Members of the House and Senate offered a variety of new water-related bills over the past month. Many of the proposals are new versions of legislation introduced in previous sessions of Congress, or companion measures to bills recently offered in the other chamber. Some of the new water-related legislation includes:
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H.R. 1877, the “Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act,” sponsored by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.). The bill would reauthorize the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) at $13.8 billion over 5 years while also establishing a clean water trust fund and a new program to help large wastewater infrastructure projects receive loans through the CWSRF. It is similar to legislation originally introduced in 2011.
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S. 970, the “Water Resources Research Amendments Act,” sponsored by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). The bill would reauthorize federal grants for water research activities, training for hydrologists and other water-related scientists and engineers, and public outreach and education on water issues. The program was first authorized in 1964 and was most recently renewed in 2006.
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S. 864, the “Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act,” sponsored by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). S. 864 would reauthorize EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act technical assistance program for water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people.
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H.R. 1921, the “Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act,” sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.). The bill, which Rep. DeGette has introduced in each session of Congress since 2008, would require disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids and remove the oil and gas industry’s exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act.