Running more than 1,500 pages long, the FY14 omnibus appropriations bill includes a multitude of funding awards and policy directions. Items of interest to the drinking water community include:
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A one-year extension of the Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. The spending bill extends CFATS through October 4, 2014, but does not alter the exemption of water and wastewater facilities.
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A May 1, 2014 deadline for EPA to deliver a progress report on its implementation of the National Academies of Sciences’ recommendations to improve the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The report must include information “on whether there are more appropriate scientific methods to assess, synthesize and draw conclusions regarding likely human health effects associated with likely exposures to substances.”
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$5.3 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an increase of $310 million above its baseline FY13 funding level. This total includes $1.89 billion for development of NOAA satellite systems and $156 million for climate research.
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$5.5 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – a 10 percent increase over its FY13 funding level. The figure includes $1.656 billion for construction activities and $2.861 billion for operations and maintenance projects.
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$954 million for the Bureau of Reclamation, including $21 million for the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program and $19 million for WaterSMART grants.
The complete text of the omnibus legislation, as well as the accompanying report language, is available through the House Rules Committee website.