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“THE WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT OF 1984 AMENDMENT ACT OF 1996” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Senate section on pages S4685-S4686 on May 3, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT OF 1984 AMENDMENT ACT OF 1996
The Senate proceeded to consider the bill (H.R. 1743) to amend the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to extend the authorizations of appropriations through fiscal year 2000, and for other purposes, which had been reported from the Committee on Environment and Public Works, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Section 102 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10301) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, productivity of natural resources and agricultural systems,'' after
``environmental quality'';
(2) in paragraph (6), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(3) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(8) long-term planning and policy development are essential to ensure the availability of an abundant supply of high quality water for domestic and other use; and
``(9) the States must have the research and problem-solving capacity necessary to effectively manage their water resources.''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
Section 103 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10302) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (5)--
(A) by striking ``to''; and
(B) by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(7) encourage long-term planning and research to meet future water management, quality, and supply challenges.''. SEC. 3. GRANTS; MATCHING FUNDS.
Section 104(c) of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984
(42 U.S.C. 10303(c)) is amended by striking ``one non-Federal dollar'' and all that follows through ``thereafter'' and inserting ``2 non-Federal dollars for every 1 Federal dollar''.
SEC. 4. GENERAL AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 104(f)(1) of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10303(f)(1)) is amended by striking ``of
$10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years ending September 30, 1989, through September 30, 1995,'' and inserting ``of
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1997 and 1998, and $9,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1999 and 2000''.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR RESEARCH FOCUSED
ON WATER PROBLEMS OF INTERSTATE NATURE.
The first sentence of section 104(f)(1) of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10303(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``of $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995'' and inserting ``of
$3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1996 through 2000''.
SEC. 6. COORDINATION.
Section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10303) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(h) Coordination.--
``(1) In general.--To carry out this Act, the Secretary--
``(A) shall encourage other Federal departments, agencies
(including agencies within the Department of the Interior), and instrumentalities to use and take advantage of the expertise and capabilities that are available through the institutes established by this section, on a cooperative or other basis;
``(B) shall encourage cooperation and coordination with other Federal programs concerned with water resources problems and issues;
``(C) may enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other transactions without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statues (41 U.S.C. 5);
``(D) may accept funds from other Federal departments, agencies (including agencies within the Department of the Interior), and instrumentalities to pay for and add to grants made, and contracts entered into, by the Secretary;
``(E) may promulgate such regulations as the Secretary considers appropriate; and
``(F) may support a program of internships for qualified individuals at the undergraduate and graduate levels to carry out the educational and training objectives of this Act.
``(2) Report.--The Secretary shall report to Congress annually on coordination efforts with other Federal departments, agencies, and instrumentalities under paragraph
(1).
``(3) Relationship to state rights.--Nothing in this Act shall preempt the rights and authorities of any State with respect to its water resources or management of those resources.''.
The committee amendment was agreed to.
The bill (H.R. 1743) was deemed read the third time and passed.
Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, today the Senate considers H.R. 1743, a bill to reauthorize the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended. This legislation was adopted unanimously by the House of Representatives on October 17, 1995. With the strong support of Senators Kempthorne, Thomas, and Reid, the Committee on Environment and Public Works approved the measure with an amendment on March 28 of this year.
The legislation, which enjoys broad bipartisan support, extends the authorization for the State Water Resources Research Institutes for 5 years. Fifty-four of these institutes have been established at land grant universities in each of the 50 States, Washington, DC, and 3 of the territories.
These institutes are a primary link between the academic community, the water-related research and regulatory personnel in our State and Federal agencies, and various interests in the private sector. The institutes provide a mechanism for promoting State, regional, and national coordination of water resources research and training. They also serve as a network to facilitate research coordination and information transfer. Their programs are coordinated with the general guidance of the Secretary of the Interior.
Mr. President, this is a popular program because research from the water institutes is often directed at finding solutions to particular water problems at the local or regional level. Research results from the program are often applied to real-world problems in water management. In my own State, the University of Rhode Island's Water Resources Center has used this program to further ground water resources management and protection, wetlands preservation, and the understanding of the effects of air pollutant deposition on lakes and streams.
Nationally, this program is designed to address water resource management problems such as: the abundance and quality of water supplies, the sources of water contaminants and methods of remediation, and the training of research scientists, engineers, and technicians. In addition to continuing the general authority for the institutes, this bill extends authorization for the awarding of funds for research projects.
Mr. President, let me conclude by explaining the authorization of appropriations made in this bill. The 1984 act authorized $10 million annually to cover all general water resources research for the institutes. H.R. 1743, as approved by the House and reported by the committee, authorizes the institutional grants program at lower levels. Beginning with fiscal year 1996, $5 million is authorized. For fiscal years 1997 and 1998, $7 million is authorized. For fiscal years 1999 and 2000, $9 million is authorized. This provides the institutional grant program with a 5-year authorization total of $37 million.
Finally, the Committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously adopted an amendment offered by Senator Thomas to add funding for research focused exclusively on water problems of an interstate nature. For interstate research, the bill authorizes $3million for each of the fiscal years 1996 through 2000, for a total of $15 million.
Mr. President, the Water Resources Research Program authorized by H.R. 1743 is a cost-effective program. Costs of operating the program are shared with non-Federal interests. The program provides valuable research that is useful to State and local water managers throughout the Nation. This program has given us years of valuable service and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1743.
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