1997 U.S. Code
Title 33 - NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS
CHAPTER 26 - WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL
SUBCHAPTER I - RESEARCH AND RELATED PROGRAMS
Sec. 1267 - Chesapeake Bay

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§1267. Chesapeake Bay (a) Office

The Administrator shall continue the Chesapeake Bay Program and shall establish and maintain in the Environmental Protection Agency an office, division, or branch of Chesapeake Bay Programs to—

(1) collect and make available, through publications and other appropriate means, information pertaining to the environmental quality of the Chesapeake Bay (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as the “Bay”);

(2) coordinate Federal and State efforts to improve the water quality of the Bay;

(3) determine the impact of sediment deposition in the Bay and identify the sources, rates, routes, and distribution patterns of such sediment deposition; and

(4) determine the impact of natural and man-induced environmental changes on the living resources of the Bay and the relationships among such changes, with particular emphasis placed on the impact of pollutant loadings of nutrients, chlorine, acid precipitation, dissolved oxygen, and toxic pollutants, including organic chemicals and heavy metals, and with special attention given to the impact of such changes on striped bass.

(b) Interstate development plan grants (1) Authority

The Administrator shall, at the request of the Governor of a State affected by the interstate management plan developed pursuant to the Chesapeake Bay Program (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “plan”), make a grant for the purpose of implementing the management mechanisms contained in the plan if such State has, within 1 year after February 4, 1987, approved and committed to implement all or substantially all aspects of the plan. Such grants shall be made subject to such terms and conditions as the Administrator considers appropriate.

(2) Submission of proposal

A State or combination of States may elect to avail itself of the benefits of this subsection by submitting to the Administrator a comprehensive proposal to implement management mechanisms contained in the plan which shall include (A) a description of proposed abatement actions which the State or combination of States commits to take within a specified time period to reduce pollution in the Bay and to meet applicable water quality standards, and (B) the estimated cost of the abatement actions proposed to be taken during the next fiscal year. If the Administrator finds that such proposal is consistent with the national policies set forth in section 1251(a) of this title and will contribute to the achievement of the national goals set forth in such section, the Administrator shall approve such proposal and shall finance the costs of implementing segments of such proposal.

(3) Federal share

Grants under this subsection shall not exceed 50 percent of the costs of implementing the management mechanisms contained in the plan in any fiscal year and shall be made on condition that non-Federal sources provide the remainder of the cost of implementing the management mechanisms contained in the plan during such fiscal year.

(4) Administrative costs

Administrative costs in the form of salaries, overhead, or indirect costs for services provided and charged against programs or projects supported by funds made available under this subsection shall not exceed in any one fiscal year 10 percent of the annual Federal grant made to a State under this subsection.

(c) Reports

Any State or combination of States that receives a grant under subsection (b) of this section shall, within 18 months after the date of receipt of such grant and biennially thereafter, report to the Administrator on the progress made in implementing the interstate management plan developed pursuant to the Chesapeake Bay Program. The Administrator shall transmit each such report along with the comments of the Administrator on such report to Congress.

(d) Authorization of appropriations

There are hereby authorized to be appropriated the following sums, to remain available until expended, to carry out the purposes of this section:

(1) ,000,000 per fiscal year for each of the fiscal years 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990, to carry out subsection (a) of this section; and

(2) ,000,000 per fiscal year for each of the fiscal years 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990, for grants to States under subsection (b) of this section.

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title I, §117, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title I, §103, Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 10.)