HR 1800 IH

To establish the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative to monitor and reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River.

May 10, 2001

Mr. KIND (for himself, Mr. LEACH, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. EVANS, Mr. NUSSLE, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. LUTHER, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. TANNER, Mr. PETRI, and Mr. FORD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

To establish the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative to monitor and reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) SHORT TITLE- This Act may be cited as the `Upper Mississippi River Basin Conservation Act of 2001'.

(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS- The table of contents of this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Findings, purposes, and reliance on sound science.

Sec. 3. Definitions.

TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK

Sec. 101. Establishment of monitoring network.

Sec. 102. Data collection and storage responsibilities.

Sec. 103. Relationship to existing sediment and nutrient monitoring.

Sec. 104. Collaboration with other public and private monitoring efforts.

Sec. 105. Cost share requirements.

Sec. 106. Reporting requirements.

Sec. 107. Assessment of water resource and water quality management.

TITLE II--INITIATIVE GRANT, DEMONSTRATION, AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Sec. 201. Computer modeling of sediment and nutrient sources.

Sec. 202. Research regarding best management practices and sediment and nutrient loss.

Sec. 203. Demonstration projects regarding new best management practices to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.

Sec. 204. Use of electronic means to distribute information.

Sec. 205. Reporting requirements.

TITLE III--PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

Sec. 301. Privacy of personal data received by Department of Agriculture and data gathering locations.

TITLE IV--ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVE

Sec. 401. Establishment of Advisory Council.

Sec. 402. Responsibilities of Advisory Council.

Sec. 403. Advisory nature of Council.

TITLE V--FEDERAL INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP

Sec. 501. Establishment of Interagency Working Group.

TITLE VI--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

Sec. 601. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND RELIANCE ON SOUND SCIENCE.

(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds the following:

(1) The Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries are an important source of municipal and industrial water supplies for many of the region's more than 24,000,000 residents.

(2) The Upper Mississippi River Basin supports many economic activities of regional and national importance and is an important element of the national transportation infrastructure, enabling shipment of agricultural, petroleum, coal, and many other products.

(3) Millions of tourists annually visit the Upper Mississippi River Basin to fish, hunt, swim, boat, and camp, as well as to visit the region's many historic towns and archaeological sites.

(4) The sediments and nutrients that inadvertently enter streams, and ultimately the Mississippi River, result in--

(A) a reduction in the quality and quantity of farm crops and thereby a reduction in farm income;

(B) an increase in channel maintenance costs;

(C) a threat to drinking water supplies; and

(D) the filling of side channels used by river wildlife.

(5) The public and private costs associated with sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin are significant:

(A) Farmers lose more than $300,000,000 worth of applied nitrogen annually.

(B) Dredging costs exceed $100,000,000 annually.

(C) The cost of habitat restoration efforts along the main stem of the Upper Mississippi River will soon reach $33,000,000 annually.

(6) Although there are more than 75 local, State, tribal, and Federal public and private programs designed to address sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, there is a lack of collaboration by resource managers to identify and address significant sources of sediment and nutrient loss, monitor results, share information, or set priorities. Consequently, programs often overlap, gaps are left unfilled, and scarce resources are not used efficiently.

(7) Results of research conducted in the Mississippi River Basin by the Mississippi River Basin/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force call for a cooperative, interagency, adaptive management approach to natural resource management at the basin level.

(8) Congress and the executive branch recognize the need to focus Federal investment in natural resources management and stewardship in the Upper Mississippi River Basin in a manner that is coordinated, efficient, and effective to meet local, State, tribal, Basin-wide, and national goals for agriculture and environmental health and sustainability.

(9) An approach to natural resource management at the basin level, which is region-specific and coordinates existing Federal, State and local programs, is essential to attain common water quality goals while reducing duplication. Involving advisory groups of local, State, and tribal residents, in concert with Federal agencies with appropriate natural resource authorities, is the most effective means to ensure that Federal investments accomplish desired results at the local, State, tribal, and Basin-wide levels. This would ensure that conservation activities would contribute to similar national goals.

(10) A public-private approach to natural resource management in the Upper Mississippi River Basin would ensure that all voices would be heard

and all interested persons would be able to contribute to a process of meeting complimentary and overlapping resource management and environmental goals.

(b) PURPOSES- The purposes of this Act are--

(1) to adopt a coordinated public-private approach in the Upper Mississippi River Basin to take action to control nutrient and sediment loss, to monitor the results of such actions, share information, and make adjustments to further reduce nutrient and sediment loss;

(2) to identify major sources of sediment and nutrients that wash into rivers and streams of the Upper Mississippi River Basin;

(3) to use computer models in conjunction with monitoring data to track, over the short- and long-term, the quantity, transport, and fate of sediments and nutrients that enter the Upper Mississippi River Basin;

(4) to increase and target technical and financial assistance to reduce nutrient and sediment loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin;

(5) to develop innovative ways to reduce sediment and nutrient loss;

(6) to expand efforts to share information; and

(7) to coordinate public and private programs to collaboratively set and meet priorities.

(c) RELIANCE ON SOUND SCIENCE AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT- It is the policy of Congress that Federal investments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin must be guided by sound science and management actions should be guided by an adaptive management framework.

(d) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE USE OF COLLECTED DATA- The Secretary of Agriculture may use the scientific data collected from the monitoring and modeling network established pursuant to section 101 to target conservation programs, including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) The Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

(2) The Wetland Reserve Program.

(3) The Conservation Reserve Program.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) The term `Advisory Council' means the Advisory Council on the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative established by title IV.

(2) The terms `Upper Mississippi River Basin' and `Basin' mean the watershed portion of the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River basins, from Cairo, Illinois to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The designation includes the Kaskaskia watershed along the Illinois River, and the Meramec watershed along the Missouri River.

(3) The terms `Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative' and `Initiative' mean the activities authorized or required by this Act to monitor and reduce nutrient and sediment loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(4) The term `sound science' means a scientific method that uses the best available technical and scientific information and techniques to identify and understand natural resource management needs and appropriate treatments, to implement conservation measures, and to assess the results of treatments on natural resource health and sustainability in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(5) The term `adaptive management framework' refers to a comprehensive management program that combines planning, monitoring, modeling, and research to improve scientific knowledge, make adjustments in management practices based upon new information, and target actions within watersheds where the actions will be most effective.

TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK

SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF MONITORING NETWORK.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- As part of the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative, the Secretary of the Interior shall establish a sediment and nutrient monitoring network for the Upper Mississippi River Basin for the purpose of--

(1) monitoring sediment and nutrient loss into Upper Mississippi River Basin;

(2) recording changes to sediment and nutrient loss over time;

(3) providing coordinated data to be used in computer modeling of the Basin, pursuant to section 201; and

(4) identifying major sources of sediment and nutrients within the Basin for the purpose of targeting resources to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.

(b) ROLE OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY- The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out this title acting through the office of the Director of the United States Geological Survey.

(c) HEADQUARTERS- Sediment and nutrient monitoring information shall be headquartered at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

SEC. 102. DATA COLLECTION AND STORAGE RESPONSIBILITIES.

(a) GUIDELINES FOR DATA COLLECTION AND STORAGE- The Secretary of the Interior shall establish guidelines for the effective design of data collection activities regarding sediment and nutrient monitoring, for the use of suitable and consistent methods for data collection, and for consistent reporting, data storage, and archiving practices.

(b) RELEASE OF DATA- Data resulting from sediment and nutrient monitoring in the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall be released to the public using generic station identifiers and location coordinates. In the case of a monitoring station located on private lands, information regarding the location of the station shall not be disseminated without the landowner's permission.

(c) CONSULTATION- The Secretary of the Interior shall establish the guidelines under subsection (a) in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and all entities known to be conducting sediment and nutrient monitoring in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

SEC. 103. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING.

(a) INVENTORY- To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of the Interior shall inventory the sediment and nutrient monitoring efforts, in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act, of Federal, State, local, and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of creating a baseline understanding of overlap, data gaps and redundancies.

(b) INTEGRATION- On the basis of the inventory, the Secretary of the Interior shall integrate the existing sediment and nutrient monitoring efforts, to the maximum extent practicable, into the sediment and nutrient monitoring network required by section 101.

(c) CONSULTATION AND USE OF EXISTING DATA- In carrying out this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall make maximum use of data in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act and of ongoing programs and efforts of Federal, State, tribal, local, and nongovernmental entities in developing the sediment and nutrient monitoring network required by section 101.

SEC. 104. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MONITORING EFFORTS.

To establish the sediment and nutrient monitoring network, the Secretary of the Interior shall collaborate, to the maximum extent practicable, with other Federal, State, tribal, local and private sediment and nutrient monitoring programs that meet guidelines prescribed under section 102(a), as determined by the Secretary of the Interior.

SEC. 105. COST SHARE REQUIREMENTS.

(a) REQUIRED COST SHARING- The non-Federal sponsors of the sediment and nutrient monitoring network shall be responsible for not less than 25 percent of the costs of maintaining the network.

(b) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS- Up to 80 percent of the non-Federal share may be provided through in-kind contributions.

(c) TREATMENT OF EXISTING EFFORTS- A State or local monitoring effort, in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act, that the Secretary of the Interior finds adheres to the guidelines prescribed under section 102(a) shall be deemed to satisfy the cost share requirements of this section.

SEC. 106. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

The Secretary of the Interior shall report to Congress not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act on the development of the sediment and nutrient monitoring network.

SEC. 107. ASSESSMENT OF WATER RESOURCE AND WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT.

The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the water resource and water quality management within the Upper Mississippi River Basin for the purpose of reviewing nonpoint source water quality issues and providing scientific and policy advice for addressing water quality and associated watershed problems.

TITLE II--INITIATIVE GRANT, DEMONSTRATION, AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS

SEC. 201. COMPUTER MODELING OF SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT SOURCES.

(a) MODELING PROGRAM REQUIRED- As part of the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative, the Director of the United States Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall establish a modeling program to identify significant sources of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(b) ROLE- Computer modeling shall be used to identify subwatersheds which are significant sources of sediment and nutrient loss and shall be made available for the purposes of targeting public and private sediment and nutrient reduction efforts.

(c) COMPONENTS- Sediment and nutrient models for the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall include the following:

(1) Models of processes affecting field sediment and nutrient losses.

(2) Models of watersheds.

(3) Models of main river channels.

(4) Models that relate sediment and nutrient yields from large basins to sources, land uses, and management practices.

(d) COLLECTION OF ANCILLARY INFORMATION- Ancillary information shall be collected in a GIS format to support modeling and management use of modeling results, including the following:

(1) Land use data.

(2) Soils data.

(3) Elevation data.

(4) Information on sediment and nutrient reduction improvement actions.

(5) Remotely sense data.

(e) HEADQUARTERS- Information developed by computer modeling shall be headquartered at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

SEC. 202. RESEARCH REGARDING BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT LOSS.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Agriculture shall evaluate the benefits and costs of best management practices designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.

(b) EVALUATION PRACTICES- The Secretary of Agriculture shall work with other partnering agencies, whether Federal, State, tribal, and local, and with other public and nonpublic agencies to evaluate the benefits of best management practices designed to reduce nutrient and sediment loss.

(c) ECONOMIC RISK ASSESSMENT- The Secretary of Agriculture shall assess the economic risks associated with new best management practices designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.

SEC. 203. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS REGARDING NEW BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO REDUCE SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT LOSS.

The Secretary of Agriculture shall administer a grant program to supplement non-Federal funds being used by State, tribal, local, and private projects to demonstrate new best management practices designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

SEC. 204. USE OF ELECTRONIC MEANS TO DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF SYSTEM- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall establish a system that uses the telecommunications medium known as the Internet to provide information regarding the following:

(1) Public and private programs designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(2) Information on sediment and nutrient levels in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries.

(3) Successful sediment and nutrient reduction projects.

(b) COOPERATION- The Director of the United States Geological Survey shall establish the system in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

SEC. 205. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

(a) MONITORING ACTIVITIES- Commencing one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall provide to Congress and make available to the public an annual report regarding monitoring activities conducted in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(b) MODELING ACTIVITIES- Every three years, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall provide to Congress and make available to the public a progress report regarding modeling activities.

TITLE III--PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

SEC. 301. PRIVACY OF PERSONAL DATA RECEIVED BY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND DATA GATHERING LOCATIONS.

The Food Security Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section 1243 (16 U.S.C. 3843) the following new section:

`SEC. 1244. PRIVACY OF PERSONAL DATA RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION PROGRAMS.

`(a) INFORMATION AND DATA RECEIVED FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE- Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except as provided in subsection (c), information and data provided to, or developed by, the Secretary of Agriculture (including a contractor of the Secretary) for the purpose of providing technical or financial assistance to a landowner or operator with respect to any natural resources conservation program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service or the Farm Service Agency shall not be released or disclosed (including release or disclosure pursuant to section 552 of title 5, United States Code) to any agency or person outside the Department of Agriculture.

`(b) INVENTORY, MONITORING, AND SITE SPECIFIC DATA- Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except as provided in subsection (c), in order to maintain the personal privacy, confidentiality, and cooperation of landowners and operators, and to maintain the integrity of sample sites, the specific geographic locations of the National Resources Inventory of the Department of Agriculture data gathering sites and the information and data generated by such sites are not public information and shall not be subject to the mandatory disclosure provisions of section 552 of title 5, United States Code, or released to any local, tribal, State, or Federal agency outside the Department of Agriculture.

`(c) EXCEPTIONS-

`(1) RELEASE AND DISCLOSURE FOR ENFORCEMENT- The Secretary of Agriculture may release or disclose information or data covered by subsection (a) or (b) to the extent necessary to enforce the natural resources conservation programs referred to in subsection (a).

`(2) LIMITED DISCLOSURE TO COOPERATING PERSONS AND AGENCIES- The Secretary may release or disclose information or data covered by subsection (a) or (b) to a person or a local, tribal, State, or Federal agency working in cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture in providing technical and financial assistance described in subsection (a) or collecting information and data from National Resources Inventory data gathering sites. However, the person or local, tribal, State, or Federal agency that receives the information or data may release the information or data only for the purpose of assisting the Secretary in providing the requested technical or financial assistance or in collecting information and data from National Resources Inventory data gathering sites.

`(3) LIMITED EXCEPTION FOR STATISTICAL AND AGGREGATE DATA- The Secretary may release information or data covered by subsection (b), if the information or data has been transformed into a statistical or aggregate form that does not allow identification of the individual landowner, operator, or specific data gathering site.

`(d) VIOLATIONS- Section 1770(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276) shall apply to any person who releases or causes to be released information or data in violation of this section.'.

TITLE IV--ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVE

SEC. 401. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVISORY COUNCIL.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the governors specified in subsection (c), shall establish an advisory body, to be known as the Advisory Council on the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative, to provide guidance regarding the Initiative.

(b) MEMBERSHIP-

(1) VOTING MEMBERS- The Advisory Council shall consist of a total of 15 voting members.

(2) CHAIRPERSON- Voting members shall elect one member appointed under subparagraph (c) to serve as chairperson for the Advisory Council. The chairperson shall serve for a term lasting no more than one year.

(c) APPOINTMENT- The governors of the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri shall each appoint two voting members of the Advisory Council, to be selected from nongovernmental agriculture, natural resources, recreational, and environmental groups and other persons with interests in the sustainability and

health of the natural resources of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(d) STATE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION- The five remaining voting members of the Advisory Council shall be drawn from the State Technical Committees established by the Secretary of Agriculture under section 1261 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3861) for the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The Secretary of Agriculture shall select one member from each of these State Technical Committees.

(e) NONVOTING MEMBERS- The governors referred to in subsection (c) shall also each appoint one nonvoting member for the Advisory Council who will serve as representatives of the governors.

(f) PER DIEM- Members of the Advisory Council, including members appointed pursuant to subsection (e), shall receive the Federal per diem for transportation and lodging associated with meetings and other activities of the Advisory Council.

SEC. 402. RESPONSIBILITIES OF ADVISORY COUNCIL.

(a) COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION- The Advisory Council shall serve as a means for coordination, communication, and information sharing regarding such issues in the Upper Mississippi River Basin as follows:

(1) Science and technology concerning conservation practices.

(2) Monitoring and modeling needs.

(3) Strategies for implementing conservation assistance and programs.

(4) Performance assessment.

(5) Evaluation and reporting.

(b) ANNUAL REPORT ON REDUCTION EFFORTS-

(1) PREPARATION- The Advisory Council shall prepare an annual report regarding publicly-financed efforts to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. In the case of any such report, output data shall conform to the standards established pursuant to section 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985, as added by section 301.

(2) SUBMISSION- The annual report shall be submitted--

(A) to the State legislatures of the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi;

(B) to the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association; and

(C) to the Congress.

(c) SPECIAL TASK FORCES- For the purpose of maximizing and diversifying the involvement of people in the activities of the Advisory Council and addressing specific issues referred to in subsection (a), the Advisory Council shall create issue specific task forces as necessary to effectively carry out the responsibilities of the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council shall consult with the Interagency Working Group and appropriate State agencies in establishing any such task force and before dissolving any such task force when it becomes obsolete.

(d) PUBLIC MEETINGS- As part of its responsibilities under this section, the Advisory Council shall hold annual public meetings in each of the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri to formulate recommendations and seek public input regarding methods and priorities to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. To qualify as the annual meeting in a State, at least two of the three members of the Advisory Council from that State must be present at the meeting.

(e) STAFF DIRECTOR- The Secretary of Agriculture shall appoint an employee of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture to act as staff director for the Advisory Council. The staff director shall work in conjunction with the chairperson of the Advisory Council to assist in coordinating the activities of the Advisory Council.

SEC. 403. ADVISORY NATURE OF COUNCIL.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Advisory Council is purely advisory and shall have no implementation or enforcement authority. However, the Secretary of Agriculture and the heads of the other Federal agencies in the Interagency Working Group established under section 501 shall give strong consideration to the recommendations of the Advisory Council in administering natural resources programs of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(b) PUBLIC OUTREACH- The Secretary of Agriculture shall work with the Advisory Council to coordinate outreach activities in the Upper Mississippi River Basin related to technologies and other methods to reduce sediment and nutrient loss.

TITLE V--FEDERAL INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP

SEC. 501. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Department of the Interior shall establish an Interagency Working Group to coordinate Federal nutrient and sediment reduction efforts in the Upper Mississippi River Basin under the Initiative.

(b) PARTICIPATION- The Interagency Working Group shall include the following:

(1) The Secretary of Agriculture, or the designee of the Secretary.

(2) The Secretary of the Interior, or the designee of the Secretary.

(c) CHAIRPERSON; ADDITIONAL INPUT AND PARTICIPATION- The Secretary of Agriculture (or the designee of the Secretary) shall serve as chairperson of the Interagency Working Group and may solicit input and participation by other Federal agencies engaged in sediment and nutrient reduction efforts in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

(d) ANNUAL WORK PLAN AND BUDGET- The Interagency Working Group shall annually develop a coordinated work plan and budget for the Federal agencies participating in the Initiative--

(1) to better coordinate Federal efforts to address sediment and nutrient reduction in the Upper Mississippi River Basin;

(2) to encourage Federal agencies responsible for sediment and nutrient reduction efforts to leverage local, State, and Federal resources;

(3) to identify gaps and overlapping programs; and

(4) to better prioritize existing Federal spending to address major sources of sediment and nutrient loss.

(e) COORDINATION- The Interagency Working Group shall coordinate its recommendations to be included in the work plan and budget with those of individual agencies.

(f) SUBMISSION OF WORK PLAN AND BUDGET- Not later than September 15 of each year, the Interagency Working Group shall submit to the Office of Management and Budget the work plan and budget required by subsection (d).

TITLE VI--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 601. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL- There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

(b) WATER RESOURCE AND WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT- There is authorized to be appropriated $650,000 to allow the National Research Council to perform the assessment of water resource and water quality management within the Upper Mississippi River Basin required by section 107.

END