S. 1311: Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act

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S. 1311: Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act

111th Congress · introduced 2009-06-19 · Environmental Protection · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 501.

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Official title

Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act

Plain summary

Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reestablish the Program Office of the Gulf of Mexico Program as an office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to be headed by a Director. Requires the Office to: (1) coordinate the actions of EPA and of other federal agencies and state and local authorities in developing strategies to improve the water quality and living resources in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and obtain the support of appropriate officials; (2) assist in developing specific action plans to carry out the Program; (3) coordinate and implement priority state- and community-led restoration plans and projects and facilitate activities that support the Program through the provision of grants authorized by this Act; (4) implement outreach programs to foster stewardship of the Gulf's resources; (5) develop and make available information about the environmental quality and living resources of the Gulf ecosystem; (6) serve as the liaison with the Mexican members of the Gulf of Mexico States Accord and Mexican counterparts of the EPA; and (7) focus on activities that will result in measurable improvements to water quality and living resources of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Authorizes the EPA Administrator, acting through such Office, to enter into interagency agreements to carry out this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to provide grants for use in: (1) monitoring the water quality and living resources of the Gulf ecosystem; (2) researching the effects of environmental changes on such water quality and resources; (3) developing cooperative strategies that address the water quality and needs of Gulf resources; (4) developing locally-based protection and restoration programs or projects within a watershed that complement those strategies; and (5) eliminating or reducing nonpoint sources that discharge pollutants that contaminate the Gulf ecosystem. Limits the federal share of the cost of any project carried out using a grant to 75% of the project's total costs. Limits administrative costs in the form of salaries, overhead, or indirect costs for services provided and charged against programs carried out using fund made available through a grant to 15% of the grant amount. Requires the Director to report to the Administrator and the public on projects funded by such grants. Requires the Administrator to: (1) complete an assessment of the Program and submit to Congress a comprehensive report on the Program's performance no later than April 30, 2011, and every five years thereafter; and (2) include a funding line item request for the Program Office as a separate budget line item in the annual submission to Congress of EPA's budget. Authorizes appropriations for FY2010-FY2014.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s)), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] · 5 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1311, Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act (2010-07-08); CBO cost estimate: S. 1311, Gulf of Mexico Restoration and Protection Act (2010-07-08)

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] reported raising $306,823 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s1311.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s1311 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111