[Senate Report 114-47]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 83
114th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 114-47
======================================================================
GRASSROOTS RURAL AND SMALL COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEMS ASSISTANCE ACT
_______
May 18, 2015.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Inhofe, from the Committee on Environment and Public Works,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 611]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was
referred a bill (S. 611) to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act
to reauthorize technical assistance to small public water
systems, and for other purposes, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that
the bill do pass.
General Statement and Background
S. 611 reauthorizes section 1442(e) of the Safe Drinking
Water Act (SDWA), which was enacted as part of 1996 amendments
to the SDWA. The program provides funding to third-party
organizations that carry out on-site training and technical
assistance for small public water systems to help such systems
achieve and maintain compliance with the SDWA.
The bill provides additional criteria for selecting
organizations to receive funding to ensure that resources are
targeted to the most effective organizations that are most
beneficial for small and rural communities.
The bill reauthorizes the program for $15 million per year
through fiscal year 2020.
Objectives of the Legislation
The Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems
Assistance Act reauthorizes a Safe Drinking Water Act program
to provide technical assistance to small public water systems.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title
This section provides that the Act may be cited as the
``Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance
Act''.
Section 2. Findings
This section establishes findings related to the Safe
Drinking Water Act's technical assistance program.
Section 3. Sense of Congress
This section states that it is the sense of Congress that
the Environmental Protection Agency should prioritize technical
assistance that is most beneficial to communities being served
and that local support is key to successful assistance.
Section 4. Funding Priorities
This section amends section 1442(e) of the Safe Drinking
Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-1(e)).
Paragraph (2) extends the authorization of appropriations
through fiscal year 2020.
Paragraph (3) authorizes the Administrator to provide
grants or cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations to
provide assistance to small public water systems. Preference is
given to organizations that are the most qualified and
experienced in providing training and technical assistance to
small public water systems and that small community water
systems in the State find to be the most beneficial and
effective. It also prohibits the use of funds for litigation
pursuant to section 1449.
Legislative History
S. 611 was introduced by Sen. Wicker along with 15
cosponsors on February 27, 2015. The Committee on Environment
and Public Works met to consider S. 611 on April 29, 2015. The
bill was approved by voice vote.
Hearings
No committee hearings were held on S. 611.
Rollcall Votes
The Committee on Environment and Public Works met to
consider S. 611 on April 29, 2015. The bill was ordered
favorably reported by voice vote. No roll call votes were
taken.
Regulatory Impact Statement
In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee finds that S. 611
does not create any additional regulatory burdens, nor will it
cause any adverse impact on the personal privacy of
individuals.
Mandates Assessment
In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
(Public Law 104-4), the committee notes that the Congressional
Budget Office found that, ``S. 611 contains no
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in
UMRA.''
Cost of Legislation
Section 403 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act requires that a statement of the cost of the
reported bill, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, be
included in the report. That statement follows:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, May 8, 2015.
Hon. Jim Inhofe,
Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 611, the Grassroots
Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Susanne S.
Mehlman.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall.
Enclosure.
S. 611--Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance
Act
Summary: S. 611 would authorize the appropriation of $15
million annually over the 2016-2020 period for the
Environmental Protection Agency's program that provides
technical assistance to small public water systems. The
authorization for this program expired in 2003, but the program
received an appropriation of $13 million for fiscal year 2015.
CBO estimates that implementing S. 611 would cost $67 million
over the next five years, assuming appropriation of the
authorized amounts. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to S.
611 because it would not affect direct spending or revenues.
S. 611 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of S. 611 is shown in the following table. The
costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300
(natural resources and environment).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
-------------------------------------------------------
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016-2020
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Authorization Level..................................... 15 15 15 15 15 75
Estimated Outlays....................................... 8 14 15 15 15 67
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that S.
611 will be enacted by the end of fiscal year 2015, that the
specified amounts will be appropriated in each year starting in
2016, and that outlays will follow historical spending patterns
for the technical assistance program. The legislation would
authorize funding for nonprofit organizations to help small
public water systems achieve and maintain compliance with
national regulations and to support training and engineering
evaluations of those water systems.
Pay-as-You-Go considerations: None.
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 611
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in UMRA. Activities authorized in the bill would assist
public water systems to comply with national standards for
primary drinking water.
Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Susanne S. Mehlman;
Impact on state, local, and tribal governments: Jon Sperl;
Impact on the private sector: Amy Petz.
Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Assistant Director for
Budget Analysis.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill
as reported are shown as follows: Existing law proposed to be
omitted is enclosed in [black brackets], new matter is printed
in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown
in roman:
SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT
* * * * * * *
Sec. 1400. This title may be cited as the `Safe Drinking
Water Act'.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 1442. (a)(1) The Administrator may conduct research,
studies, and demonstrations relating to the causes, diagnosis,
treatment, control, and prevention of physical and mental
diseases and other impairments of man resulting directly or
indirectly from contaminants in water, or to the provision of a
dependably safe supply of drinking water, including--
(A) * * *
* * * * * * *
(e) Technical Assistance--
(1) The Administrator may provide technical
assistance to small public water systems to enable such
systems to achieve and maintain compliance with
applicable national primary drinking water regulations.
(2) Such assistance may include circuit-rider and
multi-State regional technical assistance programs,
training, and preliminary engineering evaluations.
(3) The Administrator shall ensure that technical
assistance pursuant to this subsection is available in
each State.
(4) Each nonprofit organization receiving assistance
under this subsection shall consult with the State in
which the assistance is to be expended or otherwise
made available before using assistance to undertake
activities to carry out this subsection.
(5) There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Administrator to be used for such technical assistance
$15,000,000 for each of the fiscal years [1997 through
2003] 2015 through 2020.
(6) No portion of any State loan fund established
under section 1452 (relating to State loan funds) and
no portion of any funds made available under this
subsection may be used for lobbying expenses.
(7) Of the total amount appropriated under this
subsection, 3 percent shall be used for technical
assistance to public water systems owned or operated by
Indian Tribes.
(8) Nonprofit organizations.--
(A) In general.--The Administrator may use
amounts made available to carry out this
section to provide grants or cooperative
agreements to nonprofit organizations that
provide to small public water systems onsite
technical assistance, circuit-rider technical
assistance programs, multistate, regional
technical assistance programs, onsite and
regional training, assistance with implementing
source water protection plans, and assistance
with implementing monitoring plans, rules,
regulations, and water security enhancements.
(B) Preference.--To ensure that technical
assistance funding is used in a manner that is
most beneficial to the small and rural
communities of a State, the Administrator shall
give preference under this paragraph to
nonprofit organizations that, as determined by
the Administrator, are the most qualified and
experienced in providing training and technical
assistance to small public water systems and
that the small community water systems in that
State find to be the most beneficial and
effective.
(C) Limitation.--No grant or cooperative
agreement provided or otherwise made available
under this section may be used for litigation
pursuant to section 1449.
[all]