Efforts to curb the impacts of global climate change were placed back in the spotlight this month as President Obama prominently highlighted the issue during his State of the Union address and legislation to help water systems adapt to changing hydrological conditions was reintroduced in the House of Representatives.
During his February 12 address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama called on lawmakers to “pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution” to climate change. He also pledged to pursue executive actions if Congress does not act, including actions to “prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change.”
The White House did not offer further details on what these actions may include, but the comments could open the door to a coordinated effort to help communities – and their water systems – adapt to climate change impacts. To that end, a bill authored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) that is a priority of the water and wastewater communities was introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 765 just days later.
Rep. Capps’ “Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act” mirrors legislation she last offered in the House in 2011 and would establish a competitive grant program at EPA to offer assistance to water and wastewater systems undertaking projects to future the sustainability of their infrastructure or to study the potential impacts of changing hydrological conditions on their water system. The bill would benefit water systems that are facing water supply or quality issues that are a consequence of a range of factors, including global climate change.
Projects eligible for funding assistance under H.R. 765 would include water conservation and efficiency improvements; “green infrastructure” measures that protect source water quality or reduce flood vulnerability; relocation or modification of existing infrastructure that is or will be impaired by changing hydrological conditions; water reuse, recycling, or desalination projects that serve existing communities; efforts to enhance a utility’s energy efficiency or to utilize renewable energy in the management and treatment of water; and local or regional studies that identify specific climate-related risks to given communities.
AMWA worked closely with Rep. Capps’ staff to develop the original legislation, and has organized support around this year’s version. On February 20, AMWA and a coalition of water utility and environmental organizations sent a letter to Rep. Capps endorsing the bill.
Sen. Ben Cardin, who introduced a Senate version of the legislation during the 112thCongress, is also expected to offer a new companion bill in the coming weeks.