Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II creates a special permitting path for the Point Loma wastewater plant in San Diego. Notwithstanding the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, EPA may issue a section 402 permit for discharges into marine waters if the permit keeps the deep ocean outfall at least 300 feet deep and at least four miles offshore, caps total suspended solids at 12,000 metric tons per year after enactment, 11,500 metric tons after December 31, 2029, and 9,942 metric tons after December 31, 2031, limits 30-day average total suspended solids to 60 milligrams per liter, and requires at least 80 percent monthly removal. The bill gives San Diego a tailored compliance regime instead of forcing the ordinary path alone.
Who Benefits and How
San Diego ratepayers benefit if the special permit avoids or delays more expensive wastewater-treatment upgrades. The City of San Diego benefits from a statutory path for Point Loma Plant compliance under defined discharge limits. Point Loma Plant operators benefit from clear outfall, solids, and removal standards for permit planning. Regional water infrastructure planners benefit from phased total-suspended-solids targets through 2031.
Who Bears the Burden and How
EPA permit writers must administer a site-specific permit notwithstanding ordinary Clean Water Act constraints. Ocean conservation organizations bear the environmental-policy burden of a less conventional permitting path for marine discharges. Point Loma Plant operators must meet annual tonnage caps, 30-day concentration limits, and monthly removal requirements. Downstream marine monitoring programs must track compliance and ecological effects near the ocean outfall.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes EPA to issue a section 402 permit for Point Loma Plant marine discharges.
- Requires a deep ocean outfall at least 300 feet deep and at least four miles from shore.
- Sets annual total-suspended-solids caps that decline in 2029 and 2031.
- Requires 60 milligrams per liter as a 30-day average and at least 80 percent monthly solids removal.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes EPA to issue a Clean Water Act discharge permit for San Diego's Point Loma Plant using specified deep-ocean outfall, solids-discharge, removal, monitoring, and compliance requirements.
Key Policy Areas
Water Pollution, Local Infrastructure, EPA Permitting
Primary Purpose
Authorizes EPA to issue a Clean Water Act discharge permit for San Diego's Point Loma Plant using specified deep-ocean outfall, solids-discharge, removal, monitoring, and compliance requirements.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- San Diego ratepayers
- City of San Diego
- Point Loma Plant operators
- Water infrastructure planners
Identified Costs
- EPA permit writers
- Ocean conservation organizations
- Point Loma Plant operators
- Marine monitoring programs
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Issa, …
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology