Great Lakes Critical Programs Act of 1990
| Date | Chamber | What was voted on | Result | Yes–No | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 1990 | House · vote #365 | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Passed | 376–37 | See who voted → |
Great Lakes Critical Programs Act of 1990 - Title I: Great Lakes - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish water quality guidance for the Great Lakes System. Directs Great Lakes States to adopt water quality standards, anti-degradation policies, and implementation procedures consistent with such guidance. Requires the Administrator to promulgate standards for States which fail to do so.
Directs the Great Lakes National Program Office to ensure, for each area of concern for which the United States has agreed to draft a Remedial Action Plan, that the Great Lakes State in which the area of concern is located: (1) submits a Remedial Action Plan to the Program Office by June 30, 1991; (2) submits such Plan to the International Joint Commission by January 1, 1992; and (3) includes such Plan within the State's water quality plan by January 1, 1993. Requires the Program Office, for each area of concern for which Canada has agreed to draft a Plan, to work with Canada to assure the submission of such Plans to the International Joint Commission by June 30, 1991, and the finalization of such Plans by January 1, 1993. Sets forth additional submission deadlines for areas designated subsequent to this Act's enactment. Requires the Program Office to compile formal comments made by EPA and the International Joint Commission and make them available to the public.
Directs the Program Office: (1) by January 1, 1992, to publish in the Federal Register a proposed Lakewide Management Plan for Lake Michigan and solicit public comments; (2) by January 1, 1993, to submit such Plan to the International Joint Commission for review; and (3) by January 1, 1993, to publish in the Federal Register a final Plan and begin implementation.
Requires the Program Office to identify areas within the Great Lakes which are likely to experience numerous or voluminous spills of oil or other hazardous materials and identify weaknesses in Federal and State programs to prevent and respond to such spills.
Adds specific due dates for certain tasks under an existing law provision which requires a five-year study and demonstration projects relating to the control and removal of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes.
Requires the Administrator to publish information concerning the public health and environmental consequences of contaminants in Great Lakes sediment.
Directs the Administrator to implement plans for Great Lakes confined disposal facilities. Requires such plans to: (1) identify the anticipated use and management of sites over a 20-year period; and (2) be reviewed at least every five years.
Increases the amount authorized to be appropriated for the Great Lakes Program for FY 1991.
Requires the Program Office to report to the Congress on the adverse effects of water pollutants in the Great Lakes on the health of persons and fish and wildlife. Authorizes appropriations.
Title II: Long Island Sound - Long Island Sound Improvement Act of 1990 - Directs the Administrator to continue the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study and establish an office to be located on or near Long Island Sound. Directs the Office to: (1) assist in the implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound; (2) conduct or commission studies to strengthen such Plan; (3) coordinate grant, research, and planning programs; (4) coordinate activities with other Federal agencies with jurisdiction over the Sound and with marine monitoring and research programs; (5) provide administrative and technical support to the Conference; (6) make available to the public information relating to the environmental quality of the Sound; (7) report biennially to the Congress on the Plan; and (8) convene conferences for State and local legislators to facilitate the environmental restoration of the Sound.
Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to implement the Plan. Limits the amount of grants for citizen involvement and education and the Federal share of grants. Authorizes appropriations.
Title III: Lake Champlain - Lake Champlain Special Designation Act of 1990 - Establishes a Lake Champlain Management Conference to: (1) appoint a Technical Advisory Committee; (2) establish a multi-disciplinary environmental research program for Lake Champlain; and (3) publish a pollution prevention, control, and restoration plan for Lake Champlain. Provides for public comments on the plan. Requires the Administrator to approve the plan if it meets specified requirements and the Governors of New York and Vermont concur.
Authorizes the Administrator to make grants for the development of the plan and for retaining consultants in support of litigation undertaken by New York and Vermont to compel cleanup or obtain damage costs from persons responsible for the pollution of Lake Champlain. Limits the Federal share of such grants.
Authorizes appropriations.
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to designate the Lake Champlain Basin as a special project area under the Agricultural Conservation Program. Increases to ten percent the technical reimbursement from the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service to carry out such project. Directs the Secretary to develop a comprehensive agricultural monitoring and evaluation network for all major drainages within the Basin. Allocates funds to agricultural enterprises located at priority sites to ensure implementation of nonpoint source pollution controls throughout the Basin.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to: (1) implement a fisheries restoration, development, and conservation program; and (2) conduct a wildlife species and habitat assessment survey in the Basin. Authorizes appropriations.
Directs the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the Administrator, and the Governor of New York to convene a management conference for the restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake. Requires the conference to develop a plan that recommends priority corrective actions and compliance schedules for the cleanup of the Lake. Authorizes the Administrator and the Assistant Secretary to make grants for the development of the plan and for retaining consultants in support of litigation undertaken by New York to compel cleanup or obtain damage costs from parties responsible for the pollution of the Lake. Authorizes appropriations.
Became Public Law No: 101-596.