A pair of bills introduced in the House of Representatives in July would formally authorize EPA’s WaterSense program and establish a new Energy Department grant program for water utility demonstration projects that increase water and energy efficiency. The WaterSense legislation also includes additional language based on an AMWA-supported proposal that would offer assistance to water utilities undertaking climate adaptation and resiliency projects.
Sponsored by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) the “Smart Water Management Conservation and Efficiency Act” (H.R. 5149) and the “WaterSense Efficiency, Conservation, and Adaptation Act” (H.R. 5150) will serve as House versions of legislation of the same names introduced in the Senate earlier this year by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.). The texts of the House and Senate versions of each bill appear nearly identical.
The “Smart Water” bill would establish a pilot program offering 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. AMWA and other water utility organizations wrote to Sen. Udall last month in support of his version of the bill.
The other bill, H.R. 5150, would permanently authorize EPA’s WaterSense program, with long-term spending limits annually adjusted for inflation. The bill would also establish a “Blue Bank for Water System Mitigation and Adaptation,” described as an EPA grant program to help water utilities with “mitigating or adapting to the impacts of climate change.” This section is based on the “Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act,” a separate bill from Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) that AMWA has supported for several years. Both proposals would allow EPA to offer matching funds for water utility projects that respond to threats posed by climate change or changing hydrological conditions.
Sen. Udall’s “Smart Water” bill was discussed during a July 30 Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, but the timing for any possible votes on the bill is unclear. Rep. McNerney’s versions of the legislation appear unlikely to advance in the Republican-controlled House.