text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``California New River Restoration Act 
  of 2016''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds that--
              (1) the New River was born out of the Colorado River's 
          occasional flows into the Salton Sink and the erosion of the 
          New River channel which formed the deep river canyon between 
          1905 and 1907;
              (2) the New River starts in Mexicali, Mexico, flows north 
          into the United States through Calexico, passes through the 
          Imperial Valley and drains into the Salton Sea, roughly 66 
          miles north of the international boundary, and the sub-
          watershed covers approximately 750 square miles, with 63 
          percent of that in Mexico and 37 percent in the United States;
              (3) the New River has been widely recognized for its 
          significant water pollution problems, primarily because of 
          agricultural runoff, raw sewage, pesticides, and discharges of 
          wastes from domestic, agricultural, and industrial sources in 
          Mexico and the Imperial Valley;
              (4) by the 1980s, the New River acquired the reputation of 
          being one of the most polluted rivers in the United States, 
          with many of the pollutants posing serious human health hazards 
          to local populations, particularly those in Calexico and 
          Mexicali;
              (5) in 1992, the International Boundary Water Commission's 
          Treaty Minute No. 288 established a sanitation strategy for the 
          New River water quality problems at the international boundary 
          and divided the sanitation projects into two immediate repairs 
          projects, the Mexicali I and the Mexicali II, which totaled 
          about $50 million dollars and were funded by both countries 
          through the North American Development Bank;
              (6) in 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency provided 
          funds to the California Regional Water Quality Control Board to 
          monitor and document the water quality at the international 
          boundary on a monthly basis;
              (7) in the late 1990s, the United States and Mexico spent 
          $100 million (45 percent paid by Mexico and 55 percent paid by 
          the United States) to build the Las Arenitas and Zaragoza 
          Wastewater Treatment plants, and untreated New River water 
          passing through four microbial treatment cells at Las Arenitas 
          was then chlorinated and fed into a re-forestation project 
          along the desiccated Rio Hardy which stretches to the Sea of 
          Cortez;
              (8) a 10-year effort by community groups, lawyers, 
          regulatory agencies, and politicians addressed the problem at 
          the source by federally funding a new sewage treatment plant in 
          Mexicali and developing a site plan for the river on the United 
          States side;
              (9) in 2009, the State of California required the 
          California-Mexico Border Relations Council to create a 
          strategic plan to study, monitor, remediate, and enhance the 
          New River's water quality to protect human health and develop a 
          river parkway suitable for public use;
              (10) flows in the New River at the International Boundary 
          with Mexico have been reduced by as much as 40 percent during 
          the last 10 years due to a number of factors which include 
          reduction of agricultural runoff and municipal wastewater 
          discharged into the New River and its tributaries in Mexico; 
          and
              (11) the existing and ongoing voluntary conservation 
          efforts at the New River necessitate improved efficiency and 
          cost effectiveness, as well as increased private-sector 
          investments and coordination of Federal and non-Federal 
          resources, including through installation of a large trash 
          screen, a new pump station, aeration devices, a disinfection 
          facility, and managed wetlands.
  
  SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) New river.--The term ``New River'' means the river that 
          starts in Mexicali, Mexico, flows north into the United States 
          through Calexico, passes through the Imperial Valley, and 
          drains into the Salton Sea.
              (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
          Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
              (3) Program.--The term ``program'' means the California New 
          River restoration program established under section 4.
              (4) Restoration and protection.--The term ``restoration and 
          protection'' means the conservation, stewardship, and 
          enhancement of habitat for fish and wildlife to preserve and 
          improve ecosystems and ecological processes on which they 
          depend.
              (5) Mexican.--The term ``Mexican'' refers to the Federal, 
          State, and local governments of the United Mexican States.
  
  SEC. 4. CALIFORNIA NEW RIVER RESTORATION PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.
  
      (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
  enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a program to 
  be known as the ``California New River restoration program''.
      (b) Duties.--In carrying out the program, the Administrator shall--
              (1) draw on existing and new management plans for the New 
          River, or portions of the New River, and work in consultation 
          with applicable management entities, including representatives 
          of the Calexico New River Committee, the California-Mexico 
          Border Relations Council, the New River Improvement Project 
          Technical Advisory Committee, the Federal Government, State and 
          local governments, and regional and nonprofit organizations, as 
          appropriate, to identify, prioritize, and implement restoration 
          and protection activities relating to the New River;
              (2) adopt a New River-wide strategy that--
                      (A) supports the implementation of a shared set of 
                  science-based restoration and protection activities 
                  identified in accordance with paragraph (1);
                      (B) targets cost-effective projects with measurable 
                  results; and
                      (C) maximizes conservation outcomes with no net 
                  gain of Federal full-time equivalent employees; and
              (3) provide grants and technical assistance in accordance 
          with section 5.
      (c) Coordination.--In establishing the program, the Administrator 
  shall consult, as appropriate, with--
              (1) the heads of Federal agencies, including--
                      (A) the Secretary of the Interior;
                      (B) the Secretary of Agriculture;
                      (C) the Administrator of General Services;
                      (D) the Commissioner of the International Boundary 
                  Water Commission; and
                      (E) the head of any other applicable agency;
              (2) the Governor of California;
              (3) the Imperial Irrigation District;
              (4) the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control 
          Board; and
              (5) other public agencies and organizations with authority 
          for the planning and implementation of conservation strategies 
          relating to the New River in both the United States and Mexico.
      (d) Purposes.--The purposes of the program include--
              (1) coordinating restoration and protection activities, 
          among Mexican, Federal, State, local, and regional entities and 
          conservation partners, relating to the New River; and
              (2) carrying out coordinated restoration and protection 
          activities, and providing for technical assistance relating to 
          the New River--
                      (A) to sustain and enhance fish and wildlife 
                  habitat restoration and protection activities;
                      (B) to improve and maintain water quality to 
                  support fish and wildlife, as well as the habitats of 
                  fish and wildlife;
                      (C) to sustain and enhance water management for 
                  volume and flood damage mitigation improvements to 
                  benefit fish and wildlife habitat;
                      (D) to improve opportunities for public access to, 
                  and recreation in and along, the New River consistent 
                  with the ecological needs of fish and wildlife habitat;
                      (E) to facilitate strategic planning to maximize 
                  the resilience of natural systems and habitats under 
                  changing watershed conditions;
                      (F) to engage the public through outreach, 
                  education, and citizen involvement, to increase 
                  capacity and support for coordinated restoration and 
                  protection activities relating to the New River;
                      (G) to increase scientific capacity to support the 
                  planning, monitoring, and research activities necessary 
                  to carry out coordinated restoration and protection 
                  activities; and
                      (H) to provide technical assistance to carry out 
                  restoration and protection activities relating to the 
                  New River.
  
  SEC. 5. GRANTS AND ASSISTANCE.
  
      (a) In General.--In carrying out the program, the Administrator 
  shall provide grants and technical assistance to State and local 
  governments, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher 
  education, in both the United States and Mexico, to carry out the 
  purposes of the program.
      (b) Criteria.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
  organizations described in section 4(c), shall develop criteria for 
  providing grants and technical assistance under this section to ensure 
  that such activities accomplish one or more of the purposes identified 
  in section 4(d)(2) and advance the implementation of priority actions 
  or needs identified in the New River-wide strategy adopted under 
  section 4(b)(2).
      (c) Cost Sharing.--
              (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of a 
          project for which a grant is provided under this section shall 
          not exceed 55 percent of the total cost of the activity, as 
          determined by the Administrator.
              (2) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the cost 
          of a project for which a grant is provided under this section 
          may be provided in the form of an in-kind contribution of 
          services or materials.
      (d) Administration.--
              (1) In general.--The Administrator may enter into an 
          agreement to manage the implementation of this section with the 
          North American Development Bank or a similar organization that 
          offers grant management services.
              (2) Funding.--If the Administrator enters into an agreement 
          under paragraph (1), the organization selected shall--
                      (A) for each fiscal year, receive amounts to carry 
                  out this section in an advance payment of the entire 
                  amount on October 1, or as soon as practicable 
                  thereafter, of that fiscal year;
                      (B) invest and reinvest those amounts for the 
                  benefit of the program; and
                      (C) otherwise administer the implementation of this 
                  section to support partnerships between the public and 
                  private sectors in accordance with this Act.
  
  SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORTS.
  
      Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
  and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a 
  report on the implementation of this Act, including a description of 
  each project that has received funding under this Act, goals 
  established by New River-wide strategy, and the status of all such 
  projects that are in progress on the date of submission of the report.
target: California New River Restoration Act of 2016 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a California New River restoration program for the river that starts in Mexicali, Mexico, flows north into the United States through Calexico, passes through the Imperial Valley, and drains into the Salton Sea. In carrying out the program, the EPA must: (1) adopt a New River-wide strategy, and (2) provide grants and technical assistance for coordinating restoration and protection activities.
feat_title: California New River Restoration Act of 2016