great lakes action schedules

great lakes action schedules Sec. 101. Section 118 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1268) is amended by inserting immediately after subsection (c)(1) the following new paragraphs, and by renumbering the existing paragraphs accordingly: “(2) Great lakes water quality guidance.— “(A) By June 30, 1991, the Administrator, after consultation with the Program Office, shall publish in the Federal Register for public notice and comment proposed water quality guidance for the Great Lakes System. Such guidance shall conform with the objectives and provisions of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, shall be no less restrictive than the provisions of this Act and national water quality criteria and guidance, shall specify numerical limits on pollutants in ambient Great Lakes waters to protect human health, aquatic life, and wildlife, and shall provide guidance to the Great Lakes States on minimum water quality standards, antidegradation policies, and implementation procedures for the Great Lakes System. “(B) By June 30, 1992, the Administrator, in consultation with the Program Office, shall publish in the Federal Register, pursuant to this section and the Administrator’s authority under this chapter, final water quality guidance for the Great Lakes System. “(C) Within two years after such Great Lakes guidance is published, the Great Lakes States shall adopt water quality standards, antidegradation policies, and implementation procedures for waters within the Great Lakes System which are consistent with such guidance. If a Great Lakes State fails to adopt such standards, policies, and procedures, the Administrator shall promulgate them not later than the end of such two-year period. When reviewing any Great Lakes State’s water quality plan, the agency shall consider the extent to which the State has complied with the Great Lakes guidance issued pursuant to this section. 104 STAT. 3001 “(3) Remedial action plans.— “(A) For each area of concern for which the United States has agreed to draft a Remedial Action Plan, the Program Office shall ensure that the Great Lakes State in which such area of concern is located— “(i) submits a Remedial Action Plan to the Program Office by June 30, 1991; “(ii) submits such Remedial Action Plan to the International Joint Commission by January 1, 1992; and “(iii) includes such Remedial Action Plans within the State’s water quality plan by January 1, 1993. “(B) For each area of concern for which Canada has agreed to draft a Remedial Action Plan, the Program Office shall, pursuant to subparagraph (c)(1)(C) of this section, work with Canada to assure the submission of such Re-medial Action Plans to the International Joint Commission by June 30, 1991, and to finalize such Remedial Action Plans by January 1, 1993. “(C) For any area of concern designated as such subsequent to the enactment of this Act, the Program Office shall (i) if the United States has agreed to draft the Re-medial Action Plan, ensure that the Great Lakes State in which such area of concern is located submits such Plan to the Program Office within two years of the area’s designation, submits it to the International Joint Commission no later than six months after submitting it to the Program Office, and includes such Plan in the State’s water quality plan no later than one year after submitting it to the Commission; and (ii) if Canada has agreed to draft the Remedial Action Plan, work with Canada, pursuant to subparagraph (c)(1)(C) of this section, to ensure the submission of such Plan to the International Joint Commission within two years of the area’s designation and the finalization of such Plan no later than eighteen months after submitting it to such Commission. “(D) The Program Office shall compile formal comments on individual Remedial Action Plans made by the International Joint Commission pursuant to section 4(d) of Annex 2 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and, upon request by a member of the public, shall make such comments available for inspection and copying. The Program Office shall also make available, upon request, formal comments made by the Environmental Protection Agency on individual Remedial Action Plans. “(4) Lakewide management plans.—The Administrator, in consultation with the Program Office shall— “(A) by January 1, 1992, publish in the Federal Register a proposed Lakewide Management Plan for Lake Michigan and solicit public comments; “(B) by January 1, 1993, submit a proposed Lakewide Management Plan for Lake Michigan to the International Joint Commission for review; and “(C) by January 1, 1994, publish in the Federal Register a final Lakewide Management Plan for Lake Michigan and begin implementation. 104 STAT. 3002 Nothing in this subparagraph shall preclude the simultaneous development of Lakewide Management Plans for the other Great Lakes. “(5) Spills of oil and hazardous materials.—The Program Office, in consultation with the Coast Guard, shall identify areas within the Great Lakes which are likely to experience numerous or voluminous spills of oil or other hazardous mate-rials from land based facilities, vessels, or other sources and, in consultation with the Great Lakes States, shall identify weaknesses in Federal and State programs and systems to prevent and respond to such spills. This information shall be included on at least a biennial basis in the report required by this section.”.