Water Development FY97 Appropriations bill

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Department of Defense-Civil

Title II: Department of the Interior

Title III: Department of Energy

Title IV: Independent Agencies

Title V: General Provisions

Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1997 - Title I: Department of Defense-Civil - Makes appropriations to the Department of the Army and its Corps of Engineers for FY 1997 for: (1) authorized civil functions of the Department of the Army relating to rivers and harbors, flood control, beach erosion, and related purposes; (2) expenses necessary for the collection and study of information related to such purposes; (3) the prosecution of authorized water development and related projects; (4) certain flood control projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries; (5) water development projects operation and maintenance; (6) regulatory programs; (7) flood control and coastal emergencies; (8) general expenses.

(Sec. 101) Specifies modifications to the Arkansas City, Kansas, Elk Creek Dam, Oregon, Moorefield, West Virginia, and Grays Landing Lock and Dam, Monongahela River, Pennsylvania, flood control projects.

(Sec. 105) Requires certain flood control measures in specified parts of Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia to prevent future losses that would occur from a flood equal in magnitude to the April 1977 level by providing protection from such level or the 100-year frequency event, whichever is greater.

(Sec. 106) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Corps of Engineers, to reprogram, obligate, and expend necessary additional sums to continue certain construction projects until completion.

(Sec. 107) Directs the Secretary of the Army in FY 1997 to advertise for competitive bid at least 7.5 million cubic yards of the hopper dredge volume accomplished with Government owned dredges in FY 1996.

(Sec. 108) Directs the Corps of Engineers to complete the Charleston Riverfront (HADDAD) Park Project, West Virginia, on a 50-50 cost basis with the City.

Title II: Department of the Interior - Makes FY 1997 appropriations to the Department of the Interior for: (1) the Central Utah Project; (2) the Bureau of Reclamation; (3) general investigation of proposed Federal reclamation projects; (4) project construction and rehabilitation; (5) project operation and maintenance; (6) Bureau of Reclamation Loan Program Account; (7) the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund; and (8) general administrative expenses and special funds.

Title III: Department of Energy - Makes appropriations to the Department of Energy (DOE) for FY 1997 for: (1) energy supply, research, and development activities; (2) uranium supply and enrichment activities; (3) the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund; (4) general DOE science and research activities; (5) the Nuclear Waste Disposal Fund; (6) atomic energy defense weapons activities; (7) defense environmental restoration and waste management; (8) other DOE defense activities; (9) defense nuclear waste disposal; (10) DOE administration expenses; (11) Office of the Inspector General; (12) the various geographical power marketing administrations of DOE (including specified costs for the hydroelectric facilities at the Falcon and Amistad Dams); and (13) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Requires certain guidelines to require, at a minimum, the presence of an adequate number of security guards carrying side arms at all times to ensure maintenance of security at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Kentucky, and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Ohio.

Amends the USEC Privatization Act to require the United States Enrichment Corporation to pay employee and agency contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund for employees who elect to retain coverage under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).

Directs the Secretary of Energy to give the President and the Congress a viability assessment of the Yucca Mountain site for nuclear waste disposal.

Authorizes the Secretary to use DOE administration funds to offer employees voluntary separation incentives.

Reserves specified amounts of defense environmental restoration and waste management for: (1) demonstration of stir-melter technology; and (2) electrometallurgical treatment of spent nuclear fuel.

Title IV: Independent Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 1997 for: (1) the Appalachian Regional Commission; (2) the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board; (3) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); (4) the NRC Office of the Inspector General; (5) the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board; (6) the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA); (7) the Delaware River Basin Commission; (8) the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin; and (9) the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. Prohibits the availability of TVA funds under this Act for detailed engineering and design or construction of a replacement for Chickamauga Lock and Dam on the Tennessee River System.

Title V: General Provisions - Declares the sense of the Congress that all equipment and products bought with funds under this Act should be American-made. Requires each Federal agency to give notice of this policy to any entity to which it provides financial assistance or contracts.

(Sec. 502) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to extend the construction repayment and water service contracts for the specified Bostwick District (both Kansas and Missouri portions) and the Frenchman-Cambridge District, Missouri River Basin Project, as components of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program.

(Sec. 504) Amends the Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Act to direct the Northwest Power Planning Council to: (1) appoint an Independent Scientific Review Panel to review projects proposed to be funded through that portion of the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) annual fish and wildlife budget that implements the Council's annual fish and wildlife program; and (2) establish Scientific Peer Review Groups to assist the Panel in making its recommendations to the Council for such projects.

(Sec. 505) Directs the Site Manager at the Hanford Reservation, Washington, to provide the State of Oregon an opportunity to review and comment upon certain information, relating to certain remedial actions, that the Site Manager provides the State under the Hanford Tri-Party Agreement.

(Sec. 506) Sets forth the sense of the Senate regarding the State of Oregon's authority to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the State of Washington, or with that State and the Site Manager of the Hanford Reservation, in order to address issues of mutual concern to such States regarding the Hanford Reservation.

(Sec. 507) Directs the Secretary of the Interior, for purposes of providing emergency drought relief, to defer principal and interest payments under specified project contracts by: (1) the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Nueces River Authority; and (2) the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority.

(Sec. 509) Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to add provisions relating to: (1) interstate transportation of municipal solid waste; and (2) State and local government control of movement of municipal solid waste and recyclable material.

(Sec. 510) Expresses the sense of the Senate requiring the President to direct the Office of U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce to establish a system to provide for unilateral U.S. Government calculation and publication of the foreign share of the Japanese semiconductor market, according to the formula set forth in the current United States-Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement, if a new agreement is not concluded by July 31, 1996, that: (1) ensures continued use of such formula; and (2) provides for continuation of current measures to deter renewed dumping of semiconductors in the United States and in third country markets.