To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to San Francisco Bay restoration, and for other purposes.
This bill seeks to modify the San Francisco Bay Restoration Program within the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. It changes how funding for SF Bay restoration projects can be awarded, broadening eligible funding mechanisms beyond traditional grants and allowing interagency agreements, contracts, and other modes, to a wide range of recipients (federal, state, local, special districts, public or nonprofit entities, private organizations, and including the Estuary Partnership). It also establishes financial conditions for non-federal funding: non-federal entities may provide at least 25% of project costs, while federal funds may cover up to 75% of total project costs. Additionally, it places restrictions on non-federal recipients tied to foreign countries of concern (as defined elsewhere in law) and directs funding to projects on an annual priority list. The bill renames the section heading related to the program and clarifies that interagency funding is permissible. In short, the bill formalizes a multi-mechanism funding approach for SF Bay restoration, enforces a 25% non-federal cost share, caps federal support for non-federal entities at 75%, and adds safeguards against funding recipients with foreign ties.
Key Points
- 1Expands funding mechanisms: The Director may fund projects through cooperative agreements, grants, interagency agreements, contracts, or other funding methods to a broad set of recipients, including the Estuary Partnership, for projects on the annual priority list.
- 2Non-federal cost share: For any non-Federal recipient, federal funding cannot exceed 75% of total project costs, meaning at least 25% must come from non-Federal sources.
- 3Eligibility constraints: No non-Federal recipient may receive funding if they are domiciled in, headquartered in, organized under, or primarily located in a foreign country of concern, or if they have any agreement or relationship with such a country.
- 4Interagency funding allowed: Federal agencies can fund activities via interagency agreements to carry out the program’s purposes.
- 5Title and scope tweaks: The section heading related to the SF Bay restoration program is changed, and the implementation details are updated to align with the broader funding approach and the annual priority list process; includes the Estuary Partnership among eligible recipients.