[Senate Report 110-476]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 1037
110th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 110-476
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RURAL ALASKA NATIVE VILLAGE WATER AND SEWER BILL
_______
September 22 (legislative day, September 17), 2008.--Ordered to be
printed
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Mrs. Boxer, from the Committee on Environment and Public Works,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 199]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was
referred a bill (S. 199) to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act
Amendments of 1996 to modify the grant program to improve
sanitation in rural and Native villages in the State of Alaska,
reports favorably thereon and recommends the bill do pass.
Purposes of the Legislation
S. 199 modifies, increases, and extends the existing grant
program under the Safe Drinking Water Amendments Act of 1996 to
help improve sanitation and water quality in rural and Native
American villages in Alaska.
General Statement and Background
In rural communities in Alaska, particularly in Native
American villages, as many as one third of homes do not have
indoor plumbing. To help address this critical public health
and environmental problem, the Safe Drinking Water Amendments
Act of 1996 included a grant program to build public water and
wastewater systems to improve public health and sanitation in
rural and Native villages in Alaska. This program has been
successful over the years in helping to provide plumbing,
sewers and other infrastructure.
S. 199 increases and extends the authorization of
appropriations for grants to Alaska through FY 2010 to help
build this important infrastructure. It also requires the state
of Alaska to report to the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency annually on project goals and expenditures
for the grant program. The bill directs the Administrator to
require Alaska to correct any deficiencies identified in the
report, and prohibits expenditures for projects for which any
such deficiencies are not corrected by an agreed upon deadline.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Grants to Alaska to improve sanitation in rural and Native
villages
Section 1 requires each applicant for grants under the Safe
Drinking Water Act grant program to clearly identify the scope
and the goal of the project for which funding is sought and how
the funds will be used to meet the specific, stated goal of the
project; requires the State of Alaska to submit an annual
report to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency describing: (1) the specific goals of each project, (2)
how funds were used to meet the goal, and (3) whether the goals
were met; requires the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency to require the State of Alaska to correct any
deficiencies identified in any annual report; prohibits
additional expenditures for that project if a deficiency in a
project included in a report under subsection (f) is not
corrected within a period of time agreed to by the
Administrator and the State of Alaska; increases authorization
for appropriations to $42,000,000 and extends that
authorization to 2010.
Legislative History
S. 199 was introduced by Senator Murkowski of Alaska on
January 8, 2007. The bill was read twice and referred to the
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The Committee
met on July 31, 2008, when S. 199 was ordered favorably
reported without amendment by voice vote.
Roll Call Votes
There were no roll call votes on the bill. The Committee
met on July 31, 2008, when S. 199 was ordered favorably
reported without amendment by voice vote.
Regulatory Impact Statement
In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes evaluation of
the regulatory impact of the reported bill. The Committee finds
that as legislation modifying and expanding a grant program,
the bill would not impose additional regulatory burdens.
Mandates Assessment
In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
(Pub. L. 104-4), the Committee finds that, in accordance with
the conclusions of the Congressional Budget Office, S. 199
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would
impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
Congressional Budget Office Estimate
S. 199--A bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996
to modify the grant program to improve sanitation in rural and
native villages in the state of Alaska
Summary: S. 199 would modify and extend the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA's) grant program to improve sanitation
in rural and native villages in Alaska. Under this bill, grants
to the state of Alaska would be contingent on new performance
standards, including state actions to ensure that applicants
identify the scope and goals of proposed projects and explain
how funding would be used to achieve those goals. This
legislation also would authorize the appropriation of $42
million for each of fiscal years 2009 and 2010 for EPA to
provide grants to the state of Alaska. Assuming appropriation
of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that implementing S.
199 would cost $84 million over the 2009-2013 period. Enacting
S. 199 would not affect direct spending or revenues.
S. 199 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of S. 199 is shown in the following table. The
costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300
(natural resources and environment). For this estimate, CBO
assumes that S. 199 will be enacted near the start of fiscal
year 2009 and that the amounts authorized by the bill will be
appropriated each year. Estimated outlays are based on
historical spending patterns for similar programs.
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By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
--------------------------------------------------
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2009-2013
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CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Grants to Improve Sanitation in Rural and Native Villages in
Alaska:
Authorization Level...................................... 42 42 0 0 0 84
Estimated Outlays........................................ 17 34 22 8 3 84
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Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 199
contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in UMRA. The
bill would extend an existing grant program for the state of
Alaska to improve public water systems in rural and native
villages. Any costs state, local, or tribal governments might
incur, including matching funds, would result from complying
with conditions of aid.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Susanne S. Mehlman.
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Neil Hood.
Impact on the Private Sector: Amy Petz.
Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy 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:
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SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1996
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SEC. 303. GRANTS TO ALASKA TO IMPROVE SANITATION IN RURAL AND NATIVE
VILLAGES.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency may make grants to the State of Alaska for
the benefit of rural and Native villages in Alaska to pay the
Federal share of the cost of--
(1) the development and construction of public water
systems and wastewater systems to improve the health
and sanitation conditions in the villages; and
(2) training, technical assistance, and educational
programs relating to the operation and management of
sanitation services in rural and Native villages.
(b) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of the
activities described in subsection (a) shall be 50 percent.
(c) Administrative Expenses.--The State of Alaska may use an
amount not to exceed 4 percent of any grant made available
under this subsection for administrative expenses necessary to
carry out the activities described in subsection (a).
(d) Consultation With the State of Alaska.--The Administrator
shall consult with the State of Alaska on a method of
prioritizing the allocation of grants under subsection (a)
according to the needs of, and relative health and sanitation
conditions in, each eligible village.
(e) Requirements.--As a condition of receiving a grant under
this section, the State of Alaska shall--
(1) require each applicant to clearly identify the
scope and the goal of the project for which funding is
sought and how the funds will be used to meet the
specific, stated goal of the project;
(2) establish long-term goals for the program,
including providing water and sewer systems to Alaska
Native villages; and
(3) carry out regular reviews of grantees to
determine if the stated scope and goals of each grant
are being met.
(f) Reporting.--Not later than December 31 of the calendar
year following the fiscal year in which this subsection is
enacted, and annually thereafter, the State of Alaska shall
submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency a report describing the information obtained under
subsection (e) during the fiscal year ending the preceding
September 30, including--
(1) the specific goals of each project;
(2) how funds were used to meet the goal; and
(3) whether the goals were met.
(g) Review.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency shall require the State
of Alaska to correct any deficiencies identified in a
report under subsection (f).
(2) Failure to correct or reach agreement.--
(A) In general.--If a deficiency in a project
included in a report under subsection (f) is
not corrected within a period of time agreed to
by the Administrator and the State of Alaska,
the Administrator shall not permit additional
expenditures for that project.
(B) Time agreement.--
(i) In general.--Not later than 180
days after the date of submission to
the Administrator of a report under
subsection (f), the Administrator and
the State of Alaska shall reach an
agreement on a period of time referred
to in subparagraph (A).
(ii) Failure to reach agreement.--If
the State of Alaska and the
Administrator fail to reach an
agreement on the period of time to
correct a deficiency in a project
included in a report under subsection
(f) by the deadline specified in clause
(i), the Administrator shall not permit
additional expenditures for that
project.
[(e)](h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
[$40,000,000] $42,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through
[2005]2010.
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