Water Resources Development Act of 1985

Summary

Water Resources Development Act of 1985 - Title I - Directs the Secretary of the Army to obligate no sums in excess of those specified in this title for the combined purpose of the "Construction General" account and the "Flood Control, Mississippi River and Tributaries" account. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Title II: General Provisions - Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with landowners who are benefitted by local flood control projects to assure that such owners will contribute 50 percent of that portion of the project's costs allocated to the owner's benefits. Limits the commencement period for any such flood control project to ten years from the date of authorization of such project unless the Secretary shows that such project remains needed and justified. Allows for the submission of Federal projects with a cost of up to $10,000,000. Provides that any project with a cost exceeding $10,000,000 must be authorized by an Act of Congress. Provides further that each such project must contain benefits directly related to agriculture that account for at least 20 percent of the total benefits of the project. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the feasibility of requiring full public access to all water impoundment facilities that have recreation-related potential. Amends Federal law to provide for the compatibility of Federal flood control projects with any existing or planned local flood control improvement programs. Directs the Secretary of the Army to undertake a program for the control of river ice, to assist communities in the breakup of such ice, and to provide technical assistance to local units of government to control or break up such ice. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Directs the Secretary of the Army to undertake a demonstration program for the control of river ice at Hardwick, Vermont. Authorizes appropriations for such program. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress by March 1, 1988, on activities under this section. Directs the Secretary, upon request, to survey the potential of rehabilitating former industrial sites, millraces, and so forth already constructed for use as hydroelectric facilities. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Amends the Flood Control Act of 1970 concerning agreements made between Federal and State governments for cooperation in payment of mutually-beneficial flood control projects. Requires a favorable report from the Chief of Engineers before any flood control facility construction may begin. Directs the Secretary of the Army, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to promulgate rules governing penalties and interest for any delinquent payments by non-Federal interests required by the Flood Control Act of 1970. Authorizes the Secretary to determine that no funds appropriated to the Corps of Engineers for operating and maintenance are to be used to benefit projects within the jurisdiction of any non-Federal interest which is in arrears for more than 24 months in the payment of charges due. Provides that the Secretary shall not require non-Federal interests to assume operation of any federally-run facility as a condition to the construction of new recreational facilities. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with area Federal Project Repayment Districts for the recovery of appropriate shares of project costs. Requires the Secretary to determine that revenues derived from such contracts will be sufficient to meet cost recovery requirements under Federal law. Authorizes the Secretary to investigate, study, plan, and implement structural and nonstructural measures for the prevention or mitigation of shore damages attributable to Federal navigation works, provided: (1) a non-Federal public body agrees to operate and maintain such measures; and (2) the costs of implementing such measures are shared. Prohibits the Secretary from initiating construction of any water resources project if such project has been modified to increase any of the following project parameters by more than 25 percent: (1) acreage of land acquisition; (2) linear miles of stream channel inundated; (3) width or depth of any navigation channel; (4) displacement of dwelling units; (5) hydroelectric generating capacity; or (6) linear miles of stream channelization. Directs the Secretary to submit to the Congress, within 180 days of proposal, a report on any such project modification together with his recommendations thereon. Amends the Water Resources Research Act to establish the High Plains Study Council to: (1) review research work conducted by State advisory committees; and (2) coordinate such research to avoid duplication of efforts by States of the High Plains. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish within each State of the High Plains Region an Ogallala Aquifer technical advisory committee (the State Committee). Directs such State Committee to: (1) review existing State laws concerning water management and recommend appropriate changes; (2) establish State priorities for water resources research and demonstration projects; and (3) provide information and technical assistance concerning the need for water conservation and management. Directs the Secretary to allocate annually funds to States of the High Plains Region for research in water-use efficiency, cultural methods, irrigation technologies, water-efficient crops, and water and soil conservation. Directs that such funds shall be distributed to State institutions of higher learning on the basis of merit. Directs the Secretary to divide funds among the States of the High Plains Region for research into: (1) precipitation management; (2) weather modification; (3) aquifer recharge opportunities; (4) saline water uses; (5) desalinization technologies; (6) salt-tolerant crops; and (7) local water-transfer opportunities. Directs the Secretary to allocate annually funds to High Plains Region States for grants to farmers for demonstration projects in: (1) water-efficient irrigation technologies and practices; (2) soil and water conservation management systems; and (3) the growth and marketing of more water-efficient crops. Provides that such grants to farmers shall be made on the basis of merit. Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to study the feasibility of water transfers into the High Plains Region, and report annually to the Congress. Authorizes the Secretary to monitor the levels of the Ogallala Aquifer, and to report annually to the Congress. Allows the Secretary to proceed with advance engineering and design of water resources development projects pending authorization, provided the project is in the public interest. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a study of shoreline protection and beach erosion control policy in view of the prospect for long-term increases in the level of the ocean. Requires the Secretary, within three years of the date of enactment of this Act, to transmit the study together with recommendations to the appropriate congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to require a review of the cost effectiveness of design of each water resources project which has a cost in excess of $10,000,000. Requires the Secretary to prepare a feasibility report for each such project being reviewed, after conducting a reconnaissance of the water resources problems, in order to identify potential solutions. Requires such reconnaissance to be limited to 18 months. Requires non-Federal interests to contribute 50 percent of the cost of any such study. Requires the mitigation of fish and wildlife losses to be undertaken before construction on the project involved begins. Authorizes the Secretary to mitigate damages to fish and wildlife to the extent that such mitigation costs do not exceed $7,500,000 per project. Requires a report to the Congress when mitigation costs are expected to exceed $7,500,000 per project. Requires the Secretary to submit with each proposal for the authorization of a water resources project, either: (1) a recommendation with a specific plan to mitigate fish and wildlife losses; or (2) a determination that such project will have negligible adverse impact on fish and wildlife. Directs that when the Secretary recommends activities to enhance fish and wildlife resources, the cost of such enhancement shall be a Federal cost when its benefits are determined to be national in character. Authorizes the Secretary to plan, design, and construct streambank erosion control projects not specifically authorized by Congress when such work is economically feasible and environmentally acceptable. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Prohibits the cost of any single project in this section from exceeding $2,000,000. Amends the River and Harbor Act of 1899 to impose cost liability upon the owner, lessee, or operator of a sunken vessel removed from navigable waters by the United States. Amends Federal law to permit the Chief of Engineers to provide services, on a reimbursable basis, to a State or local government. Allows the Secretary to grant permission for the alteration or permanent occupation or use of any harbor or river improvement when such occupation or use will not be injurious to the public interest and will not impair the usefulness of such work. Allows the Secretary, in the event of a declaration of war, to: (1) terminate or defer the construction, operation, maintenance, or repair of a civil works project not essential to the national defense; and (2) apply such resources to projects essential to the national defense. Requires the Secretary to notify the appropriate committees of the Congress of such action. Increases to a maximum of $50,000 (formerly $100) the fine for the failure of shipowners and officers to provide required information to the Secretary of the Army. Allows the Secretary to impose a civil penalty of up to $25,000 for such violations. Abolishes the California Debris Commission and transfers such powers, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, and records to the Secretary. Authorizes appropriations for the prosecution of the comprehensive plan of development for specified river basins and projects. Allows the Administrator of the General Services Administration to dispose of any Corps of Engineers vessel, or related equipment, used for dredging that is declared to be in excess of Federal needs. Provides that proceeds from the sale or lease of such vessels or equipment shall be deposited into the revolving fund authorized by the Civil Functions Appropriations Act. Provides that payment shall not be required for waters withdrawn from any Missouri River mainstream reservoir under the Secretary's control if: (1) the water is withdrawn by a State, or its political subdivisions, or by a nonprofit entity; (2) the water is withdrawn from municipal or industrial uses within the State of withdrawal; and (3) the existence of the reservoir involved will not enhance the dependability of the withdrawal under conditions of one hundred year, seven day low flow in the Missouri River. Provides that the costs of projects or programs authorized in this Act, and not assigned to the purposes of commercial navigation, shall be subject to the cost sharing and financing provisions of this Act. Title III: Project Provisions - Directs the Secretary to undertake the following flood control improvement projects: (1) Warrior River, Mound State Park, Moundville, Alabama; (2) Fort Toulouse National Historic Landmark and Taskigi Indian Mound, Alabama; and (3) Tangier Island, Virginia. Directs the Secretary to undertake the following navigation and channel improvement projects: (1) Indian River Inlet, Delaware; (2) Abiquiu Dam, New Mexico; (3) Winooski River Basin, Waterbury, Vermont; (4) Tacoma Harbor, Washington; (5) Libby Dam, Montana; and (6) Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin. Provides that the operation and maintenance of Jackson Hole Snake River project, Wyoming, shall be the responsibility of the Secretary, provided that non-Federal interests contribute the initial $35,000 in construction costs. Modifies the Rio Grande Floodway project, Truth or Consequences Unit, New Mexico, to authorize the Secretary to construct a flood control dam on the Cuchillo Negro Creek. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to undertake restoration measures for the Acequia Systems in New Mexico, provided that the State contribute 20 percent of any project costs. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to consider the Acequia Systems as public entities for purposes of contractual agreements. Authorizes the Secretary to institute cropland irrigation research for the St. John River Basin, Maine. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes bank protection activities in Starr County, Texas, in accordance with certain specifications. Authorizes the Secretary, upon completion of recording of plats for townsites, to: (1) sell lands in accordance with a certain preference scheme; (2) transfer municipal facilities to the appropriate local government entity; and (3) transfer all facilities used for educational purposes to the appropriate school district. Outlines the preference scheme for land sales. Authorizes the Secretary to accept notes secured by mortgages and to provide temporary financial assistance to local government entities in order to facilitate such land sales. Defines "townsite" as including the areas of Riverdale, North Dakota, and Pickstown, South Dakota. Authorizes the Secretary to begin a program for the removal of silt from Lake Herman, South Dakota. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to begin a program of silt traps and silt removal in Lake Worth, Texas. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to conduct mitigation activities in Warwick, Rhode Island. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to undertake studies of the impact on the United States of Canadian tidal power development in the Bay of Fundy, and to submit such studies to the appropriate congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations. Declares downstream recreation on the Gauley River to be an additional project purpose of the Summerville Lake project, West Virginia. Authorizes the construction of three flood control structures on the Johns Creek tributary in the Nonconnah Creek Basin, Tennessee. Authorizes the Secretary to participate in a project to demonstrate the feasibility of non-Federal cost sharing for rural flood protection on the James River in South Dakota. Requires a report to be submitted to the Congress concerning such project by September 30, 1988. Directs the Chief of Engineers to issue a report on construction in the Arkansas-Red River Basin by December 31, 1985. Modifies the project for local flood protection on the Milk River at Havre, Montana. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to undertake road improvement measures at Pearson-Skubitz Big Hill Lake, Kansas. Declares a described portion of the Hudson River in New York Bay to be nonnavigable. Deauthorizes the William L. Springer Lake project on the Sangamon River, Illinois. Declares the Port of Houston Authority bridge over Greens Bayou, Texas, to be a lawful bridge. Authorizes the Secretary to undertake the following reconnaissance studies in the State of Utah: (1) the Provo River; (2) existing levees along Utah Lake; (3) Interstate Highway 15, adjacent to Utah Lake; (4) Rock, Little Rock, and Slate Canyons in Provo; (5) the Bear River; (6) the Weber River; and (7) the Sevier River. Authorizes the Secretary to design, construct, operate, and maintain facilities for the upstream migration of Atlantic salmon at Townsend Dam and Ball Mountain Dam, West River, Vermont. Authorizes the Secretary to permit the delivery of water from the District of Columbia water system at the Dalecarlia filtration plant to any appropriate State or local authority of Maryland. Authorizes the Secretary to purchase water from an appropriate Maryland authority which has completed a connection with the District of Columbia water system. Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1974 to authorize the Mountrail County Park Commission, North Dakota, to designate a portion of park lands for the leasing of cabin sites. Deauthorizes the Lake Brownwood modification project, Pecan Bayou, Texas. Establishes the Cross-Florida National Conservation Area. Provides that the State of Florida shall retain jurisdiction and responsibility over water resources planning, development, and control of the surface and ground waters of the Conservation Area. Deauthorizes the lock barge canal from the Saint Johns River across Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the State of Florida, to develop and transmit to the Congress a comprehensive management plan with respect to lands in the Conservation Area. Directs the Secretary to operate the Rodman Dam in a manner which will assure the continuation of Lake Ocklawaha. Prohibits the Secretary from operating the Eureka Lock and Dam in a manner which would create a reservoir on lands not flooded on January 1, 1984. Directs the Secretary to acquire lands held by the Canal Authority of the State of Florida for the barge canal deauthorized by this Act. Directs the Canal Authority to make payments to specified Florida counties. Directs the Secretary to demolish and remove the center span of the India Point Railroad Bridge, Providence, Rhode Island. Title IV: Dam Safety - Dam Safety Act of 1985 - Amends public law concerning the definition of "dam". Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Provides for the distribution of such funds among the States. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to any State that establishes and maintains a dam safety program which includes the following: (1) a procedure for the review of dam plans to determine their safety; (2) a procedure to determine that such a dam will be operated in a safe manner; (3) a procedure for inspection at least once every three years, or more if warranted; (4) the State has the power to modify the dam to assure its safety; (5) the State develops a system of emergency procedures to be followed in the event of dam failure; and (6) the State has the necessary emergency funds to make immediate repairs in order to protect human life and property. Provides for the approval of submitted programs within 120 days unless notified prior to that time by the Secretary. Provides for periodic review of dam safety programs by the Secretary. Authorizes to be established a National Dam Safety Review Board to review and monitor State implementation of this Act. Directs the Secretary to begin research to develop techniques and equipment for more efficient dam inspection. Provides for State participation in such research. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1986 through 1990. Authorizes the Secretary to maintain and publish information on the inventory of dams authorized under this Act. Authorizes appropriations. Provides that no funds authorized in this Act shall be used to construct or repair any Federal or non-Federal dam. Title V: Inland Navigation - Provides that one-half of the cost of construction of the navigation lock and dam projects authorized in this Act shall be paid from amounts appropriated out of the general fund of the Treasury and one-half of such cost shall be paid from amounts appropriated out of the Inland Waterway Trust Fund. Authorizes the following works of improvement to the inland waterways by the Secretary: (1) Oliver lock, Black Warrior-Tombigbee Rivers, Alabama; (2) Gallipolis locks and dam, Ohio and West Virginia; (3) Bonneville lock and dam, Oregon and Washington; and (4) Lock and Dam 7 and 8, Monongahela River, Pennsylvania. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the State of New York for 50 percent of the cost of operating, maintaining, and rehabilitating the New York State Barge Canal. Upper Mississippi River System Management Act of 1985 - Provides that Congress recognizes the Upper Mississippi River System as a nationally significant ecosystem and commercial navigation system, and provides for the administration and regulation of such system. Provides that Congress approves a "Master Plan" as a guide for future water policy on the Upper Mississippi River System. Provides for cooperation of several States in the System toward its growth and development. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the construction of a second lock at locks and dam 26, Mississippi River, Alton, Illinois and Missouri. Directs the Secretary to monitor traffic movements on the System in order to determine any future capacity expansion. Authorizes appropriations for such monitoring. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to undertake various programs for the enhancement of the Upper Mississippi River System. Authorizes appropriations for this purpose. Authorizes such Secretary to implement a program of recreational projects for the System. Authorizes appropriations for this purpose. Title VI: Harbor Construction - Describes the Federal and non-Federal sponsor requirements for studies, engineering, construction, and maintenance of commercial channel and harbor projects. Requires Secretarial review of studies submitted by non-Federal sponsors. Allows the Secretary to reduce the non-Federal share according to the portion of traffic that provides direct benefits to the national defense. Allows the joint Federal and non-Federal processing of all Federal permits required prior to the initiation of commercial channel or harbor construction. Provides a compliance schedule for such joint processing. Requires the Secretary to transmit a report describing the amount of time required to issue Federal environmental permits related to such construction. Authorizes the non-Federal sponsor to impose fees to recover costs of construction and associated administrative expenditures. Prohibits the imposition of such fees on certain vessels. Authorizes appropriations from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for: (1) operations and maintenance of those portions of the Saint Lawrence Seaway operated by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; (2) up to 40 percent of the operation and maintenance costs of all commercial channels and harbors within the United States; and (3) up to 40 percent of the operation and maintenance costs of all Great Lakes navigation improvements operated or maintained by the Secretary. Authorizes works for improvement of the following commercial harbors: (1) Mobile Harbor, Alabama; (2) Kodiak Harbor, Alaska; (3) Saint Paul Island Harbor, Alaska; (4) Oakland Outer Harbor, California; (5) Richmond Harbor, California; (6) Sacramento River, deepwater Ship Channel, California; (7) New Haven Harbor, Connecticut; (8) Jacksonville Harbor, Florida; (9) Manatee Harbor, Florida; (10) Tampa Harbor, East Bay Channel, Florida; (11) Savannah Harbor, Georgia; (12) Hilo Harbor, Hawaii; (13) Mississippi River Ship Channel Louisiana; (14) Grand Haven Harbor, Michigan; (15) Monroe Harbor, Michigan; (16) Duluth-Superior Harbor, Minnesota and Wisconsin; (17) Gulfport Harbor, Mississippi; (18) Wilmington Harbor, North Carolina; (19) Portsmouth Harbor and the Piscataqua River Basin, Maine and New Hampshire; (20) Barnegat Inlet, New Jersey; (21) Gowanus Creek, Channel, New York; (22) Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay Channels, New York and New Jersey; (23) Lorain Harbor, Ohio; (24) San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico; (25) Charleston Harbor, South Carolina; (26) Wando River, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina; (27) Brazos Island Harbor, Texas; (28) Hampton Roads, Virginia; (29) Norfolk Harbor and Channels, Virginia; (30) Crown Bay Channel-Saint Thomas Harbor, Virgin Islands; (31) Blair and Sitcum Waterways, Tacoma Harbor, Washington; and (32) Grays Harbor, Washington. Title VII: Cost Sharing and Projects - Provides that water or related resources projects not initiated prior to June 30, 1985, shall be initiated only after: (1) non-Federal interests have agreed to pay all the operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation costs; and (2) non-Federal interests have agreed to share the projects cost in accordance with specified guidelines (share of cost depends upon the type of project). Specifies the non-Federal share for each type of water resource project. Authorizes the following projects for flood control: (1) Village Creek, Jefferson County, Alabama; (2) Threemile Creek, Mobile, Alabama; (3) Eight Mile Creek, Paragould, Arkansas; (4) Fourche Bayou Basin, Little Rock, Arkansas; (5) Helena and vicinity, Arkansas; (6) West Memphis, Arkansas; (7) Little Colorado River at Holbrook, Arizona; (8) Cache Creek Basin, California; (9) Redbank and Fancher Creeks, California; (10) Santa Ana River, California; (11) Fountain Creek, Pueblo, Colorado; (12) Metropolitan Denver and South Platte River and tributaries, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska; (13) Oates Creek, Georgia; (14) Agana River, Guam; (15) Alenaio Stream, Hawaii; (16) Big Wood River, Idaho; (17) North Branch of Chicago River Illinois; (18) Rock River, Illinois; (19) South Quincy Drainage and Levee District, Illinois, (20) Little Calumet River, Indiana; (21) Des Moines River Basin, Iowa and Minnesota; (22) Mississippi River, Iowa; (23) Perry Creek, Iowa; (24) Halstead, Kansas; (25) Upper Little Arkansas River Watershed, Kansas; (26) Atchafalaya Basin Floodway system, Louisiana; (27) Bushley Bayou, Louisiana; (28) Louisiana State Penitentiary levee, Mississippi River; (29) Quincy Coastal Streams, Massachusetts; (30) Roughans Point, Massachusetts; (31) Mississippi River at St. Paul, Minnesota; (32) Redwood River, Minnesota; (33) Root River Basin, Minnesota; (34) South Fork Zumbro River Watershed, Minnesota; (35) Horn Lake Creek, Tennessee and Mississippi; (36) Sowashee Creek, Mississippi; (37) Brush Creek, Missouri and Kansas; (38) Maline Creek, Missouri; (39) Saint Johns Bayou and New Madrid Floodway, Missouri; (40) Cape Girardeau, Missouri; (41) Robinson's Branch of the Rahway River, New Jersey; (42) Rahway River and Van Winkles Brook, New Jersey; (43) Green Brook Subbasin, Raritan River Basin, New Jersey; (44) Ramapo and Mahwah Rivers, New Jersey and New York; (45) Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico; (46) Puerco River, New Mexico; (47) Cazenovia Creek Watershed, New York; (48) Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Rivers Basin and Byram River Basin, New York and Connecticut; (49) Tonawanda Creek Watershed, New York; (50) Sugar Creek Basin, North Carolina and South Carolina; (51) Park River, North Dakota; (52) Sheyenne River, North Dakota; (53) Hocking River, Ohio; (54) Miami River, Fairfield Ohio; (55) Miami River, Little Miami River, Ohio; (56) Muskingum River Basin, Ohio; (57) Scioto River, Ohio; (58) Fry Creeks, Oklahoma; (59) Mingo Creek, Oklahoma; (60) Parker Lake, Muddy Boggy Creek, Oklahoma; (61) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; (62) Lock Haven, Pennsylvania; (63) Saw Mill Run, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; (64) Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania; (65) Big River Reservoir, Rhode Island; (66) Nonconnah Creek, Tennessee and Mississippi; (67) Buffalo Bayou, Texas; (68) Boggy Creek, Austin, Texas; (69) Lake Wichita, Holiday Creek, Texas; (70) Lower Rio Grande, Texas; (71) Sims Bayou, Texas; (72) James River Basin, Richmond, Virginia; (73) Chehalis River, Washington; (74) Yakima Union Gap, Washington; (75) Centralia, Chehalis River, Washington; (76) Mount Saint Helens Sediment Control, Washington; and (77) Wisconsin River at Portage, Wisconsin. Authorizes the following projects for hydropower development: (1) Scammon Bay, Alaska; (2) South Central Railbelt Area, Alaska; (3) Murray Lock and Dam, Arkansas, (4) Arkansas River, Arkansas and Oklahoma; (5) Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia; (6) W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam 14, Oklahoma; (7) Fort Gibson Lake, Oklahoma; (8) Blue River Lake, Oregon; (9) McNary lock and dam, Oregon and Washington; and (10) Gregory County, South Dakota. Authorizes the following projects for shoreline protection: (1) Charlotte County, Florida; (2) Indian River County, Florida; (3) Panama City Beaches, Florida; (4) Saint Johns County, Florida; (5) Dade County, Florida; (6) Monroe County, Florida; (7) Jekyll Island, Georgia; (8) Casino Beach, Illinois; (9) Indiana Shoreline Erosion, Indiana; (10) Atlantic Coast of Maryland and Assateague Island, Virginia; (11) Cape May Point, New Jersey; (12) Atlantic Coast of New York City, New York; (13) Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina; (14) Maumee Bay, Lake Erie, Ohio; (15) Presque Isle Peninsula, Pennsylvania; (16) Folly Beach, South Carolina; (17) Willoughby Spit, Virginia; and (18) Virginia Beach, Virginia. Authorizes the following mitigation projects: (1) Fish and Wildlife Program for the Sacramento River Bank Protection project, California; (2) Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake, Georgia and South Carolina; (3) Davenport Iowa; (4) Missouri River, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri; (5) West Kentucky, Obion Creek, Kentucky; (6) Red River Waterway Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Plan, Louisiana; (7) Yazoo Backwater project, Mississippi; (8) Downstream Measures at Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir, Missouri; (9) Smithville Lake, Little Platte River, Missouri; (10) Cape May Inlet, New Jersey; and (11) Cooper Lake and Channels project, Texas. Authorizes the following inland and recreational harbor projects: (1) Helena Harbor, Arkansas; (2) White River Navigation to Batesville, Arkansas; (3) Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana; (4) Greenville Harbor, Mississippi; (5) Vicksburg Harbor, Mississippi; (6) Saint Louis Harbor, Missouri and Illinois; (7) Olcott Harbor, New York; (8) Memphis Harbor, Tennessee; (9) Disposition of Kentucky River, Kentucky; and (10) Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Bridges, North Carolina. Authorizes the Bethel, Alaska bank establishment project. Authorizes demonstration projects for: (1) Cabin Creek, West Virginia; and (2) Lava flow control, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii. Title VIII: Navigation Taxes - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the tax on fuel used in commercial transportation on inland waterways effective after December 31, 1987. Amends the Inland Waterways Revenue Act of 1978 to provide that amounts credited to the Inland Waterways Trust Fund shall be expended for construction of navigation lock and dam projects on the inland and intracoastal waterways. Provides that such funds may not be used for operation, maintenance, construction, rehabilitation, modification, or post-authorization planning of any harbor or harbor component of the inland and intracoastal waterways. Establishes the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, as trustee of the Trust Fund, to report to the Congress by March 1 of each year regarding the operation and status of the Trust Fund. Imposes a fee on the use of: (1) any commercial channel or harbor within the United States by a commercial vessel; (2) Great Lakes navigation improvements operated or maintained by the United States by a commercial vessel; and (3) any commercial channel or harbor within the United States for purposes other than the loading or unloading of commercial cargo. Specifies the fee rate for each use. Provides that such fees, along with amounts remitted to the Treasury by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, shall be transferred to the Trust Fund each month. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to collect all such fees. Requires the master of any commercial vessel using a commercial channel or harbor of the United States to report the declared value of all commercial cargo to the United States Customs Service or such other agency as the Secretary of the Treasury may designate. Provides for the waiver of fees levied on a vessel for use of the Saint Lawrence Seaway to the extent that such fee exceeds the vessel fee imposed for its use of a Great Lakes navigation improvement under this Act. Directs the Secretary of State to initiate discussion with the Government of Canada regarding the elimination or reduction of all tolls on the international Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to report to the Congress on the progress of such discussions and the economic effects upon waterborne commerce.

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3 official files

• Indefinitely postponed in Senate

  summary · EN · 26 March 1986

  Open at official source

• Reported to Senate with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 8 January 1986

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 1 August 1985

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