[Senate Report 110-487]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]






                                                      Calendar No. 1058
110th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     110-487

======================================================================



 
         CLIMATE CHANGE DRINKING WATER ADAPTATION RESEARCH ACT

                                _______
                                

  September 24 (legislative day, September 17), 2008.--Ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

    Mrs. Boxer, from the Committee on Environment and Public Works, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 2970]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 
referred a bill (S. 2970) to enhance the ability of drinking 
water utilities in the United States to develop and implement 
climate change adaptation programs and policies, and for other 
purposes, reports, favorably thereon, and recommends that the 
bill do pass.

                      PURPOSES OF THE LEGISLATION

    S. 2970, the Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation 
Research Act, would require the Environmental Protection 
Agency, in consultation with the Departments of Commerce, 
Energy, and Interior, to establish a research program to assist 
suppliers of drinking water in adapting to the effects of 
climate change.

                    GENERAL STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

    According to scientific experts including the U.S. Climate 
Change Science Program conclude that climate change threatens 
our water supplies due to a variety of hydrologic cycle 
changes, including increasingly severe extreme weather events, 
decreased snow pack, decreased runoff, and increased saltwater 
intrusion. According to a report from the U.S. Climate Change 
Science Program under President Bush, ``likely reductions in 
snowmelt, river flows, and groundwater levels, along with 
increases in saline intrusion into coastal rivers and 
groundwater, will reduce fresh water supplies.''\1\ S. 2970 
provides for a 10-year research program on water supply impacts 
and adaptation strategies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\U.S. Climate Change Science Program, ``Analyses of the effects 
of global change on human health and welfare and human systems,'' 
Executive Summary, p. 8, http://downloads.climatescience.gov/sap/sap4-
6/sap4-6-final-all.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 would provide that the Act may be cited as the 
``Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act.''

Section 2. Findings

    The central findings of the Act are: (1) the consensus 
among climate scientists is overwhelming that climate change is 
occurring more rapidly than can be occurred to natural causes, 
and significant impacts to the water supply are already 
occurring, (2) among the first and most critical of those 
impacts will be change to patterns of precipitation around the 
world, which will affect water availability for the most basic 
drinking water and domestic water needs of populations in many 
areas of the United States, and supplying water is highly 
energy-intensive and will become more so and energy production 
consumes a significant percentage of the fresh water resources 
of the United States. Additional findings highlight the 
worldwide extent of the problem, the relationships between 
water use and production and energy use and production, the 
usefulness and findings of ongoing studies by research 
institutions and foundations, and the need for water utilities 
to prepare for a wider range of possibilities in managing and 
delivering water.

Section 3. Research on the effects of climate change on drinking water 
        utilities

    The Environmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with 
the Departments of Commerce, Energy, and Interior, shall 
establish and provide funding for a research program to be 
conducted through a nonprofit water research foundation, to 
assist suppliers of drinking water in adapting to the effects 
of climate change. Water utilities are also expected to sponsor 
such research working with such a nonprofit foundation. It is 
expected that the federally-funded research plans will be 
developed through an open public process involving drinking 
water utilities, government experts, and others.
    Areas of research shall include:
          (1) Water quality impacts and solutions, including 
        pathogens and algae and mitigating increasing damage to 
        watersheds and water quality from extreme events, such 
        as wildfire and hurricanes;
          (2) Impacts on ground water supply from carbon 
        sequestration;
          (3) Water quantity impacts and solutions, including 
        hydrological basin research, improvement of regional 
        climate change models, and improved aboveground and 
        underground storage;
          (4) Infrastructure impacts and solutions for water 
        treatment facilities and underground pipelines, 
        including sea-level rise impacts and ways to increase 
        resilience of existing infrastructure;
          (5) Desalination, water reuse and alternative water 
        supply technologies;
          (6) Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization 
        in water supply and improving water efficiency in 
        energy production;
          (7) Regional and hydrological basin cooperative 
        management solutions;
          (8) Utility management, decision support systems, and 
        water management models;
          (9) Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy 
        demand management in the provision, transmission, and 
        treatment of drinking water;
          (10) Water conservation and demand management;
          (11) Communications, education, and public acceptance 
        for improved strategies and communication with 
        customers, decisionmakers, and stakeholders.
    The Act authorizes appropriations of $25,000,000 per year 
from 2009-2019.

                     LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND VOTES

    On September 17, 2008, the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works held a business meeting at which the Committee 
considered S. 2970. The Committee favorably adopted the 
legislation by voice vote.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

    In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee finds that the 
legislation would not have any regulatory impact. The 
Congressional Budget Office found that the bill imposes no 
private sector mandates.

                          MANDATES ASSESSMENT

    In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(Public Law 104-4), the Committee finds that the legislation 
establishes no intergovernmental or private sector mandates. 
The CBO found that ``S. 2970 contains no intergovernmental or 
private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA and would not affect 
the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.''

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                                September 19, 2008.
Hon. Barbara Boxer,
Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Madam Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 2970, the Climate 
Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Susanne S. 
Mehlman.
            Sincerely,
                                                   Peter R. Orszag.
    Enclosure.

S. 2970--Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act

    Summary: S. 1933 would require the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the Secretaries of Commerce, 
Energy, and the Interior, to establish a research program to 
help drinking water suppliers adapt to the effects of climate 
change. This legislation would authorize the appropriation of 
$25 million annually over the 2009-2019 period.
    Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO 
estimates that implementing S. 2970 would cost $106 million 
over the 2009-2013 period and $169 million after 2013. Enacting 
S. 1933 would not affect direct spending or revenues.
    S. 2970 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary impact of S. 2970 is shown in the following table. 
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources and environment). For this estimate, CBO 
assumes that S. 2970 will be enacted near the start of fiscal 
year 2009 and that the amounts authorized by the bill will be 
appropriated each year. Estimated outlays are based on 
historical spending patterns for similar programs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                              --------------------------------------------------
                                                                2009    2010    2011    2012    2013   2009-2013
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorization Level..........................................      25      25      25      25      25       125
Estimated Outlays............................................      10      21      25      25      25       106
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 2970 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would not affect the budgets of state, 
local, or tribal governments.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Susanne S. Mehlman. 
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Burke Doherty. 
Impact on the Private Sector: Amy Petz.
    Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    Section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate 
requires the committee to publish changes in existing law made 
by the bill as reported. Passage of this bill will make no 
changes to existing law.

                                  
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