A Bill to Amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act

Floor Speech

* Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker. I rise today to introduce a bill to clarify that the federal government, like private citizens and corporations, must take responsibility for the pollution it produces. This bill will clarify that the federal government has a responsibility to pay fees assessed by local governments for managing polluted stormwater runoff from federal properties.

* Recently, the Government Accountability Office issued letters to federal agencies in the District of Columbia that instructed them not to pay the District of Columbia's Water and Sewer Authority's, D.C. Water's, Impervious Area Charge. D.C. Water calculates the charges based on the amount of impervious land occupied by the landowner. Impervious surfaces, such as roofs, parking lots, sidewalks and other hardened surfaces are the major contributors to stormwater runoff entering the sewer system and local rivers, lakes and streams, which causes significant amounts of pollutants to enter these waters.

* D.C. Water's Impervious Area Charge simply is to defray the cost of reducing water pollution caused by stormwater runoff. In fact, D.C. Water's fees are the result of a federal mandate to reduce sewer overflows from excess stormwater and to improve water quality in local waters, such as the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. It is, therefore, unfair, at best, for the federal government to turn around and refuse to pay these fees. Moreover, it is contrary to President Obama's commitment to preserve the Chesapeake Bay and the Anacostia River, as outlined in Executive Order 13508, which I have applauded many times.

* When I looked into this issue further, I found that at least nine states faced the same issue of federal agencies refusing to pay the local fees associated with controlling the stormwater pollution originating from their properties. Surely, the federal government understands that these local governments still must cover the cost of managing the pollution from federal properties. So, in effect, what the federal government is doing is passing on that cost to already financially burdened citizens. In a city such as the District of Columbia, where nearly a quarter of the land is owned by the federal government and still more is leased by the federal government, the refusal by the federal government to pay these fees will impose substantial and burdensome costs on individual citizens.

* It is important that we continue to work to improve the quality of our waters. Reducing pollution and improving water quality in the District has been a priority for me. My bill to secure funding for the Anacostia River cleanup plan became law in 2007 and the plan was released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in April. Additionally, my bill to amend the National Children's Island Act of 1995 to make Kingman and Heritage Islands a center for environmental education recreation and restoration of the Anacostia River ecosystem passed in the House last year and I am working hard to get it through the Senate this year. This bill simply requires the federal government to continue its recent commitment to protecting and cleaning our waters, as well as to be a good neighbor here in the District and throughout the country.

* I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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