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Government
& Public Affairs Update
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Government &
Public Affairs Team
Reginald M. Turner
John
Van Fossen, Practice Group Leader
Lucius A. Vassar
Chris Wagner
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Senate EPW Passes Great Lakes Bill
Yesterday, the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) reported S. 933,
the Contaminated Sediment Remediation Reauthorization Act, to the
full Senate for its consideration. Earlier this year, the House
passed a more comprehensive water quality bill, H.R. 1262, which
addresses Great Lakes water quality issues under Title V, the Great
Lakes Legacy Reauthorization (Sec. 5003). The program which both
chambers are attempting to reauthorize is more commonly referred to
as theGreat Lakes Legacy Act.
The bills come
on the heels of a similar extension of the Great Lakes Legacy Act
which was enacted into law in October 2008. That extension
served merely to sustain the program's authorization for funding
through Fiscal Year 2010.
S. 933 is a
straightforward reauthorization of federal funding for the
remediation of sediment contamination at $50 million for each of the
fiscal years 2004 through 2009 and $150 million for each of the
fiscal years 2010 through 2014. In addition, the bill
authorizes $3 million for research and development of remediating
sediment contamination for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2009
and $5 million for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.
While H.R.
1262 mirrors the funding authorization levels in S. 933, it also
requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), in consultation with the Government of Canada, to: 1) study
and report to Congress on the condition of wastewater treatment
facilities located in the U.S. and Canada that discharge into the
Great Lakes; 2) determine the effect that such facilities have on the
water quality of the Great Lakes; and 3) develop recommendations to
improve water quality monitoring by the operators of such facilities,
establish a protocol for improved notification and information
sharing between the countries, and promote cooperation between the
countries to prevent the discharge of untreated and undertreated
wastewater.
The Great
Lakes are among the largest and most complex freshwater ecosystems in
the world, providing water, food and a home to millions of people,
aquatic plants and animals. According to the EPA, the Great Lakes
Legacy Act continues to be a part of a larger strategy to provide a
healthy, natural Great Lakes environment for swimming and fishing as
well as a source of clean water for drinking and industrial uses.
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If you have
any questions concerning these issues, please contact Chris Wagner at
202.772.0924 or cwagner@clarkhill.com.
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To find out
more about Clark Hill and our Government & Public Affairs
Practice Group, visit clarkhill.com
or call 800.949.3124
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