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: Introduced 2/14/13; 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: Introduced 2/13/13; referred to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
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.