85 



ELIZABETH FURSE 



1701 NW VawOmN CSfl'J 



Po*ru». Oft 97210 



(«03| 330.3*01 



Congre&S of ti)e GJniteb States 



Jjoust of JReprestentatibus 

 aaaatjington, B£ 20515-3701 



JH^Tsc^ The Waterways Restoration Act of 1994 



»—•• • , «— ■ EurpOifi 



The goal of this legislation is to promote the restoration of rural and urba.^ streams, rivers 

 and wetlands as a cost effective means to control flooding, non-point pollution and erosion; restore 

 fish and wildlife populations and other ecological values; enhance local economies; improve public 

 health in communities that rely heavily on locally-caught fish for food; and generate local jobs and 

 job training opportunities for at-risk youth and others. 



Summary of the Bill's Major Provisions 



* The bill creates a new technical assistance and grants program for waterways restoration within 

 the Soil Conservation Service's (SCS) existing Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program 

 - established in 1954 under Public Law 566 to fund primarily structural flood control projects, such 

 as dams and stream channelization projects. The SCS was chosen to administer the new program in 

 order to take advantage of the agency's national network of on-the-ground resource specialists and 

 existing expertise in watershed protection. 



* The new restoration program will fund non-structural, community-based projects providing 

 environmental benefits — such as the establishment of floodplain riparian zones, the stabilifation of 

 stream banks using vegetation and other biotechnical slope stabilization techniques, and the removal 

 of culverts. Funding can also be used to organize local watershed councils, train participants and 

 develop consensus watershed plans that result in on-the-ground projects. 



* The program will be administered by the State Conservation Office in each state. States with 

 existing comparable programs will be certified to receive the funds to administer the programs in 

 their states, in order to avoid duplication of government programs. 



* Interdisciplinary teams will be established in each state to review project proposals for eligibility 

 and to make recommendations to the State Conservationist on funding priorities. These teams will 

 be composed of representatives of governmental agencies or non-profit organizations and must 

 include a range of scientific specialists. In addition, each team will include a representative of the 

 Fish & Wildlife Service, EPA, and NMFS (in coastal states), as well as appropriate state agencies. 



* Project eligibility and priority will be evaluated by the interdisciplinary teams using a cost-benefit 

 approach that weighs the local social, economic, ecological, and community benefits (based on local 

 needs, problems and conditions) against the project's financial and social costs. 



* Priority will be given to projects benefitting low-income or ethnic minority communities (places 

 that have historically been overlooked by federal programs), providing significant environmental or 

 economic benefits, or generating job training and employment opportunities. Priority will also be 

 given to projects previously approved under P.L. 566 that meet or are re-designed to meet the 

 requirements of the new program. 



