congressional_record: CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgE2245-5
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgE2245-5 | 2010-12-22 | 111 | 2 | S. 3481--A BILL TO AMEND THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2245 | E2246 | [{"name": "Eleanor Holmes Norton", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "111", "type": "S", "number": "3481"}, {"congress": "111", "type": "S", "number": "3481"}, {"congress": "111", "type": "HR", "number": "5724"}] | 156 Cong. Rec. E2245 | Congressional Record, Volume 156 Issue 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010) [Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E2245-E2246] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] S. 3481--A BILL TO AMEND THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT ______ HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON of the district of columbia in the house of representatives Wednesday, December 22, 2010 Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 3481 to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which clarifies that the Federal Government, like private citizens and businesses, must take responsibility for the pollution it produces. This bill is the Senate companion to my bill, H.R. 5724, cosponsored by my good friends from Virginia and Arizona, Rep. Jim Moran and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The bill passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support because the Senate understood that this is simply an issue of fairness and equity to users and a matter of managing pollution and protecting the environment, In fact, this bill simply clarifies current law, that the Federal Government has a responsibility to pay its normal and customary fees assessed by local governments for managing polluted stormwater runoff from federal properties, just as private citizens pay. The consequence of failing to pass this bill is that we give the Federal Government a free ride and pass its fees on to our constituents throughout the United States. Section 313 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act states, ``Each department, agency, or instrumentality . . . of the Federal Government . . . shall be subject to, and comply with all Federal, State, interstate, and local requirements . . . in the same manner, and to the same extent as any nongovernmental entity including the payment of reasonable service charges.'' However, the Government Accountability Office issued letters to Federal agencies in the District of Columbia instructing them not to pay the District of Columbia's Water and Sewer Authority's (D.C. Water's) Impervious Area Charge. D.C. Water calculates the charges to manage stormwater runoff based on the amount of impervious land occupied by the landowner. Impervious surfaces, such as roofs, parking lots, sidewalks and other hardened surfaces are the major contributors to stormwater runoff entering the sewer system and local rivers, lakes and streams, causing significant amounts of pollutants to enter these waters. This bill clarifies that in my district and all others congressional districts, Federal agencies must continue to pay their utility fees instead of passing the fees to our constituents. Nothing in this Act was intended to affect the payment by the United States or any department, independent establishment, or agency thereof of any sanitary sewer services furnished by the sanitary sewage works of the District through any connection thereto for direct use by the government of the United States or any department, independent establishment, or agency thereof. The rules for those payments are set forth in law codified at section 34-2112 of the D.C. Code and nothing in this Act amends or otherwise affects those rules. This bill requires that Congress make available, in appropriations acts, the funds that could be used for to pay stormwater management charges, but not that the appropriations act would need to state specifically or expressly that the funds could be used to pay these charges. [[Page E2246]] This bill is supported by the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the International City/County Management Associations, as well as the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. All of these national groups understand that stormwater management fees, without any exceptions, are necessary for managing and reducing water pollution caused by stormwater runoff. Moreover, they understand that many agencies in States and localities may stop paying their water and stormwater management fees if we do not act, putting even more financial burden on residents. Federal law has mandated that these local governments must collect these fees. No exemption has been granted to Federal facilities. Please support S. 3481 to clarify the original intent of the law. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. ____________________ |