This division may be cited as the “Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015”.
Division D — Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
DIVISION D Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
TITLE I Corps of Engineers—civil
Department of the Army
General Provisions—corps of Engineers—civil
Sec. 101. (including transfer and rescission of funds)
None of the funds provided in title I of this Act, or provided by previous appropriations Acts to the agencies or entities funded in title I of this Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2015, shall be available for obligation or expenditure through a reprogramming of funds that:
creates or initiates a new program, project, or activity;
eliminates a program, project, or activity;
increases funds or personnel for any program, project, or activity for which funds have been denied or restricted by this Act, unless prior approval is received from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations;
proposes to use funds directed for a specific activity for a different purpose, unless prior approval is received from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations;
augments or reduces existing programs, projects, or activities in excess of the amounts contained in paragraphs 6 through 10, unless prior approval is received from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations;
Investigations.— For a base level over $100,000, reprogramming of 25 percent of the base amount up to a limit of $150,000 per project, study or activity is allowed: Provided, That for a base level less than $100,000, the reprogramming limit is $25,000: Provided further, That up to $25,000 may be reprogrammed into any continuing study or activity that did not receive an appropriation for existing obligations and concomitant administrative expenses;
Construction.— For a base level over $2,000,000, reprogramming of 15 percent of the base amount up to a limit of $3,000,000 per project, study or activity is allowed: Provided, That for a base level less than $2,000,000, the reprogramming limit is $300,000: Provided further, That up to $3,000,000 may be reprogrammed for settled contractor claims, changed conditions, or real estate deficiency judgments: Provided further, That up to $300,000 may be reprogrammed into any continuing study or activity that did not receive an appropriation for existing obligations and concomitant administrative expenses;
Operation and maintenance.— Unlimited reprogramming authority is granted for the Corps to be able to respond to emergencies: Provided, That the Chief of Engineers shall notify the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations of these emergency actions as soon thereafter as practicable: Provided further, That for a base level over $1,000,000, reprogramming of 15 percent of the base amount up to a limit of $5,000,000 per project, study or activity is allowed: Provided further, That for a base level less than $1,000,000, the reprogramming limit is $150,000: Provided further, That $150,000 may be reprogrammed into any continuing study or activity that did not receive an appropriation;
Mississippi river and tributaries.— The reprogramming guidelines in paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) shall apply to the Investigations, Construction, and Operation and Maintenance portions of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Account respectively; and
Formerly utilized sites remedial action program.— Reprogramming of up to 15 percent of the base of the receiving project is permitted.
De Minimis Reprogrammings.— In no case should a reprogramming for less than $50,000 be submitted to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
Continuing Authorities Program.— Subsection (a)(1) shall not apply to any project or activity funded under the continuing authorities program.
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations to establish the baseline for application of reprogramming and transfer authorities for the current fiscal year which shall include:
A table for each appropriation with a separate column to display the President’s budget request, adjustments made by Congress, adjustments due to enacted rescissions, if applicable, and the fiscal year enacted level; and
A delineation in the table for each appropriation both by object class and program, project and activity as detailed in the budget appendix for the respective appropriations; and
An identification of items of special congressional interest.
Sec. 102.
None of the funds made available in this title may be used to award or modify any contract that commits funds beyond the amounts appropriated for that program, project, or activity that remain unobligated, except that such amounts may include any funds that have been made available through reprogramming pursuant to section 101.
Sec. 103.
The Secretary of the Army may transfer to the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service may accept and expend, up to $4,700,000 of funds provided in this title under the heading “Operation and Maintenance” to mitigate for fisheries lost due to Corps of Engineers projects.
Sec. 104.
Subsection (a)(6) of section 511 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 3301 note; 110 Stat. 3761–3762; 113 Stat. 375–376; 121 Stat. 1203) is amended by striking “ $25,000,000” and inserting “ $43,400,000”.
Sec. 105.
The Secretary shall allocate funds made available in this Act solely in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), including the determination and designation of new starts.
Sec. 106.
None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to continue the study conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers pursuant to section 5018(a)(1) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (Public Law 110–114).
Sec. 107.
None of the funds made available in this Act may be used within the borders of the State of Louisiana by the Mississippi Valley Division or the Southwestern Division of the Army Corps of Engineers or any district of the Corps within such divisions to implement or enforce the mitigation methodology, referred to as the “Modified Charleston Method”.
Sec. 108.
Of the funds made available in prior appropriations Acts for water resources efforts under the headings “Corps of Engineers—Civil, Department of the Army” that remain unobligated as of the date of enactment of this Act, including amounts specified in law for particular projects, programs, or activities, $28,000,000 is rescinded.
None of the funds under subsection (a) may be rescinded from amounts that the Congress designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
Sec. 109.
None of the funds made available in this or any other Act making appropriations for Energy and Water Development for any fiscal year may be used by the Corps of Engineers during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, to develop, adopt, implement, administer, or enforce any change to the regulations in effect on October 1, 2012, pertaining to the definitions of the terms “fill material” or “discharge of fill material” for the purposes of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.).
Sec. 110.
The limited reevaluation report initiated in fiscal year 2012 for the Mobile Harbor, Alabama navigation project shall include evaluation of the full depth of the project as authorized under section 201 of Public Law 99–662 (110 Stat. 4090) at the same non-Federal share of the cost as in the design agreement executed on August 14, 2012.
Sec. 111.
None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to require a permit for the discharge of dredged or fill material under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq.) for the activities identified in subparagraphs (A) and (C) of section 404(f)(1) of the Act (33 U.S.C. 1344(f)(1)(A),(C)).
Sec. 112.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Army shall withdraw the interpretive rule, “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Army Interpretive Rule Regarding the Applicability of the Clean Water Act Section 404(f)(1)(A),” signed on March 25, 2014.
TITLE II Department of the Interior
Central Utah Project
Bureau of Reclamation
The following appropriations shall be expended to execute authorized functions of the Bureau of Reclamation:
General Provisions—department of the Interior
TITLE III Department of Energy
Energy Programs
Atomic Energy Defense Activities
Environmental and Other Defense Activities
Power Marketing Administration
General Provisions—department of Energy
TITLE IV Independent Agencies
Appalachian Regional Commission
For expenses necessary to carry out the programs authorized by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965, notwithstanding 40 U.S.C. 14704, and for necessary expenses for the Federal Co-Chairman and the Alternate on the Appalachian Regional Commission, for payment of the Federal share of the administrative expenses of the Commission, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, and hire of passenger motor vehicles, $90,000,000, to remain available until expended.
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Delta Regional Authority
Denali Commission
For expenses of the Denali Commission including the purchase, construction, and acquisition of plant and capital equipment as necessary and other expenses, $10,000,000, to remain available until expended, notwithstanding the limitations contained in section 306(g) of the Denali Commission Act of 1998: Provided, That funds shall be available for construction projects in an amount not to exceed 80 percent of total project cost for distressed communities, as defined by section 307 of the Denali Commission Act of 1998 (division C, title III, Public Law 105–277), as amended by section 701 of appendix D, title VII, Public Law 106–113 (113 Stat. 1501A–280), and an amount not to exceed 50 percent for non-distressed communities.
Northern Border Regional Commission
For expenses necessary of the Northern Border Regional Commission in carrying out activities authorized by subtitle V of title 40, United States Code, $5,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That such amounts shall be available for administrative expenses, notwithstanding section 15751(b) of title 40, United States Code.
Southeast Crescent Regional Commission
For necessary expenses of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission in carrying out activities authorized by subtitle V of title 40, United States Code, $250,000, to remain available until expended.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
General Provisions—independent Agencies
TITLE V General Provisions
Sec. 501.
None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be used in any way, directly or indirectly, to influence congressional action on any legislation or appropriation matters pending before Congress, other than to communicate to Members of Congress as described in 18 U.S.C. 1913.
Sec. 502.
None of the funds made available in title III of this Act may be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government, except pursuant to a transfer made by or transfer authority provided in this Act or any other appropriations Act for any fiscal year, transfer authority referenced in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), or any authority whereby a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government may provide goods or services to another department, agency, or instrumentality.
None of the funds made available for any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government may be transferred to accounts funded in title III of this Act, except pursuant to a transfer made by or transfer authority provided in this Act or any other appropriations Act for any fiscal year, transfer authority referenced in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), or any authority whereby a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government may provide goods or services to another department, agency, or instrumentality.
The head of any relevant department or agency funded in this Act utilizing any transfer authority shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate a semiannual report detailing the transfer authorities, except for any authority whereby a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government may provide goods or services to another department, agency, or instrumentality, used in the previous 6 months and in the year-to-date. This report shall include the amounts transferred and the purposes for which they were transferred, and shall not replace or modify existing notification requirements for each authority.
Sec. 503.
None of the funds made available by this Act may be used in contravention of Executive Order No. 12898 of February 11, 1994 (Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations).