[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H1188-H1191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WATER USE EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION RESEARCH ACT
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 631) to increase research, development, education,
and technology transfer activities related to water use efficiency and
conservation technologies and practices at the Environmental Protection
Agency.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 631
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 Use Efficiency and
Conservation Research Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Between 1950 and 2000, the United States population
increased nearly 90 percent. In that same period, public
demand for water increased 209 percent. Americans now use an
average of 100 gallons of water per person each day. This
increased demand has put additional stress on water supplies
and distribution systems, threatening both human health and
the environment.
(2) Thirty-six States are anticipating local, regional, or
statewide water shortages by 2013. In addition, climate
change related effects are expected to exacerbate already
scarce water resources in many areas of the country.
(3) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007
assessment states that water stored in glaciers and snow
cover is projected to decline, reducing water availability to
one-sixth of the world's population that relies upon
meltwater from major mountain ranges. The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change also predicts droughts will become
more severe and longer lasting in a number of regions.
(4) Water conservation should be a national goal and the
Environmental Protection Agency should work with
nongovernmental partners to achieve that goal. The
Environmental Protection Agency should support the research,
development, and dissemination of technologies and processes
that will achieve greater water use efficiency.
(5) WaterSense is a voluntary public-private partnership
program established by the Environmental Protection Agency to
promote water efficiency by helping consumers identify water-
efficient products and practices. The Environmental
Protection Agency estimates that if all United States
households installed water-efficient appliances, the country
would save more than 3,000,000,000,000 gallons of water and
more than $17,000,000,000 per year.
(6) The WaterSense program has developed a network of
partners, and therefore can disseminate the results of
research on technologies and processes that achieve greater
water use efficiency.
SEC. 3. RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Assistant Administrator for Research
and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency (in
this Act referred to as the ``Assistant Administrator'')
shall establish a research and development program consistent
with the plan developed under section 4 that promotes water
use efficiency and conservation, including--
(1) technologies and processes that enable the collection,
storage, treatment, and reuse of rainwater, stormwater, and
greywater;
(2) water storage and distribution systems;
(3) behavioral, social, and economic barriers to achieving
greater water use efficiency; and
(4) use of watershed planning directed toward water
quality, conservation, and supply.
(b) Considerations.--In planning and implementing the
program, the Assistant Administrator shall consider--
(1) research needs identified by water resource managers,
State and local governments, and other interested parties;
and
(2) technologies and processes likely to achieve the
greatest increases in water use efficiency and conservation.
(c) Minority Serving Institutions.--In the execution of
this program, the Assistant Administrator may award
extramural grants to institutions of higher education and
shall encourage participation by Minority Serving
Institutions.
SEC. 4. STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN.
(a) In General.--The Assistant Administrator shall
coordinate the development of a strategic research plan (in
this Act referred to as the ``plan'') for the water use
efficiency and conservation research and development program
established in section 3 with all other Environmental
Protection Agency research and development strategic plans.
(b) Plan Contents.--The plan shall--
(1) outline research goals and priorities for a water use
efficiency and conservation research agenda, including--
(A) developing innovative water supply-enhancing processes
and technologies; and
(B) improving existing processes and technologies,
including wastewater treatment, desalinization, and
groundwater recharge and recovery schemes;
(2) identify current Federal research efforts on water that
are directed toward meeting the goals of improving water use
efficiency, water conservation, or expanding water supply and
describe how such efforts are coordinated with the program
established in section 3 in order to leverage resources and
avoid duplication; and
(3) consider and utilize, as appropriate, recommendations
in reports and studies conducted by Federal agencies, the
National Research Council, the National Science and
Technology Council, or other entities in the development of
the plan.
(c) Science Advisory Board Review.--The Assistant
Administrator shall submit the plan to the Science Advisory
Board of the Environmental Protection Agency for review.
(d) Revision.--The plan shall be revised and amended as
needed to reflect current scientific findings and national
research priorities.
SEC. 5. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.
The Assistant Administrator, building on the results of the
activities of the program established under section 3,
shall--
(1) facilitate the adoption of technology and processes to
promote water use efficiency and conservation; and
(2) collect and disseminate information, including the
establishment of a publicly accessible clearinghouse, on
technologies and processes to promote water use efficiency
and conservation, including information on--
(A) incentives and impediments to development and
commercialization;
(B) best practices; and
(C) anticipated increases in water use efficiency and
conservation resulting from the implementation of specific
technologies and processes.
SEC. 6. ADVANCED WATER EFFICIENCY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
(a) In General.--As part of the program under section 3,
the Assistant Administrator shall carry out at least 4
projects under which the funding is provided for the
incorporation into a building of the latest water use
efficiency and conservation technologies and designs. Funding
for each project shall be provided only to cover incremental
costs of water-use efficiency and conservation technologies.
(b) Criteria.--Of the 4 projects described in subsection
(a), at least 1 shall be for a residential building and at
least 1 shall be for a commercial building.
(c) Public Availability.--The designs of buildings with
respect to which funding is provided under subsection (a)
shall be made available to the public, and such buildings
shall be accessible to the public for tours and educational
purposes.
SEC. 7. REPORT.
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, and once every 2 years thereafter, the Assistant
Administrator shall transmit to Congress a report which
details the progress being made by the Environmental
Protection Agency with regard to--
(1) water use efficiency and conservation research projects
initiated by the Agency;
(2) development projects initiated by the Agency;
(3) outreach and communication activities conducted by the
Agency concerning water use efficiency and conservation; and
(4) development and implementation of the plan.
SEC. 8. WATER MANAGEMENT STUDY AND REPORT.
(a) Study.--
(1) Requirement.--The Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall enter into an arrangement with the
National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of low
impact and soft path strategies for management of water
supply, wastewater, and stormwater.
(2) Contents.--The study shall--
(A) examine and compare the state of research, technology
development, and emerging practices in other developed and
developing countries with those in the United States;
(B) identify and evaluate relevant system approaches for
comprehensive water management, including the
interrelationship of water systems with other major systems
such as energy and transportation;
(C) identify priority research and development needs; and
(D) assess implementation needs and barriers.
(b) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall transmit to the Committee on Science
and Technology of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a
report on the key findings of the study conducted under
subsection (a). The report shall evaluate challenges and
opportunities and serve as a practical reference for water
managers, planners, developers, scientists, engineers, non-
governmental organizations, Federal agencies, and regulators
by recommending innovative and integrated solutions.
(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
(1) the term ``low impact'' means a strategy that manages
rainfall at the source using uniformly distributed
decentralized micro-scale controls to mimic a site's
predevelopment hydrology by using design
[[Page H1189]]
techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and
detain runoff close to its source; and
(2) the term ``soft path'' means a general framework that
encompasses--
(A) increased efficiency of water use;
(B) integration of water supply, wastewater treatment, and
stormwater management systems; and
(C) protection, restoration, and effective use of the
natural capacities of ecosystems to provide clean water.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency for carrying out this section $1,000,000
for fiscal year 2010.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Assistant
Administrator for carrying out this Act $20,000,000 for each
of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 631, the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 631, the Water Use Efficiency and
Conservation Act, and I would like to thank Congressman Jim Matheson
for introducing this important legislation. I would also like to thank
my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for their
unanimous support in making this a good, bipartisan bill.
Water scarcity is a significant and growing problem in the United
States and around the world. Americans use an average of 100 gallons of
water per person each day, which results in a daily water use of
approximately 26 billion gallons of water.
This increase demand has put additional stress on water supplies and
distribution systems, threatening the environment and constraining
economic activity.
Imbalances between supply and demand, combined with the degradation
of ground water and surface water, negatively impact all regions of the
country and all facets of life.
The biggest and cheapest source of water to meet our Nation's growing
water demands is the water currently wasted by inefficient water
practices.
Conserving water provides significant cost savings for water and
wastewater systems. Water efficiency and reuse programs help water
suppliers avoid, downsize and postpone expensive infrastructure
projects.
H.R. 631 establishes a research and development program within the
Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development to
promote water-use efficiency and conservation.
Through this program, EPA will be able to develop and encourage the
adoption of technologies and processes that will achieve greater water-
use efficiency, thus helping to address the water supply shortages.
In addition, H.R. 631 directs EPA to disseminate information on
current water-use efficient technologies and conservation practices.
Broad dissemination of this information will facilitate wider usage of
these proven technologies and practices.
{time} 1315
In order to meet the water demands of the 21st century, we need
innovative solutions to maximize our available resources. Again, I want
to thank my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for
their bipartisan support and collaboration on this legislation, and I
urge all Members to support this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
According to the American Water Works Association, an international
nonprofit scientific and educational organization, daily indoor per
capita water consumption in a typical single family home is about 70
gallons. By installing more efficient water fixtures and checking for
leaks, single family homes can reduce their daily per capita water
consumption by, we are told, 35 percent.
Now, while some of these technologies are already on the market and
being used, many water-saving ideas have not gotten past the research
phase for lack of a coordinated Federal research program. While the
Environmental Protection Agency is charged with protecting water
sources, EPA's research and development program is not comprehensive or
rationally organized and does not address water efficiency and
conservation.
H.R. 631 establishes a research and development program for water
efficiency technologies and conservation at the EPA. It instructs the
Assistant Administrator of the Office of Research and Development to
develop a single coordinated research plan.
EPA is tasked with using recommendations and existing reports from
the National Academies and the National Science and Technology Council
in the development of the plan. The EPA should develop a comprehensive
strategic research plan for technologies that embodies our national
priorities, particularly water efficiency and water conservation.
Mr. Speaker, at a time when our Nation is facing water shortages, we
just can't afford to fall behind on technological research and
development. We need to invest resources so that we can better manage
water shortages in the future. I urge all of my colleagues to support
H.R. 631.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield myself 1 minute.
Mr. Speaker, Chairman Oberstar of the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee has worked cooperatively with us on this
legislation, and I would like to ask that an exchange of letters
between us regarding H.R. 631 be placed in the Record.
House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure,
Washington, DC, February 11, 2009.
Hon. Bart Gordon,
Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Gordon: I write to you regarding H.R. 631,
the ``Water Use Efficiency and Conservation Research Act.''
This legislation authorizes the Environmental Protection
Agency to establish a research and development program to
promote water use efficiency and conservation technologies
and practices.
H.R. 631 contains provisions that fall within the
jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure. I recognize and appreciate your desire to
bring this legislation before the House in an expeditious
manner and, accordingly, I will not seek a sequential
referral of the bill. However, I agree to waive consideration
of this bill with the mutual understanding that my decision
to forego a sequential referral of the bill does not waive,
reduce, or otherwise affect the jurisdiction of the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure over H.R. 631.
Further, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
reserves the right to seek the appointment of conferees
during any House-Senate conference convened on this
legislation on provisions of the bill that are within the
Committee's jurisdiction. I ask for your commitment to
support any request by the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure for the appointment of conferees on H.R. 631
or similar legislation.
Please place a copy of this letter and your response
acknowledging the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure's jurisdictional interest in the Congressional
Record during consideration of the measure on the House
Floor.
I look forward to working with you as we prepare to pass
this important legislation.
Sincerely,
James L. Oberstar, M.C.,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives, Committee on Science and
Technology,
Washington, DC, February 11, 2009.
Hon. James L. Oberstar,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Oberstar: Thank you for your February 11,
2009 letter regarding H.R. 631, the Water Use Efficiency and
Conservation Research Act. Your support for this legislation
and your assistance in ensuring its timely consideration are
greatly appreciated.
I agree that provisions in the bill are of jurisdictional
interest to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure. I acknowledge that by forgoing a sequential
referral, your Committee is not relinquishing its
jurisdiction and I will fully support your
[[Page H1190]]
request to be represented in a House-Senate conference on
those provisions over which the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure has jurisdiction in H.R. 631. A copy of
our letters will be placed in the Congressional Record during
consideration of the bill on the House floor.
I value your cooperation and look forward to working with
you as we move ahead with this important legislation.
Sincerely,
Bart Gordon,
Chairman.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from California (Mr. Radanovich).
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us calls for the
efficient use of water, and I think that is a very, very good goal. One
place that water is not being efficiently used by the environmental
community is in my district back in California. Due to drought
conditions and the abuse of the Endangered Species Act, which is
placing the needs of fish over the needs of farmers, the agriculture
economy in our region stands to lose over 40,000 jobs and over $1
billion in revenue.
Considering the bleak outlook for California's economy, one would
think that this so-called economic stimulus legislation might do
something to address this problem. Further, one might also think that
if there was a way to address this problem without spending one dime of
the taxpayers' money, this stimulus plan would include that option.
In fact, there is a way to save those 40,000 jobs in my district, and
billions of dollars in lost income, at no cost. Just temporarily
suspend the Endangered Species Act as it applies to the pumps in the
Sacramento San Joaquin Delta Pumps.
But does this stimulus plan include that proposal? Of course not.
Because the stimulus plan is not stimulus at all--it is a big spending
bill of gigantic proportions. Heaven forbid that our friends on the
other side of the aisle would try to save jobs without spending money.
Instead, we are spending money: $4 billion per year on the voter
fraud organization called ACORN. How can this be considered stimulus?
Instead, we are going to spend barely 1 day passing a trillion-dollar
stimulus bill that spends nearly $300 million to purchase golf carts.
Maybe the majority feels that the country club community are the people
who are really hurting right now.
This bill only sends our country and our children deeper and deeper
in debt, and the special interest spending contained within it are not
in America's best interest. Please join me in voting ``no'' on this
bill.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).
Mr. TERRY. Water infrastructure is important. And certainly I see in
the stimulus bill, at least the version that the House passed, that
there will be investment in that infrastructure. And I think it's
probably a good thing, although there's a budgetary process, an
appropriation process, an authorization process, called WRDA, where the
same thing could be done, and in an appropriate way where we can have
appropriate discussions on that merit.
What I have learned today during the 15-minute break I had to eat
lunch is that there is now a deal that has been reached between the
Speaker's office and the majority leader of the Senate's office on the
stimulus bill--the conference.
We always knew or anticipated that the whole process was just going
to be rammed down the throats of the Members of Congress and that, in
all likelihood, the conference was going to be the Speaker's office and
Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader's office.
Yesterday, they came out and said, We are going to have a conference.
Even called our majority leader and said we are actually going to let
two Republicans on the conference committee. Of course, none have been
appointed. And, evidently, the deal has already been sealed, and now
there's going to be some faux meeting, probably just for the television
cameras to come out and display how great this process is, when the
reality is not one opportunity has been given to the Republicans to be
part of this process to talk about a stimulus plan that, yes, is
different than the Pelosi-Reid-Obama stimulus plan that was put before
this House and in a slightly different version in the Senate.
I think that we should be afforded the opportunity to at least
discuss the merits of our stimulus plan that is different, is
philosophically different, because what we say is instead of growing
government and programs, we want to stimulate the growth of business,
particularly small businesses. And so we have got a laundry list of tax
breaks or relief and regulatory relief that would be focused on small
businesses so they cannot only retain their employees but, hopefully,
even grow.
Several economists have looked at our plan in comparison to the
Pelosi-Reid-Obama-endorsed plan.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
Mr. TERRY. Thank you.
And those economists have said, when they have compared the two
bills, the Republican one and the one that we are going to have rammed
down our throats in the next day or two, if they give it 48 hours from
now, that ours will be half the cost to the taxpayers, but yet create a
million and a half new private sector jobs. Yet, we haven't even had
the opportunity to have an open debate about which plan is better, even
though we were promised that earlier.
So, what we are left with is to rifle through a monstrous bill where
we have uncovered money being funded to ACORN, door-to-door activities
to find the 1.2 million people in the United States who evidently
haven't bought their DTV converter box--$650 million for that--and a
health committee that is going to second-guess physicians. We need the
opportunity to be heard and to show sunlight on this process.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
I want to give some comfort to my friend from Nebraska. The
Republicans did have an opportunity to offer a substitute, which they
did, on the floor, when the original bill came up, and it was rejected
on a bipartisan vote. So I just want to bring that up.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from South Carolina (Mr. Inglis).
Mr. INGLIS. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Back to the nanotechnology bill for a moment. This bill is a good
bill, and I wanted to congratulate the chairman, Mr. Gordon, for
something that he said earlier in this debate about the need to help
the public understand new technology.
Of course, use the example of nuclear power. In South Carolina, we
use nuclear power very effectively. It does take some education to get
people comfortable with the concept. The same with nanotechnology. An
important part of this bill, I think, is enabling the public to begin
to understand nanotechnology--all of us to understand nanotechnology.
It's a little bit difficult. But, as we do, we get more comfortable
with it, the uses of the technology, the safe uses of that technology
will benefit us and will drive, hopefully, an increase in productivity
within our economy.
And that brings me, of course, to the other discussion that is going
on here today about how to get the economy going. What is the best way
to accomplish this sort of thing long term?
In this nanotechnology bill we are taking good steps that the House
is wise to take. In the stimulus package I wish we were doing the same
sort of things. I wish that we were setting up a trajectory forward
where we are going to have higher productivity out of this economic
downturn. The risk that we have got is what we are going to do is
simply spend some money that we borrow, which means that we pile on the
debt, and the result is that we don't really get the growth we are
looking for because the growth will be eaten up in inflation and
perhaps a risk of hyperinflation once this debt really comes to be
digested by our economy.
So, the hope that I have is that we could actually come up with the
same sort of approach we are using here in this nanotechnology bill, a
collaborative approach, where we have Republicans and Democrats working
together to accomplish something good for the long-term benefit of our
economy and our country.
[[Page H1191]]
In the case of the stimulus, what we have is not that process. We
have sort of the opposite, where this basically compromise, which is a
zero sum game, as opposed to collaboration, which uses the strengths of
both parties to come together and solve problems that America faces.
So, it's with excitement that I vote for the nanotechnology bill.
It's with real disappointment that I vote against the stimulus package.
I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this
bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 631.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________