Federal Great Lakes and Water Legislation Tracker, 2023-24

Updated as of April 17th, 2023

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Bill #Bill NameDescriptionSponsor (s) Committee (s)Status (location + date)
House




 H.R.1Lower Energy Costs Act This bill provides for the exploration, development, importation, and exportation of energy resources (e.g., oil, gas, and minerals).Rep. Scalise, Steve [R-LA-1]Natural Resources; Energy and Commerce; Agriculture; Transportation and Infrastructure; BudgetIntroduced in House 03/14/2023 Passed/Agreed in House 03/30/2023
H.R.132Protecting Local Communities from Harmful Algal Blooms ActThis bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include algal blooms in the definition of a major disaster.Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16]Transportation and InfrastructureIntroduced in House 01/09/2023
H.R.186Water Supply Permitting Coordination ActN/ARep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5]Natural ResourcesIntroduced in House 01/09/2023
 H.R.210Stamp Out Invasive Species ActThis bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a Combating Invasive Species Semipostal Stamp.Rep. Stefanik, Elise M [R-NY-21]Oversight and Accountability, Natural Resources, AgricultureIntroduced in House 02/21/2023
H.R.250Clean Water SRF Parity ActThis bill expands the state revolving fund established under the Clean Water Act, including by allowing low-interest loans to be given to privately owned treatment works to address wastewater. Currently, loans are given to wastewater systems that are publicly owned.Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8]Transportation and InfrastructureIntroduced in House 01/10/2023
H.R.289Protect Our Water Rights ActTo update requirements for the operation of the Central Valley Project and Klamath River Basin.Rep. LaMalfa, Doug [R-CA-1]Natural Resources
Introduced in House 01/11/2023
H.R.325Harmful Algal Bloom Essential Forecasting ActThis bill requires the Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System to continue to operate during a government shutdown by designating certain services related to the system as excepted services under the Anti-Deficiency Act.Rep. Donalds, Byron [R-FL-19]Science, Space, Technology and Natural ResourcesIntroduced in House 01/12/2023
 H.R.426Lakes Before Turbines ActThis bill eliminates the energy-related tax credit for investment in certain offshore wind facilities after 2022.Rep. Langworthy, Nicholas A [R-NY-23]Ways and MeansIntroduced in House 1/20/2023
H.R.598Earth Act to Stop Climate Pollution By 2030N/ARep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13]Agriculture, Ways and Means, Energy and CommerceIntroduced in House 1/27/2023
 H.R.668Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention ActN/ARep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]Natural ResourcesIntroduced in House 2/21/2023
 H.R.873 Water Quality and Environmental Innovation ActTo authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants and contracts for projects that use emerging technologies to address threats to water quality, and for other purposes.
Rep. Donalds, Byron [R-FL-19]Transportation and Infrastructure, Energy and Commerce Science, Space, and TechnologyIntroduced in House 02/02/2023
H.R.1407Financing Lead Out of Water Act of 2022This bill allows the issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds to finance the replacement of any privately-owned portion of a lead service line in a public water system. Specifically, the bill provides that the use of proceeds from such bonds for replacement of a lead service line does not constitute private business use.Rep. Kildee, Daniel T [D-MI-8]Ways and MeansIntroduced in House 03/07/2023
 H.R.1152Water Quality Certification and Energy Project Improvement Act od 2023To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make changes with respect to water quality certification, and for other purposes.Rep. Rouzer, David [R-NC-7]Transportation and InfrastructureIntroduced in House 02/24/2023
 H.R.1367Water System Threat Preparedness and Resilience ActTo establish a program to increase drinking water and wastewater system threat preparedness and resilience, and for other purposes.
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]Transportation and Infrastructure; Energy and CommerceIntroduced in House 03/03/2023
H.R.1444Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act of 2023To amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to provide for the consideration of climate change, and for other purposes.Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure Introduced in House 03/08/2023
H.R.1593Land and Water Conservation Fund Water Amendments Act of 2023To amend title 54, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make financial assistance to States under the Land and Water Conservation Fund available for water quality projects, and for other purposes.Rep. Mast, Brian J. [R-Fl-21]Natural ResourcesIntroduced in House 03/14/2023
 H.R.1729Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2023N/ARep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]Transportation and Infrastructure; Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Agriculture; Natural Resources; Education and the WorkforceIntroduced in House 03/22/2023
  H.R.2521Clean Drinking Water Equity ActN/ARep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25]Energy and CommerceIntroduced in House 04/06/2023
H.J.Res.27Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States'”This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Revised Definition of “Waters of the United States,” which was submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency on January 18, 2023. The rule specifies which bodies of water fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act and are thereby under federal jurisdiction. The 2023 rule replaced a 2020 rule that included a narrower definition of waters of the United StatesRep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6]Transportation and InfrastructureIntroduced in House 02/02/2023
 H.Res.243 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President and the Secretary of State should ensure that the Government of Canada does not permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin.N/ARep. Kildee, Daniel T. [D-MI-8]Foreign AffairsIntroduced in House 03/22/2023
Senate




S.64Water Rights Protection Act of 2023This bill prohibits the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture from conditioning the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit or other land use or occupancy agreement (permit) on the transfer of any water right to the United States or on any impairment of title granted or otherwise recognized under state law by federal or state action.
Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]Energy and Natural ResourcesIntroduced in Senate 01/25/2023
 S.115 Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act of 2023To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to modify certain allotments under that Act, and for other purposes.Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]Environment and Public WorksIntroduced in Senate 01/26/2023
S.660Water System Threat Preparedness and Resilience ActTo establish a program to increase drinking water and wastewater system threat preparedness and resilience, and for other purposes.Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]Environment and Public WorksIntroduced in Senate 03/06/2023
 S.726Financing Lead Out of Water Act of 2023This bill allows the issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds to finance the replacement of any privately-owned portion of a lead service line in a public water system. Specifically, the bill provides that the use of proceeds from such bonds for replacement of a lead service line does not constitute private business use.Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]FinanceIntroduced in Senate 03/09/2023
S.798A bill to amend title 54, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make financial assistance to States under the Land and Water Conservation Fund available for water quality projects, and for other purposes.N/ASen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]Energy and Natural ResourcesIntroduced in Senate 03/14/2023
S.J.Res.7A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States'”.
This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Revised Definition of “Waters of the United States,” which was submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency on January 18, 2023. The rule specifies which bodies of water fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act and are thereby under federal jurisdiction. The 2023 rule replaced a 2020 rule that included a narrower definition of waters of the United States.Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]Environment and Public WorksIntroduced in Senate 02/02/2023
 S.Res.117A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President and the Secretary of State should ensure that the Government of Canada does not permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin.Expressing the sense of the Senate that the President and the Secretary of State should ensure that the Government of Canada does not permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin.Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]Foreign RelationsIntroduced in Senate 03/22/2023

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