To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt certain silviculture activities from permits under the national pollutant discharge elimination system.

Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide that no national pollutant discharge elimination system permit shall be required for discharges from silviculture activities and for discharges of stormwater runoff from such activities conducted in connection with: (1) site preparation; (2) reforestation; (3) thinning; (4) prescribed burning; (5) pest and fire control; (6) harvesting operations; (7) surface drainage; (8) road construction and maintenance; and (9) nursery operations. Excludes discharges of stormwater runoff from silvicultural activities from the definition of "point source."

[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3609 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3609

  To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt certain 
   silviculture activities from permits under the national pollutant 
                     discharge elimination system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 9, 2000

  Mr. Sandlin (for himself, Mr. Turner, and Mr. Berry) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transporation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt certain 
   silviculture activities from permits under the national pollutant 
                     discharge elimination system.

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

SECTION 1. EXEMPTION OF CERTAIN SILVICULTURE ACTIVITIES FROM NPDES 
              PERMITS.

    Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
1342) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(q) Exemption of Certain Silviculture Activities.--No permit 
shall be required under this section for discharges from silviculture 
activities, and for discharges of stormwater runoff from silvicultural 
activities, conducted in connection with--
            ``(1) site preparation;
            ``(2) reforestation (including subsequent cultural 
        treatment);
            ``(3) thinning;
            ``(4) prescribed burning;
            ``(5) pest and fire control;
            ``(6) harvesting operations;
            ``(7) surface drainage;
            ``(8) road construction and maintenance; and
            ``(9) nursery operations.''.

SEC. 2. POINT SOURCE DEFINED.

    Section 502 (14) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
U.S.C. 1362(14)) is amended by striking the second sentence and 
inserting the following: ``This term does not include agricultural 
stormwater discharges, return flows from irrigated agriculture, and 
discharges of stormwater runoff from silvicultural activities described 
in section 402 (q).''.
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