Italicized items indicate new legislation or a change in status since last month
Senate Bills
S. 7: To improve the resilience of the United States to extreme weather events and to prevent the worsening of extreme weather conditions
Placeholder legislation for a future extreme weather bill.
Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Status: Introduced 1/22/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Justice, and Science.
S. 10: To reauthorize agricultural programs through 2018.
Placeholder legislation for a new farm bill reauthorization.
Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Status: Introduced 1/22/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
S. 67: The Secure Water Facilities Act
Requires certain water and wastewater utilities to review “inherently safer technology” options, and allows government regulators to force certain utilities to implement “IST” measures.
Sponsor: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)
Status: Introduced 1/23/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
S. 175: To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to improve the use of certain registered pesticides.
Bars the federal government from requiring additional permits for pesticides that are used in a manner consistent with their FIFRA label.
Sponsor: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)
Status: Introduced 1/29/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
S. 332: The Climate Protection Act
Seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by taxing carbon emissions, ends the Safe Drinking Water Act hydraulic fracturing exemption, and requires fracking companies to disclose chemicals used in the process.
Sponsor: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Status: Introduced 2/14/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
S. 335: The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA)
Creates a new EPA program to offer low-cost financing to large drinking water and wastewater projects seeking loans of at least $20 million.
Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
Status: Similar proposal passed by the Senate as Title X of S. 601, 5/15/13.
S. 396: The Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act
Requires owners of publicly-owned treatment works to provide timely alerts to the public on sewer overflows.
Sponsor: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)
Status: Introduced 2/27/13; referred to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
S. 601: The Water Resources Development Act
Authorizes funding for Army Corps water resources projects, and authorizes a new WIFIA pilot program (similar to S. 335).
Sponsor: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Status: Approved by the Senate, 5/15/13.
S. 802: The Sensible Environmental Protection Act
Prevents EPA and state environmental agencies from requiring NPDES permit applications for pesticides that are already registered for use under FIFRA.
Sponsor: Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.)
Status: Introduced 4/24/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
S. 864: The Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act
Reauthorizes SDWA technical assistance for small community water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people.
Sponsor: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
Status: Introduced 5/6/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
S. 954: The Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act
Reauthorizes USDA programs through 2018 and consolidates the existing Agricultural Water Enhancement Program into a new Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
Sponsor: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
Status: Approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee, 5/14/13.
S. 970: The Water Resources Research Amendments Act
Reauthorizes federal grant funding for water research, training, and public outreach activities.
Sponsor: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.)
Status: Introduced 5/16/13; referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
House Bills
H.R. 123: The Water Advanced Technologies for Efficient Resource Use Act
Formally authorizes EPA’s WaterSense program.
Sponsor: Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.)
Status: Introduced 1/3/13; referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
H.R. 202: To limit citizens suits against publicly owned treatment works
Bars citizen suits against publicly owned treatment works to enforce an effluent standard unless the POTW is in significant non-compliance as defined by an EPA guidance document.
Sponsor: Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.)
Status: Introduced 1/4/13; referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
H.R. 624: The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act
Provides for the sharing of cyber threat intelligence and cyber threat information among the intelligence community, cybersecurity entities, and the private sector.
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.)
Status: Approved by the House of Representatives, 4/18/13.
H.R. 654: To reauthorize technical assistance to small public water systems
Reauthorizes Safe Drinking Water Act technical assistance for community water systems that serve fewer than 10,000 people.
Sponsor: Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.)
Status: Introduced 2/13/13; referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
H.R. 745: To reauthorize the Water Desalination Act of 1996
Reauthorizes the Desalination Act of 1996, allocating $3 million per year for desalination research through 2018.
Sponsor: Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.)
Status: Introduced 2/15/13; referred to the House Committees on Natural Resources and Science, Space, and Technology.
H.R. 765: The Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act
Creates a new competitive program through which water systems can access matching funding to adapt their infrastructure to changing hydrological conditions.
Sponsor: Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.)
Status: Introduced 2/15/13; referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Natural Resources.
H.R. 888: The General Duty Clarification Act
Clarifies EPA’s regulatory authority over chemical storage practices under the Clean Air Act and blocks the implementation of “inherently safer technology” mandates using Sec. 112(r) of the Clean Air Act.
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.)
Status: Introduced 2/28/13; referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
H.R. 935: The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act
Prevents EPA and state environmental agencies from requiring NPDES permit applications for pesticides that are already registered for use under FIFRA.
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Oh.)
Status: Introduced 3/4/13; referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
H.R. 949: The Invest in American Jobs Act
Applies “Buy America” requirements for the use of iron, steel, and manufactured goods on projects funded in whole or in part through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
Sponsor: Rep. Nick Rahall (R-W.V.)
Status: Introduced 3/5/13; referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
H.R. 1877: The Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act
Reauthorizes the CWSRF program while establishing a new clean water trust fund and a loan program for large-scale wastewater infrastructure projects.
Sponsor: Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.)
Status: Introduced 5/9/13; referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
H.R. 1921: The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act,
Requires the disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids and removes the oil and gas industry’s exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Sponsor: Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.)
Status: Introduced 5/9/13; referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
H.R. 1947: The Federal Agricultural Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act
Reauthorizes USDA programs through 2018 and consolidates the existing Agricultural Water Enhancement Program into a new Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
Sponsor: Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.)
Status: Approved by the House Agriculture Committee, 5/15/13.
H.R. 1948: The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act
Restricts the ability of EPA to issue revised water quality standards for pollutants if a state has already adopted a standard that has been approved by EPA.
Sponsor: Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.)
Status: Introduced 5/13/13; referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.