To waive certain requirements under section 306018 of title 54, United States Code, with respect to undertakings to upgrade public water systems and treatment works.
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMrs. Bice introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill waives historic preservation review requirements for projects that upgrade public water systems and wastewater treatment facilities. Currently, federally-funded or federally-licensed infrastructure projects must undergo Section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act to assess impacts on historic and cultural resources. This bill allows water infrastructure projects to skip that review process upon request.
Who Benefits and How
Water utilities, municipal governments, and water infrastructure contractors benefit from reduced project timelines and lower compliance costs. Currently, Section 106 review can add months to project schedules and require costly archaeological surveys. By exempting water system upgrades, cities and water districts can rehabilitate aging pipes, treatment plants, and distribution systems faster and cheaper. Construction contractors also benefit from streamlined permitting.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Native American tribes lose a key consultation process that protects sacred sites and cultural resources that may be disturbed during water infrastructure construction. State Historic Preservation Officers and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation lose oversight authority. Archaeological and cultural resource management consultants lose business opportunities, as fewer projects will require their services. Historic preservation organizations lose legal leverage to protect historic sites from construction impacts.
Key Provisions
- Exempts public water system and treatment works projects from Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
- Applies to projects primarily for structural rehabilitation or upgrades
- Requires the project entity to request the exemption from the responsible federal agency
- Defines key terms including "public water system," "treatment works," "responsible agency," and "undertaking"
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Exempts public water system and treatment works upgrade projects from Section 106 historic preservation review requirements under the National Historic Preservation Act.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Streamline water infrastructure projects by removing historic preservation review requirements that can delay construction timelines"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Water utilities and municipal water systems
- Water infrastructure contractors
- State and local governments with aging water infrastructure
- Communities with water infrastructure needs
Likely Burden Bearers
- Historic preservation organizations
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- State Historic Preservation Officers
- Native American tribes with cultural heritage concerns
- Archaeological and cultural resource professionals
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "responsible_agency"
- → Federal agency having jurisdiction over an undertaking, or the Federal or independent agency having authority to license an undertaking
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Has the meaning given the term in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f)
The Federal agency having jurisdiction over an undertaking; or the Federal or independent agency having authority to license an undertaking
The requirements of section 306108 of title 54, United States Code; and the section 106 process as described in part 800 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)
Has the meaning given the term in section 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1292)
Has the meaning given the term in section 300320 of title 54, United States Code
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