33 U.S.C. § 1275 — Columbia River Basin Restoration

(a)(1) “Columbia River Basin” means the entire United States part of the Columbia River watershed. (2) “Estuary Partnership” means the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership created by Oregon, Washington, and the Environmental Protection Agency under section 1330. (3) “Estuary Plan” means the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Governors of Oregon and Washington on October 20, 1999, under section 1330, including amendments. (4) “Lower Columbia River Estuary” means the main Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to the Pacific Ocean^* and tidally influenced tributary portions in that region. (5) “Middle and Upper Columbia River Basin” means the United States part of the Columbia River Basin above Bonneville Dam. (6) “Program” means the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program established under subsection (b)(1)(A).
(b)(1)(A) The Administrator must establish the Program within the Environmental Protection Agency. (B)(i) Establishing it does not change any legal or regulatory authority or program in effect on December 16, 2016, including Federal-agency roles in the Basin. (ii) This section creates no new regulatory authority. (2) The Program is a collaborative, stakeholder-based program for environmental protection and restoration throughout the Basin. (3) The Administrator must assess water-quality trends, including trends affecting water uses; collect, describe, and assess water-quality data to identify possible environmental causes; and provide grants under subsection (d) for projects that eliminate or reduce pollution^*, clean contaminated sites, improve water quality, monitor trends, reduce runoff, protect habitat, or promote public participation or knowledge.
(c)(1) The Administrator must establish a Columbia River Basin Restoration Working Group, called the “Working Group.” (2)(A) Membership is voluntary, and an invited person^* may decline. (B) At minimum, the Administrator must invite representatives of each State^* partly or wholly in the Basin; those States' Governors; each federally recognized Indian tribe in the Basin; Basin local governments; industries affecting or potentially affecting water quality; electric, water, and wastewater utilities; private landowners; soil and water conservation districts; nongovernmental organizations present in the Basin; the Basin's general public; and the Estuary Partnership. (3) The Working Group must include representatives from each such State and from the lower, middle, and upper Basin. (4) It must recommend and prioritize projects and actions and review their progress and effectiveness. (5)(A) While the Estuary Partnership is the management conference for the Lower Columbia River National Estuary Program under section 1330, it performs those Working Group duties for the Lower Columbia River Estuary. (B) If it stops being that management conference, the Administrator may designate the new conference to perform those duties. (C) If the Partnership is removed from the National Estuary Program, the duties for the lower 146 miles of the Columbia River become Working Group duties.
(d)(1) The Administrator must establish a voluntary, competitive grant program for State and tribal governments, regional water-pollution-control agencies and entities, local governments, nongovernmental entities, and soil and water conservation districts to develop or carry out authorized environmental protection and restoration projects throughout the Basin. (2)(A) Unless (B) applies, Federal funds may cover no more than 75 percent of project or activity cost, and the non-Federal share must come from non-Federal sources. (B) A tribal government may use Federal funds for its non-Federal share, and the Administrator may increase the Federal share when the Administrator considers it appropriate. (3) Of appropriated funds, the Administrator must use at least 25 percent for the Lower Columbia River Estuary; at least 25 percent for the Middle and Upper Basin, including the Snake River Basin; and no more than 5 percent for EPA implementation. (4) Each recipient must report progress to the Administrator. The Administrator sets reporting requirements and deadlines. (5) This subsection does not limit the Partnership's eligibility for section 1330(g) funding. These funds may not administer a section 1330 management conference. (6) Congress authorizes $30,000,000 for each fiscal year 2020 and 2021.
(e) In the President's annual budget submission under section 1105(a) of title 31, the President must provide information about each Federal agency involved in Basin protection and restoration, including an interagency crosscut budget showing for each agency: (1) amounts obligated in the preceding fiscal year; (2) the estimated current-year budget; and (3) the proposed budget for related Basin projects, programs, and studies.