Legislation also passed to restore estuaries, and protect against pollution
June 30, 2010
Washington, DC – Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), approved several pieces of legislation to protect bodies of water throughout the United States, including the Chesapeake Bay, the San Francisco Bay, the Great Lakes, Puget Sound, Long Island Sound, the Columbia River and the Gulf of Mexico. The Committee also passed measures to help restore the nation’s estuaries and address storm water pollution. The bills were passed by voice vote and will now go to the full Senate for consideration.
Senator Boxer said: “I am pleased that the Committee has worked on a bipartisan basis to report out legislation that will protect and restore some of our nation’s most treasured bodies of water from the San Francisco Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico, to the Chesapeake Bay. I look forward to working with my colleagues as this legislation moves through the full Senate.”
S. 3119, Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act
S. 3119, introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), and Charles Schumer (D-NY), builds on longstanding restoration and stewardship efforts in the Long Island Sound.
S. 3539, San Francisco Bay Restoration Act
S. 3539, introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Boxer amends the Clean Water Act to establish a grant program for the restoration of the San Francisco Bay. The EPA, state of California, local governments, non-governmental agencies, and other stakeholders have developed a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan to improve water quality and the health of the Bay.
The legislation authorizes a federal grant program administered by the EPA to implement this plan, which would allow EPA to budget for and build upon existing programs for Bay restoration.
S. 3481, a bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Federal responsibility for storm water pollution
S. 3481, introduced by Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) amends the Clean Water Act to clarify that the Federal Government should be responsible for reasonable fees or assessments designed to reduce stormwater pollution.
S.___, Columbia River Basin Restoration Act of 2010
S. ___, introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) authorizes efforts through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce toxic contamination throughout the Columbia River Basin.
S. 1816, Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act of 2009
S. 1816, introduced by Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Ted Kaufman (D-DE), and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), amends the Clean Water Act to strengthen and expand the existing Chesapeake Bay program.
S. 2739, Puget Sound Recovery Act of 2009
S. 2739, introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA), would provide funding to implement the Puget Sound Action Agenda, which was developed by the Federal, State and local stakeholders in the basin. The bill would also increase EPA accountability for the funding provided.
S. 1311, Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act
Introduced by Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and cosponsored by Senator David Vitter (R-LA), S. 1311 amends the Clean Water Act to reestablish a Gulf of Mexico Program Office. It also expands and strengthens cooperative efforts to monitor, restore and protect the resource productivity, water quality and marine ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico.
S. 3073, Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2010
S. 3073, introduced by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) and cosponsored by Senators George Voinovich (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Roland Burris (D-IL) and Robert Casey (D-PA), amends the Clean Water Act to protect and restore the Great Lakes. The legislation aims to improve coordination and management of the Great Lakes ecosystem.
H.R. 4715, Clean Estuaries Act of 2010
H.R. 4715 amends the Clean Water Act to reauthorize and improve the National Estuary Program. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and David Vitter (R-LA) filed a substitute amendment that includes a number of changes designed to improve accountability and results of the National Estuary Program.
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