H.R. 2977 — MRRRI Act

This section states the purpose of the Act to establish the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI), a nonregulatory program to protect and restore the ecological health and resilience of the Mississippi River and its floodplain for current and future generations of Americans and dependent fish and wildlife. The MRRRI builds on existing efforts by providing funding for projects and activities through (1) a Mississippi River National Program Office; (2) focus areas and qualifying activities; (3) actionable goals, an action plan, a science plan, and periodic updates integrating with other Federal, state, Tribal, and local programs; (4) success criteria for restoration; (5) Environmental Protection Agency coordination and consultation with stakeholders; and (6) Mississippi River Corridor Research Centers.

This section establishes the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement projects for systemic, large-scale restoration of the Mississippi River Corridor—defined as portions of the Mississippi River watershed (including tributaries) in 10 Mississippi River States (Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin). It requires EPA to create a Mississippi River National Program Office, located in a Mississippi River State and headed by a qualified Director, to (1) coordinate EPA restoration actions; (2) develop, implement, and update the MRRRI, including actionable goals and an action plan, in coordination with relevant federal agencies (e.g., Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service; Department of the Interior's bureaus; Army Corps of Engineers; FEMA; NOAA; Coast Guard) and non-federal entities; (3) make related information publicly available; (4) facilitate Tribal government and organization engagement via a dedicated liaison and interagency cooperation; and (5) submit annual reports to Congress on progress, coordination, fund transfers, grants, and projects. Projects and activities must address at least one of three focus areas: (1) improving water quality and drinking water in the Corridor and States by reducing polluted runoff, excess agricultural nutrients, and sediment, and enhancing source water protections; (2) improving community resilience by restoring floodplains, riverine wetlands, delta and coastal wetlands, and backwaters to minimize flood and storm risks; or (3) protecting and restoring fish and wildlife habitat in and along the Mississippi River Corridor.

This section establishes a network of three Mississippi River Corridor Research Centers within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), coordinated with the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) Director, consisting of (1) a national center at a USGS office and (2) two regional centers hosted by universities—one for the Upper Mississippi River region (headwaters to Ohio River confluence) and one for the Lower Mississippi River region (Ohio River confluence to Gulf of Mexico). The centers must conduct research on MRRRI focus areas (i.e., ecological health priorities under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as added by this Act); advise federal agencies on water quality/habitat monitoring programs, MRRRI project impacts, and science plan elements; and collaborate with federal and non-federal entities on restoration and resiliency efforts, integrated with other federal activities. This section further directs the USGS Director to (1) host a Mississippi River science forum within one year of enactment, with federal agencies, Mississippi River states, Tribal governments, academia, and others, to identify data gaps and resource needs and (2) submit a report on forum findings within 270 days to the EPA Administrator, MRRRI Director, and specified congressional committees. Within two years after the forum, the USGS Director must develop and publicly post a science plan establishing MRRRI priorities, metrics, and research proposals, submitting it to the MRRRI Director; update the plan at least every five years with MRRRI Director and center input; and solicit public comment through formal notice.

This section defines terms used in this Act—including “MRRRI”, “MRRRI Director”, “Mississippi River Corridor”, “Mississippi River State”, “relevant Federal agency”, “Tribal government”, and “Tribal organization”—by reference to section 127(a) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as added by this Act.