Division E — Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

At the request of the Governor of Guam, the Secretary may transfer discretionary funds or mandatory funds provided under section 104(e) of Public Law 108–188 and Public Law 104–134, that are allocated for Guam, to the Secretary of Agriculture for the subsidy cost of direct or guaranteed loans, plus not to exceed three percent of the amount of the subsidy transferred for the cost of loan administration, for the purposes authorized by the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 and section 306(a)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act for construction and repair projects in Guam, and such funds shall remain available until expended: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That such loans or loan guarantees may be made without regard to the population of the area, credit elsewhere requirements, and restrictions on the types of eligible entities under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 and section 306(a)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act: Provided further, That any funds transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be in addition to funds otherwise made available to make or guarantee loans under such authorities.

For science and technology, including research and development activities, which shall include research and development activities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980; necessary expenses for personnel and related costs and travel expenses; procurement of laboratory equipment and supplies; hire, maintenance, and operation of aircraft; and other operating expenses in support of research and development, $758,103,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025: Provided, That of the funds included under this heading, $19,530,000 shall be for Research: National Priorities as specified in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), of which $2,030,000 shall be for projects specified for Science and Technology in the table titled “Interior and Environment Incorporation of Community Project Funding Items/Congressionally Directed Spending Items” included for this division in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act).

For environmental programs and management, including necessary expenses not otherwise provided for, for personnel and related costs and travel expenses; hire of passenger motor vehicles; hire, maintenance, and operation of aircraft; purchase of reprints; library memberships in societies or associations which issue publications to members only or at a price to members lower than to subscribers who are not members; administrative costs of the brownfields program under the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002; implementation of a coal combustion residual permit program under section 2301 of the Water and Waste Act of 2016; and not to exceed $40,000 for official reception and representation expenses, $3,178,028,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025: Provided further, That of the funds included under this heading—

In addition, $9,000,000, to remain available until expended, for necessary expenses of activities described in section 26(b)(1) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2625(b)(1)): Provided, That fees collected pursuant to that section of that Act and deposited in the “TSCA Service Fee Fund” as discretionary offsetting receipts in fiscal year 2024 shall be retained and used for necessary salaries and expenses in this appropriation and shall remain available until expended: Provided further, That the sum herein appropriated in this paragraph from the general fund for fiscal year 2024 shall be reduced by the amount of discretionary offsetting receipts received during fiscal year 2024, so as to result in a final fiscal year 2024 appropriation from the general fund estimated at not more than $0: Provided further, That to the extent that amounts realized from such receipts exceed $9,000,000, those amounts in excess of $9,000,000 shall be deposited in the “TSCA Service Fee Fund” as discretionary offsetting receipts in fiscal year 2024, shall be retained and used for necessary salaries and expenses in this account, and shall remain available until expended: Provided further, That of the funds included in the first paragraph under this heading, the Chemical Risk Review and Reduction program project shall be allocated for this fiscal year, excluding the amount of any fees appropriated, not less than the amount of appropriations for that program project for fiscal year 2014.

For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978, $43,250,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025: Provided, That the Office of Inspector General shall be subject to the terms, conditions, and requirements specified under this heading in Senate Report 118–83.

For construction, repair, improvement, extension, alteration, and purchase of fixed equipment or facilities of, or for use by, the Environmental Protection Agency, $40,676,000, to remain available until expended.

For necessary expenses to carry out the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), including sections 111(c)(3), (c)(5), (c)(6), and (e)(4) (42 U.S.C. 9611), and hire, maintenance, and operation of aircraft, $537,700,000, to remain available until expended, consisting of such sums as are available in the Trust Fund on September 30, 2023, and not otherwise appropriated from the Trust Fund, as authorized by section 517(a) of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) and up to $537,700,000 as a payment from general revenues to the Hazardous Substance Superfund for purposes as authorized by section 517(b) of SARA: Provided, That funds appropriated under this heading may be allocated to other Federal agencies in accordance with section 111(a) of CERCLA: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $11,328,000 shall be paid to the “Office of Inspector General” appropriation to remain available until September 30, 2025, and $30,343,000 shall be paid to the “Science and Technology” appropriation to remain available until September 30, 2025.

For necessary expenses to carry out leaking underground storage tank cleanup activities authorized by subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, $89,214,000, to remain available until expended, of which $64,723,000 shall be for carrying out leaking underground storage tank cleanup activities authorized by section 9003(h) of the Solid Waste Disposal Act; and $24,491,000 shall be for carrying out the other provisions of the Solid Waste Disposal Act specified in section 9508(c) of the Internal Revenue Code: Provided, That the Administrator is authorized to use appropriations made available under this heading to implement section 9013 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act to provide financial assistance to federally recognized Indian tribes for the development and implementation of programs to manage underground storage tanks.

For expenses necessary to carry out the Environmental Protection Agency’s responsibilities under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, including hire, maintenance, and operation of aircraft, $20,711,000, to be derived from the Oil Spill Liability trust fund, to remain available until expended.

For the cost of direct loans and for the cost of guaranteed loans, as authorized by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, $64,634,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That these funds are available to subsidize gross obligations for the principal amount of direct loans, including capitalized interest, and total loan principal, including capitalized interest, any part of which is to be guaranteed, not to exceed $12,500,000,000: Provided further, That of the funds made available under this heading, $5,000,000 shall be used solely for the cost of direct loans and for the cost of guaranteed loans for projects described in section 5026(9) of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to State infrastructure financing authorities, as authorized by section 5033(e) of such Act: Provided further, That the use of direct loans or loan guarantee authority under this heading for direct loans or commitments to guarantee loans for any project shall be in accordance with the criteria published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2020 (85 FR 39189) pursuant to the fourth proviso under the heading “Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Program Account” in division D of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116–94): Provided further, That none of the direct loans or loan guarantee authority made available under this heading shall be available for any project unless the Administrator and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget have certified in advance in writing that the direct loan or loan guarantee, as applicable, and the project comply with the criteria referenced in the previous proviso: Provided further, That, for the purposes of carrying out the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office may request, and the Administrator shall promptly provide, documentation and information relating to a project identified in a Letter of Interest submitted to the Administrator pursuant to a Notice of Funding Availability for applications for credit assistance under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program, including with respect to a project that was initiated or completed before the date of enactment of this Act. In addition, fees authorized to be collected pursuant to sections 5029 and 5030 of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 shall be deposited in this account, to remain available until expended. In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the direct and guaranteed loan programs, notwithstanding section 5033 of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, $7,640,000, to remain available until September 30, 2025.

For fiscal year 2024, notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 6303(1) and 6305(1), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in carrying out the Agency’s function to implement directly Federal environmental programs required or authorized by law in the absence of an acceptable tribal program, may award cooperative agreements to federally recognized Indian tribes or Intertribal consortia, if authorized by their member tribes, to assist the Administrator in implementing Federal environmental programs for Indian tribes required or authorized by law, except that no such cooperative agreements may be awarded from funds designated for State financial assistance agreements. The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is authorized to collect and obligate pesticide registration service fees in accordance with section 33 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136w–8), to remain available until expended. Notwithstanding section 33(d)(2) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (7 U.S.C. 136w–8(d)(2)), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency may assess fees under section 33 of FIFRA (7 U.S.C. 136w–8) for fiscal year 2024. The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is authorized to collect and obligate fees in accordance with section 3024 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6939g) for fiscal year 2024, to remain available until expended. The Administrator is authorized to transfer up to $368,000,000 of the funds appropriated for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under the heading “Environmental Programs and Management” to the head of any Federal department or agency, with the concurrence of such head, to carry out activities that would support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement programs, projects, or activities; to enter into an interagency agreement with the head of such Federal department or agency to carry out these activities; and to make grants to governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, institutions, and individuals for planning, research, monitoring, outreach, and implementation in furtherance of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Science and Technology, Environmental Programs and Management, Office of Inspector General, Hazardous Substance Superfund, and Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program Accounts, are available for the construction, alteration, repair, rehabilitation, and renovation of facilities, provided that the cost does not exceed $300,000 per project. For fiscal year 2024, and notwithstanding section 518(f) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1377(f)), the Administrator is authorized to use the amounts appropriated for any fiscal year under section 319 of the Act to make grants to Indian tribes pursuant to sections 319(h) and 518(e) of that Act. The Administrator is authorized to use the amounts appropriated under the heading “Environmental Programs and Management” for fiscal year 2024 to provide grants to implement the Southeast New England Watershed Restoration Program. Notwithstanding the limitations on amounts in section 320(i)(2)(B) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, not less than $2,500,000 of the funds made available under this title for the National Estuary Program shall be for making competitive awards described in section 320(g)(4). For fiscal year 2024, the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and the Office of Water may, using funds appropriated under the headings “Environmental Programs and Management” and “Science and Technology”, contract directly with individuals or indirectly with institutions or nonprofit organizations, without regard to 41 U.S.C. 5, for the temporary or intermittent personal services of students or recent graduates, who shall be considered employees for the purposes of chapters 57 and 81 of title 5, United States Code, relating to compensation for travel and work injuries, and chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code, relating to tort claims, but shall not be considered to be Federal employees for any other purpose: Provided, That amounts used for this purpose by the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and the Office of Water collectively may not exceed $2,000,000. The Environmental Protection agency shall provide the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate with copies of any available Department of Treasury quarterly certification of trust fund receipts collected from section 13601 of Public Law 117–169 and section 80201 of Public Law 117–58, an annual operating plan for such receipts showing amounts allocated by program area and program project, and quarterly reports for such receipts of obligated balances by program area and program project.Editorial note: The text above is the only information printed on this page of the signed law.