AMWA and other water sector organizations this month endorsed legislation pending before a Senate subcommittee that would establish Department of Energy grants to support pilot programs targeting the energy-water nexus.
Sponsored by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the “Smart Water Resource Conservation and Efficiency Act” (S. 2225) would establish a smart water resource pilot program to offer grant funding for water utility demonstration projects that increase water and energy efficiency, promote water and energy conservation, and support the development and use of “advanced automated systems that provide real-time data on energy and water.” Up to $7.5 million would be available each year for division between 3 and 5 grant recipients, which the Energy Department would select after considering the novelty, cost effectiveness, and potential energy and cost savings of each project application.
The Senate Water and Wildlife Subcommittee heard testimony on this and other legislation at a July 16 hearing, during which a letter in support of S. 2225 from AMWA and other water sector associations was added to the hearing record. The letter noted the significant amount of energy used in the water treatment process and said Sen. Udall’s bill “would provide valuable assistance in testing and disseminating the innovative technology needed to transform our water and wastewater sectors to meet today’s twenty-first century challenges.”
In testimony before the subcommittee, EPA Office of Water Principle Deputy Assistant Administrator Mike Shapiro said the agency “generally supports efforts to promote energy and water efficiency.” He explained EPA is coordinating with the Energy Department “on water and energy efficiency program efforts,” but said the Obama Administration had yet to take a position on Sen. Udall’s legislation.
Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) has introduced a companion version of the bill in the House of Representatives as H.R. 5149.
Sen. Udall and Rep. McNerney have also offered separate legislation (S. 2226/H.R. 5150) that would formally authorize EPA’s WaterSense program and establish a “Blue Bank for Water System Mitigation and Adaptation” to offer competitive grants to water and wastewater utilities undertaking projects in response to climate change threats. The Blue Bank proposal closely mirrors legislation previously introduced by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) as H.R. 765 and S. 1508, and which is still pending in Congress. AMWA helped author the Capps/Cardin legislation and has actively promoted it on Capitol Hill.