,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dcej  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april #ba1    
#bjbf,mr4 ,reed 7for himself1 ,mr4      
,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,markey1 and ,ms4     
,warren7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,environment and ,public 
,works  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the        
,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act
 to establish the ,southeast ,new       
,england ,program1 and for other        
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,southeast ,new     
,england ,program ,authorization ,act of
 #bjbf4  #b4 ,southeast ,new ,england   
,program ,title ,i of the ,federal      
,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc    
,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq47 is amended by  
adding at the end the following3  #abg4 
,southeast ,new ,england ,program  7a7  
,definition of coastal watersheds of    
southeast ,new ,england ,in this        
section1 the term coastal watersheds of 
southeast ,new ,england means all of the

 watersheds of ,rhode ,island and       
southeastern ,massachusetts that drain  
into coastal waters between ,long       
,island ,sound and the ,gulf of ,maine4 
7b7 ,establishment ,there is established
 in the ,environmental ,protection      
,agency a program1 to be known as the   
,southeast ,new ,england ,program       
7referred to in this section as the     
,program74  7c7 ,purpose ,the purpose of
 the ,program shall be to protect1      
enhance1 and restore the coastal        
watersheds of southeast ,new ,england by
 developing1 funding1 and advancing     
implementation of protection and        
restoration projects in collaboration   
with partners across the southeast ,new 
,england region4  7d7 ,grant program    
7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the   
,program1 the ,administrator may award  
grants to support and carry out projects
 in the coastal watersheds of southeast 
,new ,england that assist in-- 7,a7     
eliminating or reducing pollution2  7,b7
 restoring contaminated sites2  7,c7    

protecting or restoring ecosystems or   
habitat2  7,d7 improving water quality2 
7,e7 monitoring watersheds to evaluate  
trends2  7,f7 reducing stormwater       
runoff2  7,g7 promoting resilience of   
the coastal watersheds2  7,h7 supporting
 workforce development1 training1 or    
education initiatives that contribute to
 the health of the coastal watersheds of
 southeast ,new ,england2 or  7,i7      
providing technical assistance in       
carrying out projects described in      
subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,h74  7#b7  
,eligible recipients ,an entity eligible
 for a grant under this subsection is-- 
7,a7 a ,state2  7,b7 a county or local  
government1 or a subdivision of such a  
government2  7,c7 a federally recognized
 ,indian tribe2  7,d7 a regional        
planning organization2  7,e7 a nonprofit
 organization2 and  7,f7 an institution 
of higher education4  7#c7 ,cost-share  
,the ,federal share of an activity      
carried out using a grant under this    
subsection shall not exceed #ge percent4

  7e7 ,coordination ,the ,administrator 
shall coordinate the actions of ,federal
 agencies that affect water quality and 
the living resources of the coastal     
watersheds of southeast ,new ,england to
 improve those resources and enhance    
efficiency4  7f7 ,authorities and duties
 of ,administrator  7#a7 ,in general ,in
 carrying out this section1 the         
,administrator may-- 7,a7 enter into    
interagency agreements2  7,b7 establish 
interagency working groups2 and  7,c7   
contract for services to carry out the  
purposes of this section4  7#b7         
,staffing ,the ,administrator shall     
provide adequate staff to carry out this
 section4  7g7 ,authorization of        
appropriations  7#a7 ,in general ,there 
is authorized to be appropriated to the 
,administrator to carry out this section
 #cj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years   
#bjbg through #bjca1 to remain available
 until expended4  7#b7 ,technical       
assistance ,of the amounts made         
available to award grants under         

subsection 7d7 in a fiscal year1 not    
more than #aj percent may be used to    
award grants the primary purpose of     
which is providing technical assistance 
pursuant to paragraph 7#a77;,i7 of that 
subsection4  7#c7 ,administrative       
expenses ,of the amounts made available 
under paragraph 7#a7 in a fiscal year1  
not more than #e percent may be used for
 administrative expenses4  4