Environmental Protection Agency

Environmental Protection Agency science and technology (including transfer of funds) For science and technology, including research and development activities, which shall include research and development activities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 111 STAT. 1371and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended; necessary expenses for personnel and related costs and travel expenses, including uniforms, or allowances therefore, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901–5902; services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the per diem rate equivalent to the rate for GS–18; procurement of laboratory equipment and supplies; other operating expenses in support of research and development; construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, and renovation of facilities, not to exceed $75,000 per project, $631,000,000, which shall remain available until September 30, 1999: Provided, That $49,600,000 of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be to conduct and administer a comprehensive, peer-reviewed, near-and long-term particulate matter research program in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth for such research program in the conference report and joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying this Act (H.R. 2158): Provided further, That no later than 30 days following enactment of this Act, the Environmental Protection Agency shall enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to develop a comprehensive, prioritized, near- and long-term particulate matter research program and monitoring plan in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the conference report and joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying this Act (H.R. 2158). environmental programs and management For environmental programs and management, including necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, for personnel and related costs and travel expenses, including uniforms, or allowances therefore, as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901–5902; services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the per diem rate equivalent to the rate for GS–18; hire of passenger motor vehicles; hire, maintenance, and operation of aircraft; purchase of reprints; library memberships in societies or associations which issue publications to members only or at a price to members lower than to subscribers who are not members; construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, and renovation of facilities, not to exceed $75,000 per project; and not to exceed $6,000 for official reception and representation expenses, $1,801,000,000, which shall remain available until September 30, 1999. office of inspector general For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, and for construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, and renovation of facilities, not to exceed $75,000 per project, $28,501,000, to remain available until September 30, 1999. buildings and facilities For construction, repair, improvement, extension, alteration, and purchase of fixed equipment or facilities of, or for use by, the Environmental Protection Agency, $109,420,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That the Environmental Protection Agency is authorized to establish and construct a consolidated research facility at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, at 111 STAT. 1372a maximum total construction cost of $272,700,000, and to obligate such monies as are made available by this Act for this purpose. hazardous substance superfund (including transfer of funds) For necessary expenses to carry out the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended, including sections 111(c)(3), (c)(5), (c)(6), and (e)(4) (42 U.S.C. 9611), and for construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, and renovation of facilities, not to exceed $75,000 per project; not to exceed $2,150,000,000 (of which $100,000,000 shall not become available until September 1, 1998), to remain available until expended, consisting of $1,900,000,000, as authorized by section 517(a) of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), as amended by Public Law 101–508, and $250,000,000 as a payment from general revenues to the Hazardous Substance Superfund as authorized by section 517(b) of SARA, as amended by Public Law 101–508: Provided, That funds appropriated under this heading may be allocated to other Federal agencies in accordance with section 111(a) of CERCLA: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $650,000,000 shall not become available for obligation until October 1, 1998, and, further, shall be available for obligation only upon enactment by May 15, 1998, of specific legislation which reauthorizes the Superfund program: Provided further, That $11,641,000 of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be transferred to the “Office of Inspector General” appropriation to remain available until September 30, 1999: Provided further, That notwithstanding section 111(m) of CERCLA or any other provision of law, $74,000,000 of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be available to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to carry out activities described in sections 104(i), 111(c)(4), and 111(c)(14) of CERCLA and section 118(f) of SARA: Provided further, That $35,000,000 of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be transferred to the “Science and Technology” appropriation to remain available until September 30, 1999: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be used for Brownfields revolving loan funds unless specifically authorized by subsequent legislation: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be available for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to issue in excess of 40 toxicological profiles pursuant to section 104(i) of CERCLA during fiscal year 1998. leaking underground storage tank program (including transfer of funds) For necessary expenses to carry out leaking underground storage tank cleanup activities authorized by section 205 of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, and for construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, and renovation of facilities, not to exceed $75,000 per project, $65,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That no more than $7,500,000 shall be available for administrative expenses.111 STAT. 1373 oil spill response (including transfer of funds) For expenses necessary to carry out the Environmental Protection Agency’s responsibilities under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, $15,000,000, to be derived from the Oil Spill Liability trust fund, and to remain available until expended: Provided, That not more than $9,000,000 of these funds shall be available for administrative expenses. state and tribal assistance grants For environmental programs and infrastructure assistance, including capitalization grants for State revolving funds and performance partnership grants, $3,213,125,000, to remain available until expended, of which $1,350,000,000 shall be for making capitalization grants for the Clean Water State Revolving Funds under title VI of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, and $725,000,000 shall be for capitalization grants for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds under section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended; $75,000,000 for architectural, engineering, planning, design, construction and related activities in connection with the construction of high priority water and wastewater facilities in the area of the United States-Mexico border, after consultation with the appropriate border commission; $50,000,000 for grants to the State of Texas which shall be matched by State funds from State resources at 20 percent of the Federal appropriation for the purpose of improving water and wastewater treatment for colonias; $15,000,000 for grants to the State of Alaska to address drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs of rural and Alaska Native Villages as provided by section 303 of Public Law 104–182; $253,125,000 for making grants for the construction of wastewater and water treatment facilities and groundwater protection infrastructure in accordance with the terms and conditions specified for such grants in the conference report and joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying this Act (H.R. 2158); and $745,000,000 for grants to States, federally recognized tribes, and air pollution control agencies for multi-media or single media pollution prevention, control and abatement and related activities pursuant to the provisions set forth under this heading in Public Law 104–134, provided that eligible recipients of these funds and the funds made available for this purpose since fiscal year 1996 and hereafter include States, federally recognized tribes, interstate agencies, tribal consortia, and air pollution control agencies, as provided in authorizing statutes, subject to such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall establish, and for making grants under section 103 of the Clean Air Act for particulate matter monitoring and data collection activities: Provided, That, consistent with section 1452(g) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12(g)), section 302 of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (Public Law 104–182) and the accompanying joint explanatory statement of the committee on conference (H. Rept. No. 104–741 to accompany S. 1316, the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996), and notwithstanding any other provision of law, States may combine the assets of State Revolving Funds (SRFs) established under section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended, and title 111 STAT. 1374VI of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, as security for bond issues to enhance the lending capacity of one or both SRFs, but not to acquire the State match for either program, provided that revenues from the bonds are allocated to the purposes of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in the same portion as the funds are used as security for the bonds: Provided further, That, hereafter from funds appropriated under this heading, the Administrator is authorized to make grants to federally recognized Indian governments for the development of multi-media environmental programs: Provided further, That, hereafter, the funds available under this heading for grants to States, federally recognized tribes, and air pollution control agencies for multi-media or single media pollution prevention, control and abatement and related activities may also be used for the direct implementation by the Federal Government of a program required by law in the absence of an acceptable State or tribal program: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the case of a publicly owned treatment works in the District of Columbia, the Federal share of grants awarded under title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, beginning October 1, 1997, and continuing through September 30, 1999, shall be 80 percent of the cost of construction, and all grants made to such publicly owned treatment works in the District of Columbia may include an advance of allowance under section 201(l)(2): Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator is authorized to make a grant of $4,326,000 under title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, from funds appropriated in prior years under section 205 of the Act for the State of Florida and available due to deobligation, to the appropriate instrumentality for wastewater treatment works in Monroe County, Florida. working capital fund Under this heading in Public Law 104–204, delete the following: the phrases “franchise fund pilot to be known as the”; “as authorized by section 403 of Public Law 103–356,”; and “as provided in such section”; and the final proviso. After the phrase “to be available”, insert “without fiscal year limitation”.