Bill > S1024

This bill, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2016, amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly known as the Clean Water Act, to authorize the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for fiscal years 2016 through 2020, with a later amendment extending this authorization to fiscal years 2017 through 2021 and increasing the authorized funding to $300,000,000 annually. The Initiative is tasked with prioritizing and carrying out programs and projects aimed at protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, focusing on areas such as cleaning up toxic substances and "areas of concern" (specific locations with significant environmental damage), preventing and controlling invasive species, improving the health of nearshore waters and mitigating "nonpoint source pollution" (pollution from diffuse sources like agricultural runoff), and restoring habitats and wildlife. Importantly, funds from this initiative cannot be used for general water infrastructure projects that are already funded through state revolving loan programs, though green infrastructure projects that benefit Great Lakes ecosystems are permitted. The bill also requires federal agencies to maintain their existing funding levels for Great Lakes activities and identify new ways to support the Initiative's environmental goals.