Great Lakes Navigation System Sustainability Act of 2013

Great Lakes Navigation System Sustainability Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to manage and allocate funding for all commercial and recreational navigation projects in the Great Lakes Navigation System as components of a single system, recognizing the interdependence of the projects.

Directs the Secretary, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to: (1) establish a program to fund eligible operations and maintenenace projects of the System to their authorized depths and widths, and (2) give higher priority to projects at certain harbors in which a 50% non-federal share of costs of eligible operations and maintenance expenses is provided.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2273 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2273

To implement a program establishing the Great Lakes Navigation System, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 6, 2013

  Mrs. Miller of Michigan (for herself, Mr. Huizenga of Michigan, Ms. 
   Slaughter, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Benishek, and Mr. Rogers of Michigan) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To implement a program establishing the Great Lakes Navigation System, 
                        and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Great Lakes Navigation System 
Sustainability Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act the term--
            (1) ``Great Lakes'' and ``Great Lakes Navigational System'' 
        means--
                    (A)(i) Lake Superior;
                    (ii) Lake Huron;
                    (iii) Lake Michigan;
                    (iv) Lake Erie; and
                    (v) Lake Ontario;
                    (B) all connecting waters between the lakes 
                referred to in subparagraph (A) used for commercial and 
                recreational navigation;
                    (C) any navigation features in the lakes referred 
                to in subparagraph (A) or waters described in 
                subparagraph (B) that are a Federal operation or 
                maintenance responsibility; and
                    (D) areas of the Saint Lawrence River that are 
                operated or maintained by the Government for commercial 
                navigation.
            (2) ``eligible operations and maintenance'' has the same 
        meaning as that term is defined in section 214 of the Water 
        Resources Development Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2241);
            (3) ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Army.

SEC. 3. GREAT LAKES NAVIGATION SYSTEM.

    (a) Management of Great Lakes Navigation System.--To sustain the 
most effective and efficient operation and maintenance of the Great 
Lakes Navigation System, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of 
Engineers, shall manage and allocate funding for all of the 
individually authorized commercial and recreational navigation projects 
in the Great Lakes Navigation System as components of a single, 
comprehensive system, recognizing the interdependence of the projects.
    (b) Cargo Measurements.--Cargo measurements for the purpose of 
prioritizing annual operations and maintenance budget resources for the 
Great Lakes Navigation System, and for any of the component projects of 
the System, shall aggregate the tonnage of all components of the 
System.

SEC. 4. GREAT LAKES SYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Chief of 
Engineers, shall establish a program to fund eligible operations and 
maintenance projects of the Great Lakes Navigation System with the 
objective of maintaining such projects to their authorized depths and 
widths.
    (b) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult with the 
Congressional delegations from States that border the Great Lakes in 
developing annual priorities for the apportionment of funding 
authorized to be appropriated pursuant to this section.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For each of fiscal years 2014 
through 2023, there is authorized to be appropriated from the Harbor 
Maintenance Trust Fund established by section 9505 of the Internal 
Revenue Code $200,000,000 to fund eligible operations and maintenance 
of the Great Lakes Navigation System. Funds appropriated pursuant to 
this section may remain available until expended.
    (d) Cost Share.--
            (1) In general.--Of the amounts made available pursuant to 
        subsection (c), the Secretary, acting through the Chief of 
        Engineers, shall give a higher priority to projects described 
        in paragraph (2) than to projects described in paragraph (3).
            (2) Certain harbors providing a cost share.--
                    (A) Not subject to harbor maintenance fee.--A Great 
                Lakes Navigation System project that is not subject to 
                the harbor maintenance fee under section 24.24 of title 
                19, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor 
                regulations) and for which the non-Federal sponsor 
                provides a cost share of 50 percent of the costs of 
                eligible operations and maintenance expenses, is 
                eligible for Federal operations and maintenance funds 
                made available pursuant to subsection (c).
                    (B) Subject to harbor maintenance trust fund but no 
                cargo.--A Great Lakes Navigation System project that is 
                subject to the harbor maintenance fee under section 
                24.24 of title 19, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
                successor regulations), has not had commercial cargo 
                loaded or unloaded from its harbor during the previous 
                2 fiscal years, and for which the non-Federal sponsor 
                provides a cost share of 50 percent of the costs of 
                eligible operations and maintenance expenses is 
                eligible for Federal operations and maintenance funds 
                made available pursuant to subsection (c).
            (3) Certain harbors with no cost share.--A Great Lakes 
        Navigation System project that otherwise meets the description 
        in subparagraphs (A) or (B) of paragraph (2), and for which the 
        non-Federal sponsor of the project does not provide a cost 
        share of 50 percent of the costs of eligible operations and 
        maintenance expenses, is eligible to receive Federal operations 
        and maintenance funds made available pursuant to subsection (c) 
        after projects under such subparagraphs are funded.
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