Sec. 107) Declares that the Settlement satisfies and discharges the Secretary's obligations under the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992.(Sec. 109) Requires the costs of implementing the Settlement to be covered by payments or in kind contributions made by Friant Division contractors and other non-federal parties, with specified costs shared by California. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with California to fund or implement improvements on a project-by-project basis.(Sec. 110) Directs the Secretary to convert specified long-term contracts to provide for the repayment of construction costs.(Sec. 111) Provides for the reintroduction of Chinook salmon into the San Joaquin River, contingent upon the Secretary of Commerce finding that a permit for such reintroduction may be issued under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. (Sec. 112) Directs the Secretary to establish a conservation of resources fee for non-producing federal oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, revenues from which shall be treated as offsetting receipts.Title II: Study to Develop Water Plan; Report - (Sec. 201) Directs the Secretary: (1) acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to provide direct financial assistance to the California Water Institute to study coordination and integration of sub-regional integrated regional water management plans into a unified Integrated Regional Water Management Plan; and (2) to ensure that a report containing the results of the Plan is submitted to specified congressional committees within 24 months after financial assistance is made available to the Institute. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2007-11-05
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2008 or FOARAM Act - (Sec. 3) Defines "ocean acidification," for this Act, as the decrease in pH of the Earth's oceans and changes in ocean chemistry caused by chemical inputs from the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide. (Sec. 4) Requires that the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council: (1) coordinate federal activities on ocean acidification; (2) report biennially to specified congressional committees; (3) transmit the strategic research plan developed under this Act to those committees; and (4) submit a revised plan at least once every five years. (Sec. 5) Requires the Subcommittee to develop a strategic plan for federal ocean acidification research and monitoring that provides for an assessment of ocean acidification impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems and the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies to conserve marine organisms and ecosystems. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, through the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review the plan. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to conduct research and monitoring and authorizes the Secretary to establish an ocean acidification program in NOAA consistent with the strategic research plan, including: (1) providing grants for critical research projects exploring the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and the socioeconomic impacts of increased ocean acidification that are relevant to the plan's goals and priorities; and (2) incorporating a competitive merit-based process for awarding grants that may be conducted jointly with other participating agencies or under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. (Sec. 7) Requires the NSF director to continue to carry out ocean acidification research supporting competitive, merit-based, peer-reviewed proposals for research and monitoring of ocean acidification and its impacts. (Sec. 8) Requires the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to ensure that space-based monitoring assets are used in as productive a manner as possible for monitoring of ocean acidification and its impacts. (Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations to NOAA and to NASA to carry out this Act.

Date: 2007-11-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Coastal Zone Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to authorize appropriations for grants under provisions relating to administration of a state's coastal zone management program, resource management improvement, coastal zone enhancement, and national estuarine reserves. Authorizes the use of amounts in the Coastal Zone Management Fund for expenses incidental to the administration of the Act. Increases, beginning in FY2009, the portion of amounts appropriated to carry out provisions relating to administration of a state's coastal zone management program and resource management improvement to be retained for use in implementing coastal zone enhancement grant provisions.

Date: 2008-02-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Coastal State Climate Change Planning Act of 2008 - Amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to establish a coastal climate change adaptation planning and response program to provide assistance to coastal states to voluntarily develop coastal climate change adaptation plans and to provide financial and technical assistance and training to enable coastal states to implement those plans through coastal states' enforceable policies. Authorizes, subject to the availability of appropriations, grants to coastal states for developing the plans and grants for implementation.

Date: 2008-02-14
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Toxic Chemical Exposure Reduction Act of 2008 or the TCE Reduction Act of 2008 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish a health advisory, including cancer risks, for trichloroethylene that fully protects, with an adequate margin of safety, the health of susceptible populations (including pregnant women, infants, and children), taking into consideration body weight, exposure patterns, and all routes of exposure.Requires the Administrator to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for trichloroethylene: (1) that is protective of susceptible populations; and (2) the maximum contaminant level of which is as close to the maximum contaminant level goal for trichloroethylene, and as protective of those susceptible populations, as is feasible. Requires consumer confidence reports to disclose the presence of, and the potential health and cancer risks to susceptible populations from exposure to, trichloroethylene in drinking water.Requires the Administrator to: (1) publish a health advisory (including cancer risks) for trichloroethylene that fully protects the health of susceptible populations from vapor intrusion; (2) establish an integrated risk information system reference concentration of trichloroethylene vapor that is protective of susceptible populations; and (3) apply such reference concentration with respect to any potential vapor intrusion-related investigations or actions to protect public health with respect to trichloroethylene exposure carried out pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Date: 2008-03-04
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Vessel Discharge Evaluation and Review Act - Directs the Coast Guard's Commandant to conduct an evaluation of vessel discharges, other than ballast water, and report to specified congressional committees. Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to suspend, beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and notwithstanding any other provision of law, any requirement to obtain a permit for a discharge incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. Requires promulgation of a final rule establishing enforceable uniform national discharge standards modeled on the regulatory program for vessels of the Armed Forces and based upon the best available technology. Preempts related state and local laws regarding a discharge incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, subject to exception. Lists certain discharges that are unaffected by or excluded from this Act, including discharges from Armed Forces vessels, discharges of vessel sewage, and discharges from certain fishing and fish tender vessels. Makes this Act, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the exclusive statutory authority for federal regulation of vessel discharges to which these provisions apply.

Date: 2008-03-11
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Clean Boating Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to provide that no permit shall be required by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for the discharge from a recreational vessel of graywater, bilge water, cooling water, weather deck runoff, oil water separator effluent, or effluent from properly functioning marine engines or for any other discharge that is incidental to the normal operation of such vessel.Defines a "recreational vessel" as any vessel that is leased, rented, or chartered to a person for that person's pleasure or that is manufactured or used primarily for pleasure, excluding vessels that are subject to Coast Guard inspection and that are engaged in commercial use or that carry paying passengers.Requires the Administrator to: (1) determine the discharges that are incidental to the normal operation (excluding sewage) of a recreational vessel for which it is reasonable and practicable to develop management practices to mitigate adverse impacts on U.S. waters within a year of this Act's enactment and to review such determinations every five years; and (2) develop management practices for recreational vessels to mitigate the adverse impacts of such discharges on U.S. waters. Directs the Administrator, in determining what discharges are incidental to normal operations, to consider: (1) the nature of the discharge; (2) its environmental effects; (3) the practicability of using a management practice; (4) the effect that such practice would have on the operation, operational capability, or safety of the vessel; (5) applicable federal and state law and international standards; and (6) the economic costs of the use of the management practice. Requires the Administrator to: (1) promulgate federal standards of performance (which may distinguish among vessel types) for each discharge for which such a management practice is developed; and (2) review them every five years. Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to promulgate regulations governing the design, construction, installation, and use of management practices for recreational vessels as necessary to meet such standards. Prohibits a recreational vessel from operating in or discharging in U.S. waters if such owner or operator is not using applicable management practices in compliance with such regulations.

Date: 2008-05-01
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and submit to Congress a regional response plan to address and mitigate harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes that includes: (1) an analysis of the scientific data about the causes of such blooms; (2) proposed solutions to address and mitigate such blooms, an analysis of the technological and economic feasibility of such solutions, and an estimate of the cost of implementing them; (3) an analysis of the ability of secondary treatment by wastewater treatment facilities to reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen being discharged into the Great Lakes; (4) an evaluation of the relevant water quality standards promulgated by each of the Great Lakes states; and (5) suggested revisions to such standards if they are not adequate to reduce the incidence and severity of such blooms. Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to declare as a banned hazardous substance under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act any cleaning product that contains greater than 0.5% phosphorus by volume and is intended for use in individual households.

Date: 2008-05-08
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Eradicating Asian Carp in the Great Lakes Study Act of 2007 [sic]- 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: 2008-05-13
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve Boundary Modification Act - Expands, notwithstanding any provision of law or regulation, the boundaries of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve in Lake Huron.

Date: 2008-06-05
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to authorize increased appropriations to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for FY2009-FY2013 for technical assistance to enable small public water systems to comply with national primary drinking water regulations.Authorizes 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. Requires that preference be given to nonprofit organizations determined to be qualified, effective, and to have the most support from small water systems in the states.

Date: 2008-06-19
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2008 - 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 establish a Puget Sound Program Office, to be located in the state of Washington and headed by a Director who shall assist the management conference convened for Puget Sound in carrying out its goals.Requires the Director to: (1) assist and support the implementation of the comprehensive conservation and management plan developed by the conference ("Comprehensive Plan"); (2) coordinate the major functions of the federal government related to the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan; (3) carry out studies and research necessary for strengthened implementation of the Comprehensive Plan; (4) coordinate and manage environmental data related to Puget Sound; (5) coordinate the grant, research, and planning programs authorized under this Act; (6) coordinate activities for the protection of Puget Sound and the Georgia Straits with Canadian authorities and responsibilities, including under species recovery plans, through cooperation with other federal agencies that have jurisdiction in the Puget Sound watershed; and (7) collect and make available to the public information relating to the environmental quality of Puget Sound.Requires a biennial report to Congress on the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan.Allows the Administrator to make grants for projects and studies that will help implement the Comprehensive Plan and for projects to address sewage and stormwater discharges into the Puget Sound watershed.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: 2008-06-25
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Clean Cruise Ship Act of 2008 - Prohibits cruise vessels calling on U.S. ports from discharging sewage, graywater, or bilge water into U.S. waters unless: (1) the treated effluent meets specified effluent limits and management standards; (2) the vessel is proceeding at not less than six knots; (3) the vessel is not less than 12 nautical miles from shore; and (4) the vessel is not in a no discharge zone. Prohibits the discharge of sewage sludge, incinerator ash, or hazardous waste into U.S. waters and requires it to be off-loaded at appropriate land-based facilities. Prescribes exceptions for: (1) discharges solely to secure the safety of a vessel or to save a life at sea; and (2) Alaskan vessels until 10 years after enactment.Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate such effluent limits that: (1) are consistent with the capability of the best available technology to treat effluent; (2) require compliance with state and federal water quality standards; (3) take into account the best available scientific information on environmental effects; and (4) require treated discharges to meet specified standards for minimum effluent quality, fecal coliform, and residual chlorine. Requires the EPA Administrator to implement a sampling and testing program, and requires the Commandant of the Coast Guard to implement an inspection program, sufficient to verify that such vessels are in compliance with this Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and other applicable federal laws and international agreements. Requires the Commandant to establish a program for the placement of trained independent observers on vessels to monitor and inspect vessel operations, equipment, and discharges. Requires the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to carry out a pilot program to develop and promote commercialization of technologies to provide federal agencies data regarding discharges from vessels and functioning of vessel components relating to fuel consumption and air and water pollution control.Calls for enactment of standards for: (1) ballast water; and (2) air quality regarding incineration and engine activities of vessels.Establishes the Cruise Vessel Pollution Control Fund. Requires the Commandant to collect fees from vessels for paying passengers to be deposited in such Fund for use in carrying out this Act.

Date: 2008-07-08
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Sanctuary Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to require that the National Marine Sanctuary System consist of national marine sanctuaries authorized or established by an Act of Congress (in addition to sanctuaries currently designated by the Secretary of Commerce) and marine national monuments. Sets forth the System's mission. Requires the Secretary to prepare, maintain, and update an ecological classification of the nation's marine environment and an identification of maritime heritage resources as a national inventory of marine ecoregions and maritime heritage resources under U.S. jurisdiction. Requires the Secretary to strive to include in the System, by 2030, sites that will incorporate a full range of the nation's marine ecoregions and rare and unique marine habitats, and a full range of maritime heritage resource areas. Modifies various requirements regarding the designation and implementation of marine sanctuaries. Expands the list of prohibited activities. Amends provisions making a violation of a prohibited activity a criminal offense to: (1) exclude from those provisions foreign governments and their entities; and (2) add a requirement that a violation be knowing. Increases the maximum term of imprisonment and the maximum civil fine. Revises requirements regarding the preparation of fishing regulations applicable to a marine sanctuary. Requires that System research and monitoring conducted, supported, or permitted by the Secretary be made available to the public unless the Secretary determines that public disclosure may result in the destruction of, loss of, or injury to any System resource. Modifies requirements regarding special use permits.

Date: 2008-07-17
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
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: 2008-07-17
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Water resources development
Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or a state with an approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, from requiring an NPDES permit for a covered vessel for the next two years for any discharge: (1) of effluent from properly functioning marine engines; (2) of laundry, shower, and galley sink wastes; or (3) that is incidental to the normal operation of a covered vessel. Defines "covered vessel" to mean a vessel that is less than 79 feet in length or a fishing vessel.Requires the Administrator to evaluate the impacts of such discharges, excluding discharges: (1) from a vessel of the Armed Forces; (2) of sewage from a vessel, other than the discharge of graywater from a vessel operating on the Great Lakes; and (3) of ballast water. Provides that such prohibition does not apply with respect to: (1) rubbish, trash, garbage, or other such materials discharged overboard; (2) other discharges when the vessel is operating in a capacity other than as a means of transportation; (3) ballast water discharges; or (4) any discharge that contributes to a violation of a water quality standard or poses an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

Date: 2008-07-21
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Reauthorization and Expansion Act of 2008 - Amends the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative Act to: (1) set forth the membership of the Northwest Straits Advisory Commission; (2) state the goal of the Commission as the protection and restoration of the marine waters, habitats, and species of the Northwest Straits region in the state of Washington to achieve ecosystem health and sustainable resource use; and (3) enumerate the duties of the Commission and establish benchmarks for its work. Provides for the appointment of a Director of the Commission and the establishment of marine resources committees in specified counties of the state 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 for the Commission.

Date: 2008-07-31
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Water Assessment and Treatment Evaluation Research Study Act of 2008 or the WATER Study Act of 2008 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and report to Congress on the presence, sources, and effects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in U.S. drinking water supplies and on ways to properly dispose of such products and improve water treatment. Directs the Administrator to examine wastewater effluent and run-off from agricultural operations in identifying such sources.

Date: 2008-08-01
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to permit federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing (a process for extracting oil and gas from wells by the injection of fluids at high pressure).

Date: 2008-09-29
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Perchlorate Monitoring and Right-to-Know Act of 2008 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) publish (within 90 days) a health advisory for perchlorate that is fully protective, with an adequate margin of safety, of the health of vulnerable persons (including pregnant women, infants, and children), considering body weight, exposure patterns, and all routes of exposure; (2) propose (within 60 days) and promulgate (within 120 days) a final regulation requiring public water systems to monitor for perchlorate, which shall be in effect until monitoring for perchlorate is required under a national primary drinking water regulation; and (3) require consumer confidence reports by community water systems to disclose the presence of perchlorate in drinking water and the potential health risks to vulnerable persons.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Protecting Pregnant Women and Children From Perchlorate Act of 2008 - Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) publish (within 90 days) a health advisory for perchlorate that is fully protective, with an adequate margin of safety, of the health of vulnerable persons (including pregnant women, infants, and children), taking into consideration body weight, exposure patterns, and all routes of exposure; and (2) propose (within nine months) and finalize (within 18 months) a national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate that is protective of vulnerable persons and the maximum contaminant level of which is as close to the maximum contaminant level goal for perchlorate, and as protective of vulnerable persons, as is feasible.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Environmental protection
Strengthening America's Trade Laws Act - Allows, under specified conditions, certain U.S. persons supportive of the government's position before a dispute settlement panel or Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to participate in consultations and panel or Appellate Body proceedings. Establishes the Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement to provide advice to Congress on the operation of the WTO dispute settlement system. Amends the Uruguay Round Agreements Act to require congressional approval before any modification of an agency regulation or practice that has been adversely affected by a WTO decision. Directs the United States to negotiate with the WTO to determine clarification of its obligations under the Uruguay Round Agreement due to an adverse WTO decision if the United States, Congress, or Commission finds that such decision created obligations never agreed to by the United States. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to make specified changes to strengthen the Act's antidumping and countervailing duty provisions. Requires congressional approval for revocation of nonmarket economy country determinations made by the administering authority. Expands the authority of the administering authority or the International Trade Commission (ITC) to impose countervailing duties on products from a nonmarket economy country that have been provided a countervailable subsidy. Includes exchange-rate manipulation by a country as a countervailable subsidy. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require a recommendation from the ITC before the President can impose a duty on an imported Chinese product that causes or threatens market disruption to a like U.S. product. Applies the amendments made by this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.

Date: 2007-01-23
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Emergency Relief Personnel Protection Act of 2007 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit, during a presidentially-declared major disaster or emergency, forcibly assaulting, resisting, or interfering with: (1) any U.S. officer or employee performing official duties relating to the emergency or any person assisting such officer; and (2) any person providing services in support of disaster relief efforts in coordination with a federal coordinating officer. Provides for enhanced penalties for using or possessing a deadly or dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily injury in the commission of such a violation.

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Small Business Disaster Recovery Assistance Improvement Act of 2007 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish and implement an expedited disaster assistance business loan program to provide small businesses with immediate disaster assistance.

Date: 2007-02-28
Topic: Environment (Drinking Water)
Subject: Commerce