33 USC 1381 - Grants to States for establishment of revolving funds

Collapse to view only § 1381. Grants to States for establishment of revolving funds

§ 1381. Grants to States for establishment of revolving funds
§ 1382. Capitalization grant agreements
§ 1383. Water pollution control revolving loan funds
§ 1384. Allotment of funds
§ 1385. Corrective action
§ 1386. Audits, reports, and fiscal controls; intended use plan
§ 1387. Authorization of appropriations
§ 1388. Requirements
§ 1389. Clean watersheds needs survey

§ 1381. Grants to States for establishment of revolving funds

(a) General authority

(b) Schedule of grant paymentsThe Administrator and each State shall jointly establish a schedule of payments under which the Administrator will pay to the State the amount of each grant to be made to the State under this subchapter. Such schedule shall be based on the State’s intended use plan under section 1386(c) of this title, except that—

(1) such payments shall be made in quarterly installments, and

(2) such payments shall be made as expeditiously as possible, but in no event later than the earlier of—

(A) 8 quarters after the date such funds were obligated by the State, or

(B) 12 quarters after the date such funds were allotted to the State.

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 601, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title II, § 212(a), Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 22; amended Pub. L. 113–121, title V, § 5001, June 10, 2014, 128 Stat. 1322.)

§ 1382. Capitalization grant agreements

(a) General rule

(b) Specific requirementsThe Administrator shall enter into an agreement under this section with a State only after the State has established to the satisfaction of the Administrator that—

(1) the State will accept grant payments with funds to be made available under this subchapter and section 1285(m) of this title in accordance with a payment schedule established jointly by the Administrator under section 1381(b) of this title and will deposit all such payments in the water pollution control revolving fund established by the State in accordance with this subchapter;

(2) the State will deposit in the fund from State moneys an amount equal to at least 20 percent of the total amount of all capitalization grants which will be made to the State with funds to be made available under this subchapter and section 1285(m) of this title on or before the date on which each quarterly grant payment will be made to the State under this subchapter;

(3) the State will enter into binding commitments to provide assistance in accordance with the requirements of this subchapter in an amount equal to 120 percent of the amount of each such grant payment within 1 year after the receipt of such grant payment;

(4) all funds in the fund will be expended in an expeditious and timely manner;

(5) all funds in the fund as a result of capitalization grants under this subchapter and section 1285(m) of this title will first be used to assure maintenance of progress, as determined by the Governor of the State, toward compliance with enforceable deadlines, goals, and requirements of this chapter, including the municipal compliance deadline;

(6) treatment works eligible under this chapter which will be constructed in whole or in part with assistance made available by a State water pollution control revolving fund authorized under this subchapter, or section 1285(m) of this title, or both, will meet the requirements of, or otherwise be treated (as determined by the Governor of the State) under sections 1371(c)(1) and 1372 of this title in the same manner as treatment works constructed with assistance under subchapter II of this chapter;

(7) in addition to complying with the requirements of this subchapter, the State will commit or expend each quarterly grant payment which it will receive under this subchapter in accordance with laws and procedures applicable to the commitment or expenditure of revenues of the State;

(8) in carrying out the requirements of section 1386 of this title, the State will use accounting, audit, and fiscal procedures conforming to generally accepted government accounting standards;

(9) the State will require as a condition of making a loan or providing other assistance, as described in section 1383(d) of this title, from the fund that the recipient of such assistance will maintain project accounts in accordance with generally accepted government accounting standards, including standards relating to the reporting of infrastructure assets;

(10) the State will make annual reports to the Administrator on the actual use of funds in accordance with section 1386(d) of this title;

(11) the State will establish, maintain, invest, and credit the fund with repayments, such that the fund balance will be available in perpetuity for activities under this chapter;

(12) any fees charged by the State to recipients of assistance that are considered program income will be used for the purpose of financing the cost of administering the fund or financing projects or activities eligible for assistance from the fund;

(13) beginning in fiscal year 2016, the State will require as a condition of providing assistance to a municipality or intermunicipal, interstate, or State agency that the recipient of such assistance certify, in a manner determined by the Governor of the State, that the recipient—

(A) has studied and evaluated the cost and effectiveness of the processes, materials, techniques, and technologies for carrying out the proposed project or activity for which assistance is sought under this subchapter; and

(B) has selected, to the maximum extent practicable, a project or activity that maximizes the potential for efficient water use, reuse, recapture, and conservation, and energy conservation, taking into account—

(i) the cost of constructing the project or activity;

(ii) the cost of operating and maintaining the project or activity over the life of the project or activity; and

(iii) the cost of replacing the project or activity; and

(14) a contract to be carried out using funds directly made available by a capitalization grant under this subchapter for program management, construction management, feasibility studies, preliminary engineering, design, engineering, surveying, mapping, or architectural related services shall be negotiated in the same manner as a contract for architectural and engineering services is negotiated under chapter 11 of title 40 or an equivalent State qualifications-based requirement (as determined by the Governor of the State).

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 602, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title II, § 212(a), Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 22; amended Pub. L. 113–121, title V, § 5002, June 10, 2014, 128 Stat. 1322.)

§ 1383. Water pollution control revolving loan funds

(a) Requirements for obligation of grant funds

(b) Administration

(c) Projects and activities eligible for assistanceThe amounts of funds available to each State water pollution control revolving fund shall be used only for providing financial assistance—

(1) to any municipality or intermunicipal, interstate, or State agency for construction of publicly owned treatment works (as defined in section 1292 of this title);

(2) for the implementation of a management program established under section 1329 of this title;

(3) for development and implementation of a conservation and management plan under section 1330 of this title;

(4) for the construction, repair, or replacement of decentralized wastewater treatment systems that treat municipal wastewater or domestic sewage;

(5) for measures to manage, reduce, treat, or recapture stormwater or subsurface drainage water;

(6) to any municipality or intermunicipal, interstate, or State agency for measures to reduce the demand for publicly owned treatment works capacity through water conservation, efficiency, or reuse;

(7) for the development and implementation of watershed projects meeting the criteria set forth in section 1274 of this title;

(8) to any municipality or intermunicipal, interstate, or State agency for measures to reduce the energy consumption needs for publicly owned treatment works;

(9) for reusing or recycling wastewater, stormwater, or subsurface drainage water;

(10) for measures to increase the security of publicly owned treatment works;

(11) to any qualified nonprofit entity, as determined by the Administrator, to provide assistance to owners and operators of small and medium publicly owned treatment works—

(A) to plan, develop, and obtain financing for eligible projects under this subsection, including planning, design, and associated preconstruction activities; and

(B) to assist such treatment works in achieving compliance with this chapter; and

(12) to any qualified nonprofit entity, as determined by the Administrator, to provide assistance to an eligible individual (as defined in subsection (j))—

(A) for the repair or replacement of existing individual household decentralized wastewater treatment systems; or

(B) in a case in which an eligible individual resides in a household that could be cost-effectively connected to an available publicly owned treatment works, for the connection of the applicable household to such treatment works.

(d) Types of assistanceExcept as otherwise limited by State law and provided in subsection (k), a water pollution control revolving fund of a State under this section may be used only—

(1) to make loans, on the condition that—

(A) such loans are made at or below market interest rates, including interest free loans, at terms not to exceed the lesser of 30 years and the projected useful life (as determined by the State) of the project to be financed with the proceeds of the loan;

(B) annual principal and interest payments will commence not later than 1 year after completion of any project and all loans will be fully amortized upon the expiration of the term of the loan;

(D) the fund will be credited with all payments of principal and interest on all loans; and

(E) for a treatment works proposed for repair, replacement, or expansion, and eligible for assistance under subsection (c)(1), the recipient of a loan shall—

(i) develop and implement a fiscal sustainability plan that includes—(I) an inventory of critical assets that are a part of the treatment works;(II) an evaluation of the condition and performance of inventoried assets or asset groupings;(III) a certification that the recipient has evaluated and will be implementing water and energy conservation efforts as part of the plan; and(IV) a plan for maintaining, repairing, and, as necessary, replacing the treatment works and a plan for funding such activities; or

(ii) certify that the recipient has developed and implemented a plan that meets the requirements under clause (i);

(2) to buy or refinance the debt obligation of municipalities and intermunicipal and interstate agencies within the State at or below market rates, where such debt obligations were incurred after March 7, 1985;

(3) to guarantee, or purchase insurance for, local obligations where such action would improve credit market access or reduce interest rates;

(4) as a source of revenue or security for the payment of principal and interest on revenue or general obligation bonds issued by the State if the proceeds of the sale of such bonds will be deposited in the fund;

(5) to provide loan guarantees for similar revolving funds established by municipalities or intermunicipal agencies;

(6) to earn interest on fund accounts; and

(7) for the reasonable costs of administering the fund and conducting activities under this subchapter, except that such amounts shall not exceed 4 percent of all grant awards to such fund under this subchapter, $400,000 per year, or ⅕ percent per year of the current valuation of the fund, whichever amount is greatest, plus the amount of any fees collected by the State for such purpose regardless of the source.

(e) Limitation to prevent double benefits

(f) Consistency with planning requirements

(g) Priority list requirement

(h) Eligibility of non-Federal share of construction grant projects

(i) Additional subsidization

(1) In generalIn any case in which a State provides assistance to an eligible recipient under subsection (d), the State may provide additional subsidization (including forgiveness of principal, grants, negative interest loans, other loan forgiveness, and through buying, refinancing, or restructuring debt)—

(A) in assistance to a municipality or intermunicipal, interstate, or State agency to benefit a municipality that—

(i) meets the affordability criteria of the State established under paragraph (2); or

(ii) does not meet the affordability criteria of the State if the recipient—(I) seeks additional subsidization to benefit individual ratepayers in the residential user rate class;(II) demonstrates to the State that such ratepayers will experience a significant hardship from the increase in rates necessary to finance the project or activity for which assistance is sought; and(III) ensures, as part of an assistance agreement between the State and the recipient, that the additional subsidization provided under this paragraph is directed through a user charge rate system (or other appropriate method) to such ratepayers; or

(B) to implement a process, material, technique, or technology—

(i) to address water-efficiency goals;

(ii) to address energy-efficiency goals;

(iii) to mitigate stormwater runoff; or

(iv) to encourage sustainable project planning, design, and construction.

(2) Affordability criteria

(A) Establishment

(i) In general

(ii) Contents

(B) Existing criteriaIf a State has previously established, after providing notice and an opportunity for public comment, affordability criteria that meet the requirements of subparagraph (A)—

(i) the State may use the criteria for the purposes of this subsection; and

(ii) those criteria shall be treated as affordability criteria established under this paragraph.

(3) Limitations

(A) In general

(B) Total amount of subsidization

(i) In generalFor each fiscal year, of the amount of the capitalization grant received by the State under this subchapter, the total amount of additional subsidization made available by a State under paragraph (1)—(I) may not exceed 30 percent; and(II) to the extent that there are sufficient applications for assistance to communities described in that paragraph, may not be less than 10 percent.

(ii) Exclusion

(D) Consideration

(j) Definition of eligible individual

(k) Additional use of funds

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 603, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title II, § 212(a), Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 23; amended Pub. L. 113–121, title V, § 5003, June 10, 2014, 128 Stat. 1323; Pub. L. 114–322, title IV, § 5012, Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1902; Pub. L. 115–270, title IV, § 4107(a), Oct. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 3876; Pub. L. 117–58, div. E, title II, § 50210(a)(1), Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 1169.)

§ 1384. Allotment of funds

(a) Formula

(b) Reservation of funds for planning

(1) Period of availability for grant award

(2) Reallotment of unobligated funds

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 604, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title II, § 212(a), Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 25.)

§ 1385. Corrective action

(a) Notification of noncompliance

(b) Withholding of payments

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 605, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title II, § 212(a), Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 25.)

§ 1386. Audits, reports, and fiscal controls; intended use plan

(a) Fiscal control and auditing procedures

Each State electing to establish a water pollution control revolving fund under this subchapter shall establish fiscal controls and accounting procedures sufficient to assure proper accounting during appropriate accounting periods for—

(1) payments received by the fund;

(2) disbursements made by the fund; and

(3) fund balances at the beginning and end of the accounting period.

(b) Annual Federal audits

After providing for public comment and review, each State shall annually prepare a plan identifying the intended uses of the amounts available to its water pollution control revolving fund. Such intended use plan shall include, but not be limited to—

(1) a list of those projects for construction of publicly owned treatment works on the State’s priority list developed pursuant to section 1296 of this title and a list of activities eligible for assistance under sections 1329 and 1330 of this title;

(2) a description of the short- and long-term goals and objectives of its water pollution control revolving fund;

(3) information on the activities to be supported, including a description of project categories, discharge requirements under subchapters III and IV of this chapter, terms of financial assistance, and communities served;

(4) assurances and specific proposals for meeting the requirements of paragraphs (3), (4), (5), and (6) of section 1382(b) of this title; and

(5) the criteria and method established for the distribution of funds.

(d) Annual report

(e) Annual Federal oversight review

(f) Applicability of subchapter II provisions

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 606, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title II, § 212(a), Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 25; amended Pub. L. 108–271, § 8(b), July 7, 2004, 118 Stat. 814.)

§ 1387. Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the purposes of this subchapter—

(1) $2,400,000,000 for fiscal year 2022;

(2) $2,750,000,000 for fiscal year 2023;

(3) $3,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and

(4) $3,250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 607, as added Pub. L. 100–4, title II, § 212(a), Feb. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 26; amended Pub. L. 117–58, div. E, title II, § 50210(b), Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 1169.)

§ 1388. Requirements

(a) In general

(b) Definition of iron and steel products

Subsection (a) shall not apply in any case or category of cases in which the Administrator finds that—

(1) applying subsection (a) would be inconsistent with the public interest;

(2) iron and steel products are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality; or

(3) inclusion of iron and steel products produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25 percent.

(d) Waiver

(e) International agreements

(f) Management and oversight

(g) Effective date

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 608, as added Pub. L. 113–121, title V, § 5004, June 10, 2014, 128 Stat. 1326.)

§ 1389. Clean watersheds needs survey

(a) Requirement

Not later than 2 years after November 15, 2021, and not less frequently than once every 4 years thereafter, the Administrator shall—

(1) conduct and complete an assessment of capital improvement needs for all projects that are eligible under section 1383(c) of this title for assistance from State water pollution control revolving funds; and

(2) submit to Congress a report describing the results of the assessment completed under paragraph (1).

(b) Authorization of appropriations

(June 30, 1948, ch. 758, title VI, § 609, as added Pub. L. 117–58, div. E, title II, § 50220, Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 1180.)