February 05, 2020

House Passes Bipartisan Bills from Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Sending Them to the Senate

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed six bills from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, including bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program, and support restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

“The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has a long history of bipartisanship and I’m glad to see that pay off today with the unanimous House passage of six critical pieces of legislation,” Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) said. “In particular, I applaud Congressman Malinowski for his leadership on the Protect and Restore America's Estuaries Act. This important legislation authorizes funding for estuary restoration across the country including the Lower Columbia Estuary in my home state of Oregon. In addition, the other bills passed today will help restore and revitalize regional water bodies across the country. I am thankful to Ranking Member Graves and Members of the Committee for their partnership as we all work to improve these significant and diverse ecosystems.”

“These bipartisan measures will help improve water quality for economically vital watersheds across the country, and I want to thank the bills’ many cosponsors and Transportation Committee leaders for working to move these bills forward,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO).

"These bipartisan solutions will revitalize some of our nation's most important bodies of water, which are critically important to local economies, water supplies, and our ecosystem as a whole. Managing and protecting our precious water resources is not a challenge unique to my home state of California, but one that many states are dealing with in different ways. These measures will provide the tools and assistance needed to meet the diverse needs of these regional watersheds. I am proud to chair the Subcommittee of jurisdiction over these environmental restoration programs and initiatives, and I look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan manner to tackle the water challenges facing all of our communities," said Water Resources and Environment Chair Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA).

“The programs these bills impact affect areas across the entire country, and they’re important in upholding America’s reputation of having some of the cleanest water and environment in the world. The National Estuary Program provides vital support for watersheds and estuaries around the country, and I look forward to passing even more significant bipartisan legislation out of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee,” said Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR).

H.R. 4044, Protect and Restore America's Estuaries Act, as amended

H.R. 4044, introduced by Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), and Garret Graves (R-LA), reauthorizes EPA’s National Estuary Program at $50 million per year from 2022-2026 to be distributed evenly across each of the 28 estuaries within the program.

H.R. 1132, San Francisco Bay Restoration Act, as amended

H.R. 1132, introduced by Reps. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Barbara Lee (D-CA), establishes a new regional program within EPA to support restoration efforts in the San Francisco Bay, and authorizes $25 million annually for the next five years.

H.R. 2247, PUGET SOS Act, as amended

H.R. 2247, introduced by Reps. Denny Heck (D-WA) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA), establishes a new regional program within EPA to support restoration efforts in the Puget Sound, and authorizes $50 million annually in Federal appropriations over the next five years for restoration activities.

H.R. 1620, Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act, as amended

H.R. 1620, introduced by Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Robert Wittman (R-VA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), and John Sarbanes (D-MD), reauthorizes Federal appropriations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program with funding increases over the next five years.

H.R. 4031, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019

H.R. 4031, introduced by Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) and 39 other Members in the Great Lakes Region, reauthorizes EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with total appropriations of approximately $2.2 billion for the fiscal years 2022-2026.

H.R. 4275, To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program, and for other purposes, as amended

H.R. 4275, introduced by Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Cedric Richmond (D-LA), reauthorizes EPA’s Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program for fiscal years 2021 through 2025, continuing the previous Federal authorization of $20 million annually.