§1273 — Title 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters | U.S. Code

Summary

The EPA must create the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program. The program must restore the Basin’s ecological health by funding restoration projects, scientific work, and public education. The EPA must give administrative and technical help to the Basin’s management conference, help put the conference’s recommendations into action, support monitoring and research, make a research plan, coordinate grants and planning, share information the conference approves with the public, and review and update the Basin’s conservation plan at least every 5 years, beginning on December 23, 2022. The Basin means the 10,000‑square‑mile watershed that includes 16 parishes in Louisiana and 4 counties in Mississippi. The EPA can pay up to 75% of costs for projects and education recommended in the approved plan. Congress authorized $20,000,000 for each fiscal year 2001–2012, and for 2013–2017 the funding equals whatever was appropriated for fiscal year 2009; the money stays available until spent. No more than 15% of yearly funds may go to public education grants, and no more than 5% may pay administrative costs.

Title 33, §1273

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator shall establish within the Environmental Protection Agency the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program.

(b)The purpose of the program shall be to restore the ecological health of the Basin by developing and funding restoration projects and related scientific and public education projects.

(c)In carrying out the program, the Administrator shall—

(1)provide administrative and technical assistance to a management conference convened for the Basin under section 1330 of this title;

(2)assist and support the activities of the management conference, including the implementation of recommendations of the management conference;

(3)support environmental monitoring of the Basin and research to provide necessary technical and scientific information;

(4)develop a comprehensive research plan to address the technical needs of the program;

(5)coordinate the grant, research, and planning programs authorized under this section;

(6)collect and make available to the public publications, and other forms of information the management conference determines to be appropriate, relating to the environmental quality of the Basin; and

(7)ensure that the comprehensive conservation and management plan approved for the Basin under section 1330 of this title is reviewed and revised in accordance with section 1330 of this title not less often than once every 5 years, beginning on December 23, 2022.

(d)The Administrator may make grants to pay not more than 75 percent of the costs—

(1)for restoration projects and studies identified in the comprehensive conservation and management plan approved for the Basin under section 1330 of this title; and

(2)for public education projects recommended by the management conference.

(e)In this section, the following definitions apply:

(1)The term “Basin” means the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, a 10,000 square mile watershed encompassing 16 parishes in the State of Louisiana and 4 counties in the State of Mississippi.

(2)The term “program” means the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program established under subsection (a).

(f)(1)There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2012 and the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2009 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017. Such sums shall remain available until expended.

(2)Not more than 15 percent of the amount appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) in a fiscal year may be expended on grants for public education projects under subsection (d)(2).

(3)Not more than 5 percent of the amounts appropriated to carry out this section may be used for administrative expenses.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Another section 121 of act June 30, 1948, was renumbered section 122 and is classified to section 1274 of this title.

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (c)(7). Pub. L. 117–263, § 8501(c)(1)(A), added par. (7). Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 117–263, § 8501(c)(1)(B), substituted “identified in the comprehensive conservation and management plan approved for the Basin under section 1330 of this title” for “recommended by a management conference convened for the Basin under section 1330 of this title”. Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 117–263, § 8501(c)(2), substituted “10,000 square mile” for “5,000 square mile”. Subsec. (f)(3). Pub. L. 117–263, § 8501(c)(3), added par (3). 2012—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 112–237, § 1(1), inserted “to pay not more than 75 percent of the costs” after “make grants” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 112–237, § 1(2), substituted “2012 and the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2009 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017” for “2011”. 2006—Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 109–392 substituted “2011” for “2005”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Management Conference Pub. L. 110–114, title V, § 5084, Nov. 8, 2007, 121 Stat. 1228, provided that: “For purposes of carrying out section 121 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1273), the Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, basin stakeholders conference convened by the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and United States Geological Survey on February 25, 2002, shall be treated as being a management conference convened under section 320 of such Act (33 U.S.C. 1330).”

§1273 Lake Pontchartrain Basin