[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2969 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2969

 To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
           to establish water system adaptation partnerships.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 19, 2009

 Mrs. Capps (for herself, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Carnahan, Ms. Schwartz, Mrs. 
 Napolitano, Mr. Inslee, and Mr. Blumenauer) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
    Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
           to establish water system adaptation partnerships.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Water System Adaptation Partnerships 
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. WATER SYSTEM ADAPTATION PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) Grants.--Beginning in fiscal year 2010, the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency shall make grants to water systems 
to assist in planning, designing, constructing, implementing, or 
maintaining any program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement--
            (1) to conserve water or increase water use efficiency;
            (2) to carry out water metering to measure water efficiency 
        effectiveness of a water efficiency program;
            (3) to preserve or improve water quality;
            (4) to enhance water management by increasing source water 
        preservation and protection, or natural or engineered green 
        infrastructure in the management, conveyance, or treatment of 
        water, wastewater, or stormwater;
            (5) to increase energy efficiency or the use and generation 
        of renewable energy in the management, conveyance, or treatment 
        of water, wastewater, or stormwater;
            (6) to support the adoption and use of advanced water 
        treatment, water supply management, or water demand management 
        technologies or processes (such as those used in water reuse 
        and recycling or adaptive conservation pricing) that maintain 
        or increase water supply or improve water quality;
            (7) to complete studies or assessments to project how 
        climate change may impact the future operations and 
        sustainability of the water system; or
            (8) to carry out any other activity or project to address 
        any ongoing or forecasted, based on the best available research 
        and data, climate-related impact on the water quality or 
        quantity of a region of the United States that increases the 
        resiliency of a water system to the impacts of climate change.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant from the 
Administrator under subsection (a), the owner or operator of a water 
system shall--
            (1) submit to the Administrator an application that 
        includes a proposal of the program, strategy, or infrastructure 
        improvement to be planned, designed, constructed, implemented, 
        or maintained by the water system;
            (2) cite the best available research or data that 
        describes--
                    (A) the risk to the system's water resources or 
                infrastructure as a result of ongoing or forecasted 
                changes to the hydrological system brought about by 
                factors arising from global climate change; and
                    (B) how the proposed program, strategy, or 
                infrastructure improvement would perform under the 
                anticipated climate conditions;
            (3) explain how the proposed program, strategy, or 
        infrastructure improvement is expected to increase the water 
        system's resiliency to these risks or reduce the water system's 
        direct or indirect greenhouse gas emissions; and
            (4) demonstrate the consistency of the program, strategy, 
        or infrastructure improvement with an applicable climate 
        adaptation plan completed and adopted by a State.
    (c) Competitive Process.--Each calendar year, the Administrator 
shall conduct a competitive process to select and fund applications 
under this section. In carrying out the process, the Administrator 
shall--
            (1) give priority to applications that--
                    (A) are submitted by water systems that are, based 
                on the best available research and data, at the 
                greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant 
                climate-related negative impacts on water quality or 
                quantity;
                    (B) will impact the largest numbers of water users; 
                and
                    (C) will provide the greatest benefit per dollar 
                expended;
            (2) solicit applications from water systems that are--
                    (A) located in all regions of the United States; 
                and
                    (B) facing varying risks as a result of climate 
                change; and
            (3) provide for solicitation and consideration of public 
        input in the development of criteria used in evaluating 
        applications.
    (d) Cost Sharing.--
            (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
        program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement that is the 
        subject of a grant awarded by the Administrator to a water 
        system under subsection (a) shall not exceed, in a single 
        calendar year, 50 percent of the cost of the program, strategy, 
        or infrastructure improvement.
            (2) Calculation of non-federal share.--In calculating the 
        non-Federal share of the cost of a program, strategy, or 
        infrastructure improvement proposed by a water system through 
        an application submitted by the water system under subsection 
        (b), the Administrator shall--
                    (A) include the value of any in-kind services that 
                substantially contributes toward the completion of the 
                program, strategy, or infrastructure improvement, as 
                determined by the Administrator; and
                    (B) not include any other amount that the water 
                system receives from a Federal agency.
    (e) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency shall promulgate final regulations to carry out this 
section.
    (f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall submit to 
the Congress a report on progress in implementing this section, 
including information on project applications received and funded 
annually.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) The term ``water system'' means a community water 
        system as defined in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 300f), a treatment works as defined in section 
        212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
        1292), a municipal separate storm sewer system (as defined by 
        the Administrator), or a combined sewer system as defined in 
        402(q) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 
        1342(q)).
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary.
                                 <all>