BEACH Act of 2021

Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2021 or the BEACH Act of 2021

This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and expands a program that awards grants to state and local governments to monitor the water quality at beaches and notify the public when water is not safe for recreational activities. The bill expands the program to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants for researching and identifying specific sources of contamination at certain coastal recreation waters and taking actions to mitigate those sources.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5064 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5064

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act relating to grants for 
               beach monitoring, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 20, 2021

Mr. Joyce of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
           the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

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                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act relating to grants for 
               beach monitoring, 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 ``Beaches Environmental Assessment and 
Coastal Health Act of 2021'' or the ``BEACH Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. COASTAL RECREATION WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND NOTIFICATION.

    (a) Program Development and Implementation Grants.--Section 406 of 
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1346) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) Research grants.--The Administrator may make grants 
        to States and local governments to--
                    ``(A) conduct research to identify specific sources 
                of contamination at coastal recreation waters adjacent 
                to beaches or similar points of access that are 
                monitored under a monitoring and notification program 
                developed or implemented under this subsection; and
                    ``(B) take actions, as specified by the 
                Administrator, to mitigate such sources of 
                contamination.''; and
            (2) in subsection (i) by striking ``$30,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2001 through 2005'' and inserting ``$35,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 8 of the Beaches 
Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 
106-284; 114 Stat. 877) is amended by striking ``2001 through 2005'' 
and inserting ``2022 through 2026''.
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