Small and Rural Community Clean Water Technical Assistance Act

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 518 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 518

    To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide for
            technical assistance for small treatment works.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 2, 2017

 Mr. Wicker (for himself, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Barrasso, Mr.
Crapo, Mr. Franken, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Risch,
 Mr. Schatz, and Mr. Tester) introduced the following bill; which was
  read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public
                                 Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide for
            technical assistance for small treatment works.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Small and Rural Community Clean
Water Technical Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL TREATMENT WORKS.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control
Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:

``SEC. 222. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL TREATMENT WORKS.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Qualified nonprofit small treatment works technical
        assistance provider.--The term `qualified nonprofit small
        treatment works technical assistance provider' means a
        nonprofit organization that, as determined by the
        Administrator--
                    ``(A) is qualified and experienced in providing
                training and technical assistance to small treatment
                works; and
                    ``(B) the small treatment works in the State finds
                to be the most beneficial and effective.
            ``(2) Small treatment works.--The term `small treatment
        works' means a publicly owned treatment works serving not more
        than 10,000 individuals.
    ``(b) Technical Assistance.--The Administrator may use amounts made
available to carry out this section to provide grants or cooperative
agreements to qualified nonprofit small treatment works technical
assistance providers to provide to owners and operators of small
treatment works onsite technical assistance, circuit rider technical
assistance programs, multi-State, regional technical assistance
programs, and onsite and regional training, to assist the small
treatment works in achieving compliance with this Act or obtaining
financing under this Act for eligible projects.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section for grants for small treatment
works technical assistance, $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018
through 2022.''.
    (b) Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Section 603 of the Federal Water Pollution
        Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (d)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1),
                        by inserting ``and as provided in subsection
                        (e)'' after ``State law'';
                            (ii) by redesignating subsections (e)
                        through (i) as subsections (f) through (j),
                        respectively; and
                            (iii) by inserting after subsection (d) the
                        following:
    ``(e) Additional Use of Funds.--A State may use an additional 2
percent of the funds annually allotted to the State under this section
for qualified nonprofit small treatment works technical assistance
providers (as the term is defined in section 222) to provide technical
assistance to small treatment works (as the term is defined in section
222) in the State.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 221(d) of the Federal
        Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1301(d)) is amended by
        striking ``section 603(h)'' and inserting ``section 603(i)''.
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